Round 18 starts on Tuesday before it ends with three games on Friday
Game Center: PAO, Hapoel win on the road; ASVEL takes 2OT victory; 4 more triumph at home
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Tuesday, December 23
Dubai Basketball 99-92 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Dubai led all night to prevail over Milan, 99-92, in a battle of direct rivals in the middle of the standings. A high-scoring first half saw Dubai hold several double-digit leads before taking a 56-49 advantage into the locker rooms, inspired by 20 points from Dwayne Bacon. Defenses got on top after the break, but McKinley Wright ensured that Dubai always stayed ahead as the hosts enjoyed a relatively comfortable finale.
Wright led the Dubai offense in style with 19 points and 9 assists, while Bacon top scored with 25. Big men Mfiondu Kabengele (17 points, 8 rebounds) and Filip Petrusev (13 points, 7 boards) also made an impact for a home team which played with focus and control throughout. Milan was paced by 15 points from Josh Nebo, while Shavon Shields (14), Zach LeDay (12), Marko Guduric (11) and Devin Booker (10) also scored in double digits. The outcome leaves the teams tied just outside the playoffs places with 9-9 records.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 72-71 FC Barcelona
Wade Baldwin came up trumps for Fenerbahce in the closing seconds of the game, draining 3 free throws and blocking Kevin Punter’s shot to give his team a 72-71 win over Barcelona. He scored 9 of his 15 points in the final frame, including 5 in the final 43 seconds, as Fenerbahce held off a Dario Brizuela-inspired fourth-quarter push by Barcelona. Xavi Pascual’s only two defeats since returning to Barcelona have come in Istanbul, losing to Anadolu Efes Istanbul in his first game and now against Fenerbahce in his seventh game in charge. With this victory, Fenerbahce has won eight of its last nine games to improve to 11-6. Barcelona, on the other hand, drops to 12-6.
Talen Horton-Tucker and Tarik Biberovic top scored for Fenerbahce with 16 points apiece, followed by Baldwin with 15 and Devon Hall with 11. Nicolo Melli finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds, too. For Barcelona, Kevin Punter led the way with 20 points, Brizuela netted 12 of his 19 points in the fourth, and Miles Norris finished with 11.
Zalgiris Kaunas 85-92 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
Panathinaikos secured its third straight victory by beating Zalgiris 85-92 on Tuesday evening at Zalgirio Arena. The hosts started strong, dominated in the paint and secured a 50-40 lead at halftime. But Panathinaikos tightened up its defense and held Zalgiris to 14 points in the third quarter before firing on all cylinders from deep in the fourth to finish the game off. The Greens improved their record to 12-6, with the hosts dropping to 10-8.
Cedi Osman paced Panathinaikos with 22 points and Kendrick Nunn netted 21, while TJ Shorts paired his 15 points with 10 assists and Omer Yurtseven netted 14. Moses Wright scored a career-high 22 points and Nigel Williams-Goss bagged 17, with Panathinaikos’s defense holding Sylvain Francisco to just 3 points.
FC Bayern Munich 72-82 Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv
Hapoel spoiled the long-awaited home return home of Bayern with a 72-82 victory to extend Bayern’s losing streak to nine games - and first under new head coach Svetislav Pesic. Bayern was playing its first game back at SAP Garden after a seven-game road odyssey. First placed Hapoel already led by double figures parts of the first half but put the game out of reach with a 0-16 run over nearly 6 minutes in the third quarter to improve to 13-5.
Elijah Bryant led the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds, Dan Oturu collected 16 points and 7 rebounds and Antonio Blakeney and Chris Jones both chipped in 12 points. Bayern fell to 5-13 despite Andreas Obst scoring 18 points. The game was the coaching return for Bayern of newly-appointed Pesic, who set the record as the oldest coach in EuroLeague history at 76 years 3 months and 26 days, surpassing Aito Garcia Reneses who was 74 years 3 months 19 days when he coached ALBA Berlin on April 8, 20021.
Valencia Basket 91-81 Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Valencia staved off a late comeback attempt from rival Baskonia on Tuesday at the Roig Arena. Valencia’s three-point shooting earned it an advantage in the opening quarter. The hosts then built upon the lead in the second period, capitalizing on Baskonia’s far-too-frequent errors. Baskonia came back swinging in the second half, doing enough to stay in the contest throughout the third and eventually making a push in the final frame, even reducing the differential to just 4 points. Pedro Martinez’s men steadied the ship when it mattered though, eventually securing the 91-81 victory.
Matthew Costello played the starring role, adding 6 boards to his 18 point scoring display. Kameron Taylor and Jean Montero both chipped in with 16 points, while Brancou Badio and Omari Moore also finished the game in double figures. Eugene Omoruyi impressed for Baskonia, despite the loss, leading his team with 17 points. The result improved Valencia’s record to 12-6 heading into the holidays. Baskonia fell to 6-12 for the season.
Paris Basketball 102-92 Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
Paris snapped a six-game losing streak with an impressive 102-92 victory over visiting Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday at Accor Arena. Only 5 points separated the sides at halftime and it was 59-55 midway through the third quarter before Paris roared with a 20-3 charge to finish the quarter. Zvezda never fully recovered. Lamar Stevens scored 6 points and Justin Robinson added 5 points and 2 assists in the game-changing run.
Jared Butler took charge for Zvezda with 22 fourth-quarter points, which marked the second-most points ever scored in a single quarter in competition history. Nonetheless, Butler’s heroics could not get his team closer than 10.<br> Robinson finished with 16 points and 8 assists, Nadir Hifi added 15 and 6 and Stevens netted 14 points as Paris lifted its record to 6-12. Zvezda lost its fifth straight on the road to fall to 10-8 despite Butler’s 31 points and Chima Moneke’s double-double.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 103-99 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
In a super-entertaining double-overtime thriller, ASVEL edged visiting Anadolu Efes 103-99 on Tuesday night. ASVEL improved to 5-13 on the season, registering its fifth home win in eight games this season, while Efes dropped to 6-12, and has lost two of three games under new head coach Pablo Laso.
It was a game in which no team held a double-digit lead at any point of the 50-minute affair, and where ASVEL’s unlikely hero was big man Bastien Vautier who finished with 28 points on 10-of-13 two-point shooting, including 10 points in the first overtime. Thomas Heurtel turned back the clock, collecting 17 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, and Glynn Watson scored 18 in victory. Isaia Cordinier and Nick Weiler-Babb scored 20 apiece for Efes, with Weiler-Babb also tallying 8 assists and 6 rebounds, while Vincent Poirier posted 17 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.
Friday, December 26
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (18:00 CET)
Partizan’s (6-11) troubled season faces its latest test with a visit from a Maccabi team (7-10) flying up the standings after four straight wins. The Israeli team’s latest success saw recent signing Iffe Lundberg exert his growing influence with 12 points and 7 assists, and he’ll be keen to shine once more against his former team. Partizan fans will be impatient to see a big improvement from their team’s 41-point loss at Zalgiris on Friday, with particular improvement needed in the long-range shooting department after netting only five triples in that loss. Partizan ranks last in the league in rebounding (31.4 per game) and faces a Maccabi which excels in crashing the glass (12.5 offensive boards per night), so denying the likes of Jaylen Hoard will be a point of emphasis for the hosts.
AS Monaco vs. Real Madrid (19:30 CET)
Two ambitious teams currently locked in a tie for sixth place go head-to-head as Monaco (10-7) welcomes Real Madrid (10-7). Monaco showed its collective potential as seven different players scored in double digits as a two-game losing streak was snapped against Bayern on Friday, with Alpha Diallo once again proving his all-round value by combining 12 points with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Real Madrid is increasingly leaning on the talents of Theo Maledon, who scored 21 points – including a history-making one millionth EuroLeague point – to inspire Round 11’s comeback win over Paris. But Los Blancos, who rank first in defensive rebounding (26.3 per night) need to sharpen up defensively as they prepare to face a Roca Team which leads the league in both assists (20.8) and turnovers (10.4).
Virtus Bologna vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
The round concludes with another clash of direct rivals as Virtus (8-9) looks to start another home winning streak against Olympiacos (9-7). Get ready for a bombardment from two of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters, with Carsen Edwards (2.7 triples per night) hoping to outscore Reds marksman Tyler Dorsey (2.8 per game). Dorsey’s 22 points were accompanied by 21 from fellow long-ball expert Evan Fournier as Olympiacos shrugged off poor previous form to ease past ASVEL last week, and the Greek giant will now look to embark upon a long winning run as the regular season’s midway point approaches. Doing that against a Virtus team which has the third-best defense in the competition – 82.2 points per game – will not be easy.