Kostas Sloukas was the difference in an emotionally charged Istanbul derby as Fenerbahce beat neighbours Anadolu Efes 88-80 in round eight of the EuroLeague.
Sloukas tallied 21 points for Fenerbahce as they snapped their three-game losing streak and improve their record to 5-3.
“Tough game,” admitted Fenerbahce coach Zeljko Obradovic. “We talked at half time, they’re a very good team. They try always to play transition and the key against them is to stop their transition and easy points.
“I want to thank our fans. It was an amazing atmosphere one more time. They helped the team after three defeats in the EuroLeague. We needed a game like today’s and to continue to trust in ourselves.”
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv got the better of Unics Kazan 74-73 in a physical game that saw the Israeli side improve to 4-4 overall.
Veteran Devin Smith came up with some big plays and led Maccabi with 16 points and six rebounds.
“I think we did a really good job limiting what they do well,” Smith said. “We tried to take the ball out of Keith [Langford]’s hands. I think we did a good job rebounding the ball and defensively and I think that carried us in the second half because we played so well in the first half.
“It’s just about effort. In the last two games, our effort has increased a lot. We’re battling. All these teams are great teams, so to come here and get a win is great. ”
Keith Langford paced Kazan with a game-high 22 points.
Brose Baskets gave up a 15-point lead and spectacularly collapsed in the fourth quarter to lose 81-74 to Baskonia.
It’s another major collapse for the German side who looked good value for their lead early on, only to slump defensively, allowing easy looks and scores. And despite having a 70-61 lead with seven minutes left, they failed to register a single field goal after that.
Johannes Voigtmann was instrumental in the Baskonia comeback and he led the victors with 20 points.
Crvena Zvezda proved too much for EA7 Milano to handle as the Serbian champions claimed an 83-70 win at the Kombank Arena.
Marko Simonovic led the way with 23 points in a relatively comfortable win as Red Star improves its record to 4-4, the same as Milano.
“It was a great game, a big win for us,” Simonovic said. “We did a great job, especially on defense. We played very aggressive and didn’t allow them to play well. They know how to play and understand the game.
“They have a great coach and are a great team, a big club that will probably get a big result this season. It is a big night for us, but we must forget this as soon as possible because we have to prepare the next game.”
