Euroleague – Recap of Round 16 of Regular Season

Sergio LlullReal Madrid – CSKA 95-85The most crucial game of the last round was another loss of top-ranked Russian CSKA (12-4) on the court of fourth ranked Spanish Real Madrid on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by Real Madrid 95-85. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 4-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 95-85. Real Madrid outrebounded CSKA 34-20 including 16 on the offensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of Sergio Llull (190-87) who helped to win the game recording 24 points and 6 assists. American power forward Anthony Randolph (211-89, college: LSU) contributed with 14 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Four Real Madrid players scored in double figures. Serbian point guard Milos Teodosic (195-87) replied with 13 points and 5 assists and French Nando De Colo (196-87) added 18 points in the effort for CSKA. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Defending Spanish champion (11-5) moved-up to second place, which they share with Olympiacos and Baskonia. CSKA lost third consecutive game. Defending Russian champion still keeps top position with four games lost. Real Madrid is looking forward to face Maccabi T-A (#12) in Tel-Aviv in the next round and are hoping to win another game. CSKA will play at home against Armani Milano (#15) and is hoping to win this game. Top scorers:Real Madrid: S.Llull 24+3reb+6ast, J.Maciulis 20+2reb, G.Ayon 14+3reb+4ast, A.Randolph 14+9reb+1ast, L.Doncic 9+1reb+5ast, F.Reyes 6+3reb+4astCSKA: N.De Colo 18+1ast, M.Teodosic 13+2reb+5ast, J.Augustine 8+5reb, C.Higgins 8+2ast, K.Hines 8+2reb, N.Kurbanov 7+3rebgschID: 473800Olympiacos – Panathinaikos 77-69One of the most interesting games of round 16 was a derby match between two teams from Greece/Olympiacos-SFP-Pireus/93. The game took place in Athens where fourth ranked Olympiacos won against visiting Panathinaikos (9-7) 77-69. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning the initial quarter 17-11. But Panathinaikos won second period 26-21. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Olympiacos made 24-of-28 charity shots (85.7 percent) during the game. Worth to mention a great performance of Vassilis Spanoulis (193-82, agency: BeoBasket) who helped to win the game recording 12 points and 7 assists (made all of his eight free throws) and Canadian center Khem Birch (208-92, college: UNLV) who added 11 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Four Olympiacos players scored in double figures. At the losing side American point guard Mike James (185-90, college: Lamar) responded with 24 points and 6 rebounds and American-Guinea-Bissau guard K.C. Rivers (196-87, college: Clemson) scored 23 points. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Defending Greek champion (11-5) moved-up to second place, which they share with Real Madrid and Baskonia. Panathinaikos at the other side keep the sixth position with seven games lost. Olympiacos will play against FC Barcelona (#11) on the road in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Panathinaikos will play against Anadolu Efes (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:Olympiacos: I.Papapetrou 13+4reb+3ast, V.Spanoulis 12+3reb+7ast, K.Birch 11+9reb+1ast, E.Green 10+2reb+1ast, M.Lojeski 7+3reb+1ast, G.Printezis 7+3reb+1astPanathinaikos: M.James 24+6reb+2ast, K.Rivers 23+3reb+1ast, C.Singleton 10+6reb, J.Feldeine 5+1reb+1ast, N.Calathes 4+3reb+3ast, I.Bourousis 3+1rebgschID: 473799Fenerbahce – EA7 Armani 86-79No shocking result in a game when sixth ranked Turkish Fenerbahce (10-6) beat 15th ranked Italian Armani Milano (4-12) in Istanbul 86-79 on Friday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 86-79. It was a great shooting night for Fenerbahce especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.6 percentage. It was a very good performance for Nigerian power forward Ekpe Udoh (208-87, college: Baylor) who helped to win the game recording 18 points and 8 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). American forward James Nunnally (201-90, college: UCSB) contributed with 19 points and 5 assists for the winners. Lithuanian point guard Mantas Kalnietis (195-86, agency: Players Group) replied with 20 points and American-Georgian guard Richard Hickman (189-85, college: NC-Greensboro) added 15 points and 4 assists in the effort for Armani Milano. Five Fenerbahce and four Armani Milano players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Defending Turkish champion moved-up to fifth place. Armani Milano lost ninth consecutive game. Defending Italian champion keeps the fifteenth position with 12 games lost. Fenerbahce will face Crvena Zvezda (#9) in Beograd in the next round. Armani Milano …

continue reading in source www.eurobasket.com