Real Madrid clinched top spot ahead of the EuroLeague Playoffs as they beat Fenerbahce 61-56 with CSKA Moscow having to settle for second as they lost 85-80 at Panathinaikos.
Fenerbahce had grabbed a 39-32 advantage in the third quarter, but Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull sparked Madrid’s 19-4 run that put the hosts up for good.
Llull paced the winners with 16 points.
On the flip side, Fenerbahce, who themselves have qualified for the Playoffs slumped to its third straight loss and drop to seventh.
CSKA Moscow fell in overtime 85-80 to Panathinaikos and will finish the regular season in second spot.
For Panathinaikos who were led by 17 points from KC Rivers, the victory was the fourth in a row overall and the 11th straight at home, as they raise their record to 18-11 and can clinch fourth place with a win next week against Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv.
“It looked like it was going to be a tragedy at the end and we found a way to get a stop and try and win it in overtime,” Rivers said.
“And with the help of the energy in this arena, the crowd, we got it done. It took a strong effort defensively and we had some ups and downs, but for the most part we were solid and offensively we were solid at the end.”
Crvena Zvezda warmed up for next week’s showdown with Darussafaka Dogus with a resounding 83-65 win over Unics Kazan.
Red Star started slowly, but scored 30 second-quarter points to lead 40-31 at the half. Unics rallied to lead briefly in the third quarter before a 26-3 Zvezda run that bridged the third and fourth quarters put the hosts comfortably ahead and Unics was unable to challenge again.
Milko Bjelica tied his career high with 19 points off the bench to lead the winners.
In two other EuroLeague fixtures, Baskonia improved its form ahead of the Playoffs with a convincing 103-80 win over Galatasaray.
And EA7 Milano ended their seven-game losing streak and 13-game losing run on the road with a narrow 88-84 win over Zalgiris.
