Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade conquered its 10th Serbian Radivoj Korac Cup title this century. Seven other Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams have a chance to win a domestic cup title tomorrow.
Domestic cups: Zvezda is the Serbian Korac Cup champion!
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Zvezda wins Serbian Korac Cup title!
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade is the Serbian Radivoj Korac Cup champion! Zvezda won its fourth consecutive Serbian Cup title by downing Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 85-79 in Nis on Saturday. Rokas Giedraitis led the winners with 17 points. Milos Teodosic added 16 while Joel Bolomboy had 14 for Zvezda. Zach Leday led Partizan with 24 points. Kevin Punter added 20 and James Nunnally 10. Punter and Nunnally combined for 14 first-quarter points to help Partizan get a 15-18 lead after 10 minutes. Punter soon made it a double-digit game, 15-25. Zvezda found a go-to guy in Giedratis, who scored all points in a 10-2 run that put the hosts in charge, 43-41. Leday struck from downtown to fix the halftime score at 43-44. Giedraitis kept pacing Zvezda after the break, getting help from Bolomboy and Teodosic to boost their team's lead to 60-53 late in the third quarter. LeDay got Partizan within 70-68 but Dejan Davidovac buried a three-pointer and Nedovic added back-to-back baskets for a 77-68 Zvezda lead. Branko Lazic, Teodosic and Yago dos Santos were ice cold from the foul line to stop Partizan's comeback.
Barca sets records in Spanish semis
FC Barcelona reached the Spanish Copa del Rey final for the 39th time by thrashing Lenovo Tenerife 108-76 in Malaga. Willy Hernangomez led Barca with 15 points. Dario Brizuela added 13 while Alex Abrines, Joel Parra and Rokas Jokubaitis had for 10 for Barca, that trailed 14-16 after 10 minutes. Brizuela, Tomas Satoransky and Abrines each struck from downtown in a 27-4 run that broke the game open, 41-20. Barca soon boosted its margin to 54-24 at the break. That 30-point lead at halftime is three of the records Barca beat in this game, along with most points in a quarter (40) and biggest difference in a quarter (40-8, +32). Barca went on to keep a really safe lead until the final buzzer ahead of its next game against Real Madrid: the Copa del Rey final!
Olympiacos beats Promitheas in semis
Olympiacos Piraeus reached the Greek Cup final by beating Promitheas Patras 91-77 behind 15 points from Filip Petrusev. Moustapha Fall had 11 while Thomas Walkup, Moses Wright and Alec Peters each had 10 for the Reds. Walkup led an 8-0 run which allowed Olympiacos to get a 19-10 margin. Isaiah Canaan soon made free throws to make it a double-digit game, 23-13. Promitheas rallied and took the lead, 29-30, on a jumper by Cameron Reynolds. Petrusev and Giannoulis Larentzakis helped the Reds restore a 40-36 edge at halftime. Peters capped a 10-0 run with a triple that broke the game open, 58-45. Olympiacos boosted its margin to 70-52 late in the third quarter and cruised to an important win. As such, there will be another Greek derby in the cup final: Panathinaikos vs Olympiacos.
Milan goes past Reyer in semis
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan made it to the Italian Cup final by thrashing Umana Reyer Venice 100-77 in Turin, Italy. Shavon Shields led the way with 28 points. Shabazz Napier added 17 while Diego Flaccadori had 13 for Milan. Mfiondu Kabengele led Reyer with 18 points. Rayjon Tucker had 15, Marco Spissu added 14 and Aamir Simms 10. Amedeo Tessitori gave Reyer a 2-6 lead. Milan started rolling right after that, using a 13-2 run that Shields capped with a three-pointer to take the lead for good, 15-8. Milan boosted its margin to 31-20 after 10 minutes and then again to 60-37 at halftime, enough to keep full control of the game throughout the second half. Milan will face Generazione Vincente Napoli Basket in the final. Napoli needed overtime to beat UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia 78-87 in the other semifinal.
Real, closer to 29th Spanish Cup title
Real Madrid advanced to the Spanish Copa del Rey final by downing Valencia Basket 95-76 in the first semifinal in Malaga. Dzanan Musa led the winners with 18 points. Guerschon Yabusele added 14, Sergio Llull had 11 while Facu Campazzo and Vincent Poirier each got 10 for Real. Brandon Davies led Valencia with 18 points. Justin Anderson and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui had 12 apiece. Davies and Chris Jones each struck from downtown to give Valencia an early 3-6 lead. Real found a go-to guy in Musa, who had 7 points in a 16-0 run that Yabusele capped with a basket that boosted Los Blancos' lead to 19-6. Jones and Semi Ojeleye brought Valencia closer, 23-17, after 10 minutes. Lopez-Arostegui got Valencia within 42-39 near halftime, then Musa and Mario Hezonja boosted Real's lead to 48-39 at halftime. Musa and Yabusele got help from Campazzo to break the game open, 65-44, soon after the break, and Real never looked back.
Nunn leads Panathinaikos to Greek final
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens reached the Greek Cup final by topping Aris Egalia Thessaloniki 76-65 behind 20 points from Kendrick Nunn. Jerian Grant and Dinos Mitoglou each added 10 for the Greens. Vassilis Toliopolulos led Aris with 21 points while Ronnell Harrell added 11. Toliopoulos had 7 quick points to give Aris a 5-9 lead. Kostas Sloukas and an unstoppable Nunn made Panathinaikos get a 19-16 edge after 10 minutes. Mathias Lessort took over early in the second quarter and Mitoglou soon made it a double-digit game, 32-22. Panathinaikos boosted its margin to 44-28 but Kris Bankston and Jonathan Stark gave Aris within 44-33 at halftime. Panathinaikos kept a safe margin throughout the second half and Kostas Antetokoumpo's back-to-back dunks sealed the outcome, 68-53, midway through the fourth quarter. Panathinaikos needs one more win to claim its 21st Greek Cup title.
Zalgiris advances to Lithuanian final
Zalgiris Kaunas reached the King Mindaugas Cup final by topping Siauliai 87-77 at Zalgirio Arena. Lukas Lekavicius paced the winners with 17 points. Tomas Dimsa added 13, Laurynas Birutis had 12 while Keenan Evans got 10 for Zalgiris, that trailed 39-47 near halftime. Lekavicius and Birutis combined for 11 points in a 13-0 run that put Zalgiris in charge, 56-51. Siauliai tied the game again, 61-61, but Dimsa and an outstanding Evans put Zalgiris out of trouble, 70-63, with 9 minutes left. Edgaras Ulanovas hit a three-pointer to seal the outcome, 86-76, in the next-to-last minute. Zalgiris looks for its seventh King Mindaugas Cup title and its 13th domestic cup overall. It faces 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys tomorrow.
Bayern returns to German Cup final
FC Bayern made it to the German Cup final by downing Bamberg Baskets 62-81 behind 15 points from Serge Ibaka. Bayern had nine other players scoring at least 5 points. Bamberg led 22-21 after 10 minutes but Ibaka had 6 points in a 2-18 run which Vladimir Lucic and Niklas Wimberg capped with back-to-back three-pointers to break the game open, 29-46, near halftime. Nothing changed after that, as Bayern boosted its margin to 41-63 after 30 minutes and did not find much trouble to seal the win. Bayern will face ratiopharm Ulm in the German Cup title game.
Ulm beats ALBA in Germany semis
ratiopharm Ulm reached the German Cup final by downing ALBA Berlin 79-87 in Munich on Saturday. Ulm has a chance to win its first-ever German Cup title after losing back-to-back finald against ALBA in 2013 and 2014. Trevion Williams led the winners with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Tommy Klepeisz added 12 points, Karim Jallow had 11 while L.J. Figueroa and Georginho de Paula each got 10 for Ulm. Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo led ALBA with 14 points apiece. Williams and Juan Nunez gave Ulm a 13-19 lead but Malte Delow and Justin Bean fueled a 6-0 run that tied the game, 19-19, early in the second quarter. Phillip Kerkenhoff's tip-in gave Ulm a 40-42 edge at halftime. ALBA got a 68-60 lead with 8 minutes left but Klepeisz and De Paula combined for all points in a 4-17 run that restored a 72-77 Ulm lead. Williams scored his team's last 10 points to put the victory on ice.
Paris beats Monaco, advances to final
Paris Basketball reached the French Leaders Cup final by downing AS Monaco 93-98 in Saint-Etienne. T.J. Shorts led the winners with 25 points. Nadir Hifi added 14, Justin Simon 13 and Mehdy Ngouama 10 for Paris. Mike James led Monaco with 18 points. Elie Okobo added 15, Alpha Diallo 13, Yakuba Ouattara 11 and Donta Hall 10. Monaco led 24-21 after 10 minutes and extended its margin to 43-33 on Hall's dunk. Simon and Ngouama rescued Paris, then Sebastian Herrera struck from downtown to fic the halftime score at 54-53. Diallo and Mam Jaiteh allowed Monaco to regain a 77-68 lead late in the third quarter. Shorts and Simon gave Paris hope, 83-81, with over 7 minutes left. Hall dunked again, then Shorts and Ngouama fueled a 2-13 run that Hifi capped wih a three-pointer that gave Paris a 87-94 margin. Shorts and Herrera took care of business in crunch time.