Four games follow on Friday night
Game Center: Partizan, Monaco, Hapoel win at home; Madrid, Maccabi triumph on the road
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Thursday, December 4
Anadolu Efes Istanbul 75-81 Real Madrid
In a physical battle that went down to the final two minutes, Real Madrid grabbed its third consecutive victory by topping Anadolu Efes Istanbul 75-81 on the road in Round 14 on Thursday. Real improved to 8-6 in the standings while Efes dropped to 5-9. Efes led 67-65 with 7 minutes remaining but Real locked in on defense, using a 5-16 run to get another win.
Mario Hezonja led the winners with 22 points. Trey Lyles added 11 while Chuma Okeke had 10, all in the third quarter, for Real. Rolands Smits led Efes with 21 points, matching his career-high effort. Ercan Osmani added 18 on 4-of-4 three-pointers, Rodrigue Beaubois had 11 on his EuroLeague return after missing eight consecutive games, while Isaia Cordinier got 10 for the hosts. Walter Tavares became the first player to reach 500 EuroLeague blocks but also went scoreless for the first time in 256 games, having last done so on October 24, 2019.
Zalgiris Kaunas 65-83 Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Maccabi recorded its biggest win in Kaunas in more than two decades by smashing Zalgiris 65-83 at Zalgirio Arena. The visitors led 12-20 late in the opening quarter before Lonnie Walker – in his first game back in Lithuania against his former team – scored all the points in a 0-10 second-quarter run that made it 24-39. It was 30-51 at half and, even though Zalgiris's defense limited Maccabi to just 9 third-quarter points, the hosts never threatened the outcome in the second half.
Walker finished with 23 points, Jaylen Hoard posted 16 points and 9 rebounds and Iffe Lundberg added 10 points for the winners. Sylvain Francisco paced Zalgiris with 13 points and 7 assists, but was 0 for 7 from downtown as he saw a streak of 35 consecutive games with a three-pointer made come to an end. Zalgiris lost its second home game all season in falling to 8-6, while Maccabi claimed its second road win in climbing to 4-10.
AS Monaco 125-104 Paris Basketball
Monaco smoked Paris with a 125-104 win on Thursday night, making this the third week in succession that Vassilis Spanoulis’s men have made history. After breaking its own record for margin of victory in each of the last two rounds, Monaco set a new club record with 125 points scored, which is the third-highest total in EuroLeague history. Even more impressive is the fact it came without any need for overtime. Monaco improved to 9-5 with this win, its third in a row, while Paris dropped its third straight to fall to 5-9.
The three-headed monster of Elie Okobo, Matthew Strazel and Mike James ran the show for Monaco. Okobo finished with 26 points and 8 assists, Strazel had 22 points and 7 dimes, while James posted 16 points and 7 helpers. Nikola Mirotic also added 14 points, and Alpha Diallo poured in 10 points. Paris guard Justin Robinson paced his team with 24 points, followed by Jared Rhoden with 22 and Nadir Hifi with 17.
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv 87-80 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
League-leading Hapoel narrowly beat ASVEL on Thursday night, coming back to earn the 87-80 victory. The hosts opened up an early advantage in the opening minutes, which they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the first half, led by the playmaking of Tyler Ennis and finishing of Dan Oturu. Despite trailing by 15, ASVEL made a buoyant run to shrink the lead heading into halftime, before putting together an incredible third-quarter rally to take the lead. There were then six lead changes as the teams went blow-for-blow. ASVEL were able to grow its lead to 11 early in the fourth, but the hosts plugged away to stay in the fight. With minutes to go, Hapoel went on a 7-0 run to claw its way back into the game. Nando De Colo and Dimitris Itoudis picked up technical fouls as the game became chippy, but Hapoel’s key hustle plays saw it secure the victory.
Dan Oturu played the starring role for Hapoel, adding 7 boards to his 18-point scoring performance. Antonio Blakeney and Johnathan Motley also bolstered their team with 16 points each. The result was especially tough on the excellent Nando De Colo, who kept his team in the clash until the very end, recording 20 points in the loss. Strengthening its position atop the league table, Hapoel moved to 10-4 with the win. ASVEL, meanwhile, slid to 3-11.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 92-85 FC Bayern Munich
Partizan kicked off the post-Zeljko Obradovic era with a 92-85 victory over Bayern at Belgrade Arena on Thursday. The visitors started strong from beyond the arc and took a 36-43 cushion at halftime. Partizan bounced back and outscored the visitors 28-15 in the third quarter to secure a lead that it maintained until the final whistle despite a late 2-15 Bayern run. Partizan ended a three-game losing skid, with the German side suffering its fifth consecutive loss. Both teams now have 5-9 records.
Duane Washington netted a team-high 22 points on 5-for-6 shooting from deep. Tyrique Jones followed suit with 21 and 10 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie led all scorers with 25 points, with Vladimir Lucic bagging a season-high 17 points. Johannes Voigtmann registered 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in defeat.
Friday, December 5
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. FC Barcelona (20:00 CET)
Co-leader Zvezda (9-4) will attempt to maintain that status with the tough challenge of a visit from one of the chasing pack, Barcelona (8-5). Recently appointed Barca coach Xavi Pascual savored his first win with a battling performance against ASVEL last week, and he will be looking to instill his trademark defensive toughness to disrupt the influence of Zvezda playmaker Codi Miller-McIntyre (10 points and 9 assists in last week’s dramatic win over Olympiacos) and fit-again Jordan Nwora (19.4 points per game). Scoring star Kevin Punter hit form for Barca last time out with 24 points and 7 assists, and this week he’ll attempt to quieten the home crowd by outshining Zvezda newcomer Devonte' Graham, who impressed with 9 points and 4 assists on his debut against Olympiacos.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Valencia Basket (20:15 CET)
In another high stakes' matchup, red-hot Panathinaikos (9-4) aims to extend its winning run to five games with a visit from dangerous Valencia (8-5). It should be a high-scoring thriller between the second and fourth ranked offenses in the league, averaging 89.5 and 89.0 points per game respectively. Visiting backcourt leader Darius Thompson has the unenviable task of controlling reigning MVP Kendrick Nunn, who continued another outstanding season by draining 26 points in last week’s rout of Partizan. That game also featured another dynamic performance in the paint from Kenneth Faried, so Valencia big man Matt Costello will look to use his shooting range to pull his opponent into uncomfortable territory. The visitors will also hope for another big night for Brancou Badio, who has scored 16 points in both the last two games.
Virtus Bologna vs. Dubai Basketball (20:30 CET)
Virtus (6-7) will attempt to maintain its 100% home record against direct rival Dubai (6-7). The visiting team has so far recorded just one road win, but boosted its confidence by narrowly overcoming Paris at home last week as McKinley Wright recovered his best form with 24 points, while Justin Anderson will also be looking to build on his best performance of the season after netting 12 points. Virtus was narrowly edged out at Fenerbahce last week, and chief scorer Carsen Edwards will be determined to get back on track after going 0-of-8 for three-pointers in that loss. The Italian team has seen center Momo Diouf grow in importance in recent weeks, and he’ll look to confirm that growth by dominating dangerous Dubai big man Filip Petrusev.
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CET)
The round closes with Baskonia (4-9) looking to narrow the gap on the all-important top 10 with a visit from Milan (7-6). The Spanish team has roared to four consecutive games at Buesa Arena, with the relentless scoring of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot complemented by an upturn in form for dynamic guard Kobi Simmons (double-digits scoring in four straight games). Milan coach Peppe Poeta started his permanent reign with a good win at Maccabi last week, and Shavon Shields arrives to face his former club in top form after going for 26 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in that win. The home team will also be wary of the threat posed by Armoni Brooks, who has netted 15 three-pointers in the last four games.
Postponed game
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
This game has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions.