After the playoffs opened with visiting teams taking three Game 1 victories for the first time ever, several home teams will have to bounce back or find themselves against the ropes.
Game Center: Monaco, Barcelona both improve to 1-1 after Game 2 wins
AS Monaco vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Monaco came out on top 93-88 in a rollercoaster thanks to a huge fourth quarter as Jordan Lloyd scored six points in a frantic finish to level the series. Fenerbahce looked the more likely winner at the end of the third quarter, but the visiting team struggled on offense in the home stretch ad the hosts took full advantage, thriving from a flowing team effort in the final 10 minutes of a rip-roaring contest. Donatas Moteijunas paced Monaco with 18 points while Tyler Dorsey netted a game-high 25 at the other end.
FC Barcelona 77-69 Olympiacos Piraeus
Barcelona punished Olympiacos from beyond the arc to seal the win and tie the series at 1-1. The hosts led 27-14 after the first quarter, 43-37 at the half and 60-57 at the end of the third. The two teams went scoreless for more than 1 and a half minute before Filip Petrusev netted a floater. Alex Abrines responded with an open triple, but Petrusev brought Olympiacos within 63-61. A Parker corner three-pointer was followed by a Rokas Jokubaitis mid-range jumper to extend Barcelona’s lead to 68-61 with 6 minutes left on the clock. Abrines responded to an Alec Peters dunk with another triple and Jabari Parker netted one deep to make it 74-64. Five Peters points cut the difference to 76-69, but it wasn’t enough for Olympiacos to come back in the closing stages.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 95-79 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Panathinaikos levelled the series 1-1 with a resounding 95-79 win over Maccabi in Game 2, with the home side thriving from a majestic performance by Kostas Sloukas who paced the home side with a career-high 29 points. A 4-17 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth allowed Maccabi to slash the home team’s lead to 71-68 before a decisive surge saw the Greens pull away again, with Mathias Lessort also instrumental as he racked up 11 points and 8 boards. Papapetrou added 15 points for Panathinaikos while Lorenzo Brown paced Maccabi with 18 points.
Real Madrid 101-90 Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Real Madrid is one win away from the EuroLeague Final Four! Los Blancos beat Baskonia 101-90 at WiZink Center to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series. The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle and at the end of it, Sergio Llull's buzzer-beating three-pointer gave Real a 23-21 edge. Vincent Poirier and Facu Campazzo allowed Real to boost their margin to 46-40 at halftime. Campazzo got plenty of help from Guerschon Yabusele and Tavares to make it a double-digit game, 74-63, after 30 minutes. Llull and Gabriel Deck kept Real way ahead until the final buzzer. Campazzo paced the winners with 24 points and 7 assists. Vanja Marinkovic led Baskonia with 20 points.