The playoff action moves to new venues as four teams aim to take advantage of home-court advantage in Game 3. Here's your overview of Tuesday and Wednesday's games.
Game Center: Real completes sweep of Baskonia; Fenerbahce takes 2-1 lead over Monaco
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 89-78 AS Monaco
Fenerbahce took a 2-1 series lead over Monaco, holding onto home advantage with a disciplined 89-78 victory on Wednesday. The first quarter was evenly contested, with neither team leading by more than 4 points, before Fenerbahce pulled into a 47-40 lead at the interval. The advantage grew to double-digits towards the end of the third, but Monaco fought back and it was tight heading into crunch time. The host dominated the final exchanges, delighting a raucous home crowd with a big win.
Fenerbahce was led by Nick Calathes with 13 points and 5 assists, while Tarik Biberovic poured in 14 points. Marko Guduric (11), Scottie Wilbekin (11) and Nigel Hayes-Davis (10) also scored in double digits. Alpha Diallo paced Monaco with a game-high 23 points, while Mike James paired 11 points with 7 assists. Jordan Loyd and Jaron Blossomgame both scored 11, and Donatas Motiejunas netted 10.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 98-102 Real Madrid
Reigning champion Real Madrid is the first team to reach the 2024 Final Four after a 98-102 win at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz wrapped a 3-0 sweep in the series. It was a vintage comeback by Real, which trailed for much of the captivating contest but turned the tide with a 0-10 streak early in the fourth quarter to take an 80-85 lead.
Real never looked back from there on, with Yabusele leading the charge on 23 points and 7 rebounds after a monstrous performance in the final 10 minutes. Markus Howard paced Baskonia with a game-high 29 points but the hosts, who were missing injured big man Chima Moneke throughout the series, ran out of steam in the home stretch of a rip-roaring encounter.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 85-83 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
Maccabi moved within one win of a Final Four berth, holding on against Panathinaikos in a real thriller, 85-83, to take a 2-1 series lead. Maccabi raced into an early advantage and enjoyed several double-digit advantages throughout the first half, which ended 46-37. The lead stretched to 18 points, 57-39, in the third quarter, but Panathinaikos didn’t give up and tied it with 42 seconds left. Lorenzo Brown then won the game, netting free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining.
Josh Nebo was the chief inspiration, leading the physical challenge with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Brown also came close to a double-double with 16 points and 8 assists, and Bonzie Colson added 13 points. Kendrick Nunn paced Panathinaikos with 25 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting. Ioannis Papapetrou added 17 for the Greens while Mathias Lessort paired 14 points with 6 boards.
Olympiacos Piraeus 80-82 FC Barcelona
What a thriller! Barcelona takes a 2-1 lead in the series and regains home-court advantage in its best-of-five playoff series with Olympiacos by downing the Reds 80-82 in overtime at Peace and Friendship Stadium! After a close start, Filip Petrusev and Moses Wright took over late in the first half, allowing Olympiacos to get a 37-32 margin at the break. A rain of three-pointers allowed Barca to get a 51-57 margin after 30 minutes. Petrusev allowed Olympiacos to get a 69-63 but Alex Abrines struck twice from downtown and Nico Laprovittola's reverse layup tied it, 71-71, with 7.6 seconds left. Nigel Wiliams-Goss missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer. Once in overtime, Tomas Satoransky tied the game with a three-pointer and Parker sealed the deal from the foul line with just 0.5 seconds left. Jan Vesely led Barca with 16 points.