EuroLeague
Photo: EuroLeague

Slovenian teenager Luka Doncic was two assists shy of a triple-double as he helped Real Madrid overcome a slow start to beat Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 80-75 on Friday night.

Doncic posted 10 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as Real improved to 12-5, while Maccabi dropped to 6-11.

“We had to work really hard for this win because Maccabi has unbelievable players and are a dangerous team,” said Doncic.

“The most important thing is that we won tonight, but I am also very happy with my stats. When I was younger, I saw it would be very impressive to play in the EuroLeague and I am very happy now.”

Rudy Fernandez and Gustavo Ayon led the winners with 14 points apiece.

Panathinaikos needed overtime to get the better of Anadolu Efes 92-81 in Athens.

The visitors were up 67-70 with seven seconds to go. But Mike James drew a foul while in a shooting motion behind the three-point arc, and went on to make 3 of 3 free throws with four ticks left in regulation time, forcing the extra session.

In overtime, Panathinaikos dominated and raced away to a victory that boosted the Greens to a 10-7 record, while Efes dropped to 8-9. Since both head-to-head matches of these two teams ended in overtime, neither team holds a tie-break advantage if they finish with the same record at the end of the regular season.

K.C. Rivers starred with 23 points for Panathinaikos.

“We needed to close the game in the end of second quarter,” admitted Panathinaikos coach Xavi Pascual. “We were up by 12, and in the last minute and a half before halftime they made a run of six points.

“In the second half it was clear that it was a game of point-by-point, and in the extra time we played very well. We scored our open shots and controlled the game.”

EuroLeague champions and current league leaders CSKA Moscow ended their three-game slump with an easy 101-64 win over EA7 Milano in the Russian capital.

Leading 27-9 after the first quarter, CSKA put the game to bed in the early stages of the second quarter as a 14-0 run ended any brief hope of a Milano comeback.

CSKA improve to 13-4, remaining top the standings, while Milan dropped its tenth in a row and now sits alone in last place at 4-13.

Last season’s EuroLeague MVP, Nando De Colo scored 20 points to pace the winners, for whom every player in uniform made a basket.

Galatasaray moved off the bottom of the EuroLeague with an 87-79 victory over Zalgiris at the Abdi Ipecki Arena.

Point guard Bruno Fitipaldo, in just his third EuroLeague game, led the winners with 21 points while making 4/7 three-pointers and dishing six assists.

“We have started to play a more balanced basketball with the arrival of Bruno Fitipaldo, especially in the position of the playmaker,” said Galatasaray Ergin Ataman.

“We played well in the Anadolu Efes matches that we lost and we were able to spread our good game to the whole game tonight. We had 21 assists tonight, and the shot percentage is pretty good.”