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Game Center: Efes leads ALBA after 3Q; Virtus-Olympiacos underway
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8 Lesezeit
Friday, February 28
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. ALBA Berlin (18:30 CET)
In Friday's opening tip-off, Efes (12-14) will attempt to boost its push for the playoffs with a visit from last-placed ALBA (4-22). The visiting team will look to the rebounding power of big man David McCormack, who has averaged 7.6 rebounds over the last five games. Efes is targeting a third straight home win and will again lean on the playmaking skills of Darius Thompson after his combination of 9 points, 8 assists and 3 steals led his team to a comfortable Round 7 win in Berlin. On the other side, ALBA must take better care of the basketball to improve its league-worst average of 15.4 turnovers committed per game. History is very much on the side of the hosts, with Efes winning all nine of its previous home games against ALBA.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:00 CET)
Olympiacos (19-7) can potentially become the first team to secure postseason qualification when it visits Virtus (7-19), which is sliding rapidly towards mathematical elimination after four straight losses. However, the Reds will need other results to also go their way to advance this week. Unlike the hosts, Olympiacos is high in confidence after heading into the break with a road win at Barcelona as Evan Fournier again demonstrated his big-game credentials by netting the winning basket on the final buzzer. Nigel Williams-Goss is also in his best form of the season after averaging 17 points in the last two games, and he'll look to overcome a Virtus backcourt led by the consistency of Isaia Cordinier (13.2 points and 4.2 assists per night). Another key duel will take place in the power forward position, where Toko Shengelia is one of the league's few players potentially capable of outshining Olympiacos ace Sasha Vezenkov.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CET)
Partizan (14-12) will attempt to protect its home court - and a place in the all-important top 10 - against a Baskonia team (11-15) running out of time to seriously challenge for postseason action. The Spanish team has struggled all season on the road, with just two victories away from Vitoria-Gasteiz, whereas Partizan boosted its confidence and showed its potential with an outstanding road victory at Monaco before the break. Tyrique Jones played a key role in that triumph with 17 points and 7 rebounds and his personal battle with Baskonia big man Donta Hall - who has recorded double-digit PIRs in nine consecutive games - is sure to provide some highlight reel plays.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (21:00 CET)
ASVEL (11-15) will attempt to boost its fading playoff hopes by overcoming reigning champ Panathinaikos (16-10). The visiting team will be high on confidence after being crowned Greek Cup champion during the break and has fond memories of ASVEL after winning the last six games between the teams. Most recently, the Greens cruised to a 92-68 triumph in October behind 17 points from Lorenzo Brown, who would love to enjoy another night like that after scoring 0 points in the last four games. The French team lost three straight games before the break, struggling offensively with just 66 and 67 points scored in the last two. But playmaker Paris Lee has found his best form of the season, netting 14 points in the Round 26 loss at Bayern, and will look to keep ASVEL in the playoff picture by damaging the prospects of his former club.
Thursday, February 27
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 80-86 Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris rekindled its hopes of reaching the postseason after earning a thoroughly deserved road win at Crvena Zvezda, improving to 13-14 while the home team dropped to 16-11. Sylvain Francisco served up a masterclass as he sank a game-high 25 points, shooting 6-of-9 from downtown, while Alen Smailagic chipped in with 15 for the Lithuanian champs. At the other end, Filip Petrusev paced Zvezda with 16 points.
Paris Basketball 93-88 FC Bayern Munich
Paris took another step towards the postseason by topping Bayern in the City of Lights. Paris improved to 16-10 in the standings, while Bayern dropped to 16-11. TJ Shorts led the winners with 27 points. Maodo Lo added 14 and Daulton Hommes scored 12 for Paris. Carsen Edwards paced Bayern with 29 points. Andreas Obst added 20, Shabazz Napier 14 and Johannes Voigtmann 11 for the visitors.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 86-80 AS Monaco
Milan returned from the break with a hard-fought win over Monaco at Unipol Forum on Thursday night. The visitors took an 18-19 lead into the second quarter, when Milan bounced back and outscored Monaco 31-23. Vassilis Spanoulis’s side grabbed a 77-78 edge with 1:51 remaining, but Milan remained calm from the line to clinch the win. Ettore Messina’s team improved to 15-12, while Monaco maintained the head-to-head tiebreak advantage but dropped to 16-11. Nikola Mirotic led all scorers with 22 points. Elie Okobo paced Monaco with 16 points, 14 of which were scored in the last quarter.
Real Madrid 96-91 FC Barcelona
Real Madrid outlasted Barcelona in a tense Clasico battle to end a three-game losing streak. The Spanish rivals are now tied at 14-13 on the fringes of the playoff zone. A closely contested first half saw Barca lead most of the way, going into the interval 40-43 ahead. But Real was better after the break, and finished strong to seize the win. Mario Hezonja led the way with 19 points and 8 rebounds. A career-night from Joel Parra paced Barca with 20 points.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 94-76 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Maccabi surprised second-placed Fenerbahce despite the absences of several key players to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 7-20. Roman Sorkin led the winners with 21 points, Jasiel Rivero scored 18 and Jimmy Clark collected 7 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists in his debut. Fenerbahce converted just 12 of 45 three-pointers (26.7%) in falling to 17-9 after having won seven of its last eight games. Nigel Hayes-Davis scored 12 points but made just 3 of 18 shots.