All of the teams in the Top 16 have now played 7 games and Fenerbahce are the only team with a perfect record. They look secure in top spot in Group E but the vast majority of teams are in the mix at the moment and if the second half of the campaign is as thrilling as the first, we are in for a good time over the next few weeks in the Euroleague. It was a night of home wins on Friday night as all four results went the way of the team playing in front of their home fans.
Group E
Second top versus bottom was always likely to play out in a predictable manner and Lokomotiv maintained their impressive form in the Top 16. The other game was much closer and could possibly have been the game of the evening in the Top 16.
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 82 – Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul 61
The outcome of this game came as a surprise to no one and after the comfortable victory, the hosts remain in second place in Group E with a 5-2 record and the losing team remains at the foot of the table with a 1-6 record. The hosts took the lead for good halfway in the opening quarter and they never looked back. At half-time the score was 44-28 and when the third quarter began with an 11-0 scoring spree, the Krasnodar side were well in the clear, even if the away team managed a spirited 3-16 run which saw them pull the score line back to 67-31. There was to be no comeback though and the hosts eased to victory.
Anthony Randolph provided 18 points for the winners, Malcolm Delaney offered up 16 points and Evgeny Voronov provided 14 points. There were also double-digit returns from Chris Singleton, with 11 points and Ryan Broekhoff, who grabbed 19 points. For the Turkish side, Scottie Wilbekin offered up 19 points and Emir Preldzic provided 11 points in the loss.
Panathinaikos Athens 83 – Anadolu Efes Istanbul 78
The hosts grabbed their fourth win of the Top 16, allowing them to tie for third place while the side from Istanbul fall to a 3-4 record and fifth place in the table. At half-time, the home team were in the lead by 1 with a 36-35 game taking place and the second half saw the hosts remain in charge without ever breaking away. The gap was at two points in the final quarter but Panathinaikos stepped up and finished the job.
Miroslav Raduljica provided 23 points, 16 in the first half, Nick Calathes provided 12 points and James Gist notched 11 points. James Feldeine also played a part, grabbing 10 points in the win. Dario Saric did his best to inspire the away side with 18 points, a career high, and Derrick Brown offered up 16 points and 7 points. Thomas Heurtel grabbed 15 points while Jayson Granger provided 11 points in the defeat.
Group F
The Russians look in good form and the Catalan club got back to winning ways as Group F hit the halfway mark in the Top 16.
CSKA Moscow 92 – Olympiacos Piraeus 85
The Russian share first spot in the group after this win moves them on to a 5-2 record while the Greek side are tied for fifth place with their 3-4 record. The away team led in the third quarter but a spirited finish to the game, including Milos Teodosic grabbing 10 points in the last quarter, saw CSKA Moscow home safely, Teodosic grabbed 21 points in total, Nando De Colo provided 19 points, Cory Higgins offered up 12 points and Nikita Kurbanov provided 11 points. Kyle Himes also managed to grab 10 points for the winners who held a 41-33 lead at half-time. However, the second half started with the Greek side scoring eight points in a row and they even took the lead at 49-50.
Georgios Printezis provided 19 points for the losing team, Daniel Hackett offered up 17 points while Vassilis Spanoulis grabbed 15 points. Othello Hunter was able to add 15 points and Matt Lojekis picked up 10 points.
FC Barcelona Lassa 92 – Zalgiris Kaunas 86
FC Barcelona got back to winning ways and their 3-4 record sees them sitting in fourth place in Group F. The away team slumped to defeat again and they have a 1-6 record at the foot of the table. There were a number of double-digit scorers for the Catalan side with Juan Carlos Navarro grabbing 14 points, Pau Ribas picking up 13 points, Alex Abrines grabbing 12 points, Samardo Samuels offering 11 points and Tomas Satoransky sneaking into this collective with 10 points. For the losing team, Renaldas Seibuis offered 19 points and Edgars Ulanovs provided 18 points. Lukas Lekavicius provided 16 points, Ian Vougioukas offered up 14 points and Paulius Janukunas grabbed 11 points in a game where a lot of players got on the score-sheet in a positive manner.
The away side were quick out of the blocks and a 0-8 scoring run gave them a 4-12 lead that had the home crowd groaning. The Catalan club rallied though and were soon 29-23 ahead while the half-time score reached 38-31. This was extended to a 65-55 score line with 30 minutes on the clock and although there was a frantic finish near the end of the game, the hosts never looked like falling behind.
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