Six games are already in the books from Wednesday and Thursday night
Game Center: Madrid trumps Barça in El Clásico; Zalgiris, Milan, Olympiacos grab wins
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Friday, November 7
Anadolu Efes Istanbul 93-97 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
In the first double-overtime game of the season, Milan edged out Efes 93-97 on Friday night. It is the third road win of the season for Milan, which improved to 4-5, while Efes lost its fourth straight game as a host to drop to a 3-6 record.
Milan led by 13 points early in the fourth quarter after a 0-16 run, but Efes rallied, and the hosts even had the final 2.7 seconds of regulation to win it. But, the game went into overtime, then Shavon Shields hit a tough three-pointer with 11.7 seconds left in the first extra session to force a second overtime. Shields opened the second extra period with his career-best sixth triple and Milan led the rest of the way.
Shields finished with 24 points on 6-for-8 three-point shooting, and Zach LeDay scored 25 points but did not play in overtime due to an injury. Quinn Ellis scored 14 points in a victory. For Efes, PJ Dozier netted a career-high 34 points, Nick Weiler-Babb scored 16 and Ercan Osmani collected 14 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.
Zalgiris Kaunas 86-77 Valencia Basket
Sound long-range shooting saw Zalgiris overpower Valencia 86-77 as the Lithuanian side improved to 7-2 with a fourth straight win, while the Spanish outfit dropped to 5-4 after a titanic tussle in Kaunas. Sylvain Francisco paced Zalgiris on 15 points and 7 assists, Maodo Lo chipped in with 12 points while Moses Wright, and Azoulas Tubelis netted 11 each for the home side. Jaime Pradilla and Jean Montero led Valencia with 15 points apiece, Kameron Taylor scored 14 and Omari Moore added 11 for the visitors.
In a fast-paced and physical start, both teams gave as good as they got in a hectic first quarter with Zalgiris nosing ahead 18-17 after the opening 10 minutes as Dustin Sleva netted a sweet three-pointer at the buzzer to send a passionate home crowd into raptures. Roared on by the green-clad faithful in the stands, Zalgiris moved up a gear and surged 35-26 ahead on the back of lethal long-range shooting. Valencia fought hard to stay in touch and slashed its deficit to 38-25 by halftime, thanks to a four-point play from Montero.
The third quarter produced more tough basketball, as both sides found it difficult to score in the wake of aggressive defending. The lead changed hands several times before Lo sank a buzzer-beating triple to give the hosts a 61-58 lead ahead of the final 10 minutes. Galvanizes by a Moses Wright block on Omari Moore, Zalgiris pulled away to 67-60 early in the fourth and although Valencia fought tooth-and-nail to catch up, Lo put the game beyond the Spanish team’s reach when he drained a clutch triple with 44 seconds left on the clock
Olympiacos Piraeus 80-71 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Olympiacos grabbed its fourth win in five games by defeating Partizan 80-71 on Friday night at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. A tight first half with 16 lead changes saw the visitors secure a 38-39 edge at halftime. Partizan opened the second half with a 0-8 run and took a 53-58 lead into the closing quarter. Then, Olympiacos ended the game with an 11-0 surge and kept the guests to just 13 points to clinch the victory. The Reds improved their record to 6-3, with Partizan dropping to 3-6.
Thomas Walkup paced Olympiacos with 15 points, 10 of which were scored in the first quarter, and Sasha Vezenkov netted 14. Duane Washington led all scorers with 20 points and Tyrique Jones bagged 17, having gone 8-for-9 from inside the arc.
FC Barcelona 92-101 Real Madrid
In a high-scoring, fun-to-watch showdown, Real Madrid took his season's first El Clásico by downing FC Barcelona 92-101 at Palau Blaugrana in Round 9 on Friday. Real improved to 5-4 in the standings, breaking a four-game road losing streak by getting its first road win of the season. Barca dropped to 5-4.
Trey Lyles led the winners with 29 points, a new career-high. Mario Hezonja and Facu Campazzo each added 15 while Theo Maledon had 12 for Real. Will Clyburn led Barca with 19 pointa. Kevin Punter added 18, Jan Vesely 15, Toko Shengelia 13 and Nico Laprovittola 10 for the hosts. Real set two scoring records against Barca in EuroLeague history, leading 21-34 after 10 minutes and 48-58 at halftime. No other team had scored that many points against Barca that early in any game. Real held off Barca's comeback and cruised to a well-deserved win.
Thursday, November 6
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 81-67 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Fenerbahce BEKO Istanbul defeated an undermanned LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at Ulker Sports and Event Hall, 81-67, on Thursday. Fenerbahce jumped ahead midway through the first quarter before a huge jam from Devon Hall added an extra spark for the reigning champions, who moved ahead by double digits in the second period. The visitors responded offensively to stay within touching distance, 45-34, at halftime.
ASVEL shrunk the deficit in the third quarter, but the home team recovered, tightening its grip on the contest in the final period. Wade Baldwin played the starring role for Fenerbahce, recording 14 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Nicolo Melli paired 12 points with 9 rebounds and three more Fenerbahce players scored in double digits. Armel Traore paced ASVEL with 18 points. With the result, Fenerbahce’s record improved to 4-5, while Pierric Poupet’s team fell to 2-7.
Dubai Basketball 97-109 Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv produced a magnificent third quarter in a 97-109 road win over Dubai Basketball to improve to 7-2 as Elijah Bryant racked up 25 points and 7 boards to lead the visitors in Sarajevo’s ZETRA Hall. Vasilije Micic sank 19 points while Johnathan and Antonio Blakeney added 15 each for Hapoel, which turned the game on its head after winning the third quarter 19-35. Dwayne Bacon shined for Dubai with 36 points.
Filip Petrusev and Bacon dominated early as Dubai turned a 2-8 deficit into an 18-16 lead midway through the first quarter. With the duo firing on all cylinders with 11 points apiece, Dubai surged ahead 26-18 but the visitors slashed the deficit to 26-25 after the opening 10 minutes. Dubai continued to thrive in a high-tempo affair and the hosts were 40-33 halfway through the second quarter. Hapoel was able to close in to 48-47 at halftime.
With Bacon slowing down early in the third quarter after scoring 17 first-half points, Hapoel turned the tide and carved out a 57-68 advantage on the back of sharp three-point shooting from Micic and Bryant. Dubai was reeling and Hapoel took full advantage, stretching the lead to 59-76. The outstanding Bacon caught fire again but Hapoel headed into the final 10 minutes 67-82 in front. Hard-fighting Dubai roared back in the fourth, reducing the arrears to 83-89 midway through but Hapoel stayed firm to fend off the fightback.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 87-76 Virtus Bologna
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz grabbed its third consecutive victory by topping Virtus Bologna 87-76 at Buesa Arena in Round 9 on Thursday. After a 0-6 start - the club's worst-ever start in the EuroLeague, Baskonia is now 3-6 in the standings. Virtus dropped to 4-5 and is on a three-game losing streak, all of them on the road.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the winners with 16 points. Hamidou Diallo added 14 while Tadas Sedekerskis scored 13 for Baskonia. Saliou Niang shined for Virtus with career-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds for a PIR of 35. Carsen Edwards added 13 while Matt Morgan, Karim Jallow and Momo Diouf each had 10 for the visitors, who got within 58-57 late in the third quarter. Matteo Spagnolo, Markquis Nowell and Luwawu-Cabarrot fueled a 17-1 run that sealed the outcome long before the final buzzer.
Paris Basketball 82-86 FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich grabbed its third straight victory by edging Paris Basketball 82-86 on Thursday night at Adidas Arena. The visitors got off to a strong start and took a 19-22 advantage into the second quarter, where they outscored Paris 23-31 to establish a double-digit lead (42-53) at halftime.
The French side opened the third quarter with a 12-1 run and held Bayern to just 11 points, securing a 68-64 cushion after 30 minutes. Xavier Rathan-Mayes stepped up big time in the fourth quarter, netting 3 straight triples which were followed by a big three from Spencer Dinwiddie to seal the outcome. Bayern improved its record to 5-4, while Paris dropped to 4-5.
Rathan-Mayes netted a team-high 16 points, with Andreas Obst, Vladimir Lucic and Wenyen Gabriel scoring 12 each. Justin Robinson paced Paris with 22 points and Nadir Hifi bagged 21 in a losing effort.
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 107-112 AS Monaco
Monaco notched its third straight win in the EuroLeague on Thursday night after downing Maccabi 107-112 in an overtime shootout. Mike James was an absolute force on the offensive end, netting 15 points in the final 15 minutes and finishing with 34, his highest tally in the EuroLeague since 2021. In overtime, Elie Okobo came up big for Monaco too, scoring 7 points and dishing 2 assists. With this win Monaco improves to a 6-3 record, while Maccabi drops to 2-7.
James finished with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Daniel Theis came close to a double-double with 17 points and 9 boards, Okobo posted 16 points and 7 assists, Jaron Blossomgame poured in 15 points, and Alpha Diallo had 10 points. For Maccabi, Lonnie Walker scored a team-high 19 points, followed by TJ Leaf with 18 points, Jaylen Hoard with 16, Roman Sorkin with 15, and Jimmy Clark with 13.
Wednesday, November 5
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 86-68 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
Crvena Zvezda enjoyed a morale-boosting 86-68 win over Panathinaikos in Wednesday evening’s solitary fixture to stretch its winning streak to seven games, improving to 7-2 (6-0 under Coach Obradovic) while Panathinaikos dropped to 5-4 after a largely lop-sided contest. Codi Miller-McIntyre paced Zvezda on 14 points, 9 boards and 7 assists, Chima Moneke racked up 14 points and 8 boards while Ognjen Dobric posted 10 points for the home team, which snapped its seven-game losing streak against Panathinaikos. Kostas Sloukas led the visiting team on 16 points and Cedi Osman added 14, but top scorer Kendrick Nunn netted a mere 6 points.
In a bruising and physical contest, Zvezda made a bright start and stifled out the visitors with ironclad defense in the first quarter, carving out a 20-12 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. Panathinaikos was reduced to shooting 0 of 10 from downtown and committed 4 turnovers in the first quarter, while Zvezda made 9 of 12 from inside. Roared on by a fervent hone crowd, Zvezda caught fire in the second quarter as shots poured in from all angles. The home team romped away into a stunning 42-20 lead before the Greens finally got going, slashing their deficit to 46-32 at halftime after a dreadful first half in which they shot 5 of 20 from long range and committed 8 turnovers.
The third quarter saw Zvezda hit top gear again as the home team held Panathinaikos to a grand total of just 1 point in the opening 6 minutes, while the home team hit nothing but net at the other end to carve out a massive 67-40 advantage ahead of the final 10 minutes. With a mountain to climb, the Greens launched a fierce onslaught and produced a 7-21 run, closing the gap to 74-61 midway through the fourth quarter. However, the visitors had left themselves too much work to do and Zvezda ran out a worthy winner to delight its faithful inside a jam-packed Belgrade Arena.