FC Barcelona held off pesky Zenit St Petersburg 70-78 on Wednesday at Sibur Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the teams' best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series. 

Barca triumphs in St Petersburg to take series lead

FC Barcelona held off pesky Zenit St Petersburg 70-78 on Wednesday at Sibur Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the teams' best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series. In doing so, Barcelona regained the home-court advantage it had lost when Zenit won Game 1 in Spain. The visitors led throughout the second half, but Zenit kept it close and got within 1 early in the fourth quarter. Brandon Davies came through with two key baskets in the final 2 minutes to help preserve the win. Davies led all scorers with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, Cory Higgins added 16 points, Kyle Kuric netted 13 and Nikola Mirotic had 11. Billy Baron paced the home team with 19 points, Alex Poythress scored 14 and Will Thomas and Kevin Pangos added 10 points each.



Barcelona got the start it wanted with a tip-in from Davies, a jumper from Higgins and free throws by Mirotic. Zenit committed 2 early turnovers and starting center Tarik Black took a seat with 2 early fouls as the hosts were held scoreless for 3 and a half minutes before K.C. Rivers got things going with a triple. Poythress took charge with an alley-oop dunk, a block and a layup to tie the game before Kuric drained a three for the visitors. Poythress remained hot and Thomas's free throws gave Zenit its first lead, 14-13. A three by Kuric evened the score at 16-16 after 10 minutes. Pau Gasol started the second quarter and his first touch resulted in an assist to Kuric for a triple, though Baron matched him to make it 21-19. Poythress dunked again and Baron stretched the lead to 6. Higgins revived the visitors with a three and then Davies dunked and sank a three to push the visitors back in front, 30-31. After Nick Calathes added a three, Pangos made 2 free throws to bring the hosts within 33-34 at the break.



Catch up on Zenit St Petersburg v FC Barcelona highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 28, 2021

Zenit St Petersburg v FC Barcelona Highlights

Davies remained hot with a put-back and a three as Barcelona looked to pull away. A jumper by Calathes made it 35-41. Pangos and Higgins swapped threes before Kuric put back his own missed shot to extend the lead. Mirotic gave Barcelona the game's first double-digit advantage, 42-52. Baron led the Zenit comeback with free throws, a layup and a three in the last 90 seconds of the third quarter to get the hosts within 51-55. Pangos left the court and headed straight to the locker room after suffering a cut on his forehead, but that did not affect Baron, who nailed his third three of the night. The teams traded points and Gasol netted free throws to stretch the lead to 58-63. A three-point play by Mirotic sent Poythress to the bench with 5 fouls. Pangos returned and Baron scored to make it 60-66 with 6 minutes to play. Higgins hit free throws for a 62-70 cushion with 2:44 to play. After a timeout, Pangos scored twice in succession. Davies was summoned off the bench and scored twice for Barcelona to all but wrap up the win at 66-74 with less than a minute left.

# Deciding basket
The momentum seemed to be with the hosts after Kevin Pangos scored twice to bring Zenit within 4 with 2 minutes remaining. Coach Jasikevicius turned to his bench and summoned three of his top offensive weapons: Brandon Davies, Nikola Mirotic and Kyle Kuric. Davies immediately scored in the paint and – after Pangos missed a three – Davies wrestled away a rebound from Tarik Black to force a jump ball, won the tip and scored again to all but put the game on ice.

# Standout performer
Brandon Davies not only all led all players in scoring with 22 points and led Barcelona in rebounding with 8, but he also helped wrap up the game with baskets on back-to-back possessions after Zenit got within 66-70 with 2 minutes to play. He made 7 of 12 two-pointers, 2 of 2 threes and 2 of 4 free throws and also had 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers in compiling a performance index rating of 28.

# The numbers
Barcelona dominated the glass 26-39, including 14 offensive rebounds. The visitors turned those into 19 second-chance points, which were 8 more than Zenit.

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Brandon Davies came through with two key baskets in the final 2 minutes to help preserve the win. He led all scorers with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Zenit St Petersburg v FC Barcelona (2021-04-28T17:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich kept its Final Four hopes alive by overcoming AX Armani Exchange Milan 85-79 at home in Game 3 of the teams' best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague series on Wednesday. 

Bayern holds off Milan to stay alive

FC Bayern Munich kept its Final Four hopes alive by overcoming AX Armani Exchange Milan 85-79 at home in Game 3 of the teams' best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague series on Wednesday. The teams will now return on Friday with Bayern looking to square the series and Milan seeking the victory it needs to advance to the Final Four. Bayern raced to a double-digit lead with a 14-0 run before the end of the first quarter, but Milan battled back and briefly led in the second quarter, which finished with Bayern narrowly in front, 39-35. The home team opened the second half with another 14-0 tear and stayed in front the rest of the way despite Milan keeping it close. Vladimir Lucic was the home team’s main inspiration, pairing 27 points with 7 rebounds. Wade Baldwin IV and Paul Zipser both added 11 points and JaJuan Johnson had 9 points and 9 rebounds. Malcolm Delaney led Milan with 18 points, while Sergio Rodriguez and Shavon Shields both scored 11.

Diego Flaccadori opened the scoring from deep, before Johnson and Baldwin gave the hosts a 7-0 start. Kevin Punter finally sparked Milan to life and the visitors pulled it back to 9-9 through Delaney and Zach LeDay. Lucic with a triple and Jalen Reynolds with a hook pulled Bayern clear again. Sisko hit another three and Reynolds added another pair of scores before DJ Seeley finished the first quarter at 23-9 after a 14-0 Bayern run. Kyle Hines ignited Milan with a fastbreak dunk and Rodriguez added a layup-and-one. Zipser’s tip-in was answered by Luigi Datome’s fadeaway and a pair of Shields triples. James Gist snapped the 0-8 run with a mid-range strike, but Datome struck again to make it 27-25. Free throws pushed Bayern further ahead, but 5 points from Delaney and a three from Jeff Brooks gave Milan its first and only lead, 32-33. Lucic sent Bayern straight back in front and Zipser added a fastbreak layup-and-one to give the hosts a halftime lead, 39-35.

Catch up on Bayern Munich v AX Armani Exchange Milan highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 28, 2021

Bayern Munich v AX Armani Exchange Milan Highlights - Quarter-finals - April 28, 2021

Bayern started the second half with a reverse from Leon Radosevic and a mid-range jumper from Johnson. Baldwin then scored 4 consecutive points to take the advantage back to double digits and Lucic capped a 14-0 run for a 53-35 lead. Shields finally opened Milan’s second-half account with a dunk, but Lucic stayed hot with a long two and a three-pointer to send Bayern ahead 58-40. Rodriguez boosted Milan with a three-pointer and a slicing layup before Sisko’s inside score was answered by Punter’s triple-and-one to make it 64-51 after three quarters. Delaney reduced the deficit to single digits with a four-point play and then added a layup-and-one to make it 64-58. Lucic settled Bayern with another three-pointer and Sisko added a jumper for a 69-58 lead. Zipser and Johnson kept the advantage in double figures despite another Delaney triple before Hines made a three-point play for a 75-66 margin with 5 minutes left. Zipser’s free throws and Gist’s mid-range strike stretched the lead as Milan’s offense went cold. LeDay and Michael Roll made it 80-73 going into the final minute and Kaleb Tarczewski added a trio of dunks, but Lucic free throws allowed Bayern to hold on.



# Landmark win for German basketball
The victory was not only Bayern’s first in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, but also the first gained by any German team at this stage of the season. It was also the first win in the playoffs for Coach Andrea Trinchieri and it came against the team where he started his coaching career as an assistant.

# Sisko steps up after Baldwin fouls out
Bayern’s backcourt leader Wade Baldwin IV fouled out very early in the fourth quarter, but Zan Sisko rose to the challenge with one of his best performances. The Slovenian point guard scored 9 points and added a career-high 8 assists in 25:54 on the court, another personal best.

# Milan starts both halves slowly
Milan was held scoreless for the opening 3:33 of the game, in which it missed its first 6 shots. The same story was then repeated after halftime, with the visitors failing to score for nearly 5 minutes at the start of the third quarter and again missing 6 straight shots.

# Bayern stifles Milan’s creativity
Bayern’s defense generally did a great job of clamping down on Milan’s playmakers. Sergio Rodriguez (2) and Malcolm Delaney (1) combined for just 3 assists and the Italian team was limited to just 11 assists.

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Vladimir Lucic was the home team’s main inspiration, pairing 27 points with 7 rebounds. 

FC Bayern Munich v AX Armani Exchange Milan (2021-04-28T18:45:00.000Z)

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is the highest level in European basketball and nothing is easy here. However, some teams have made it look that way even though it is a phase when the competition is expected to be fierce. Eurohoops presents the 11 sweeps in the history of the best-of-five EuroLeague Playoffs series (2009-present).

**[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1199179/sweep-11/)**

Trademarks: All 11 sweeps

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Facing elimination and down by double digits midway through the fourth quarter, Real Madrid scored the final 16 points of the game for one of the biggest comebacks in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs history, edging visiting Anadolu Efes Istanbul 80-76 in Game 3 of their best-of-five series on Tuesday night. 

Real survives thanks to fourth-quarter rally

Facing elimination and down by double digits midway through the fourth quarter, Real Madrid scored the final 16 points of the game for one of the biggest comebacks in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs history, edging visiting Anadolu Efes Istanbul 80-76 in Game 3 of their best-of-five series on Tuesday night. Real cut the series deficit to 2-1, after a game in which Efes led by as many as 15 points on several occasions in the second half and 61-74 with 5 minutes left in the game. But behind Sergio Llull, Real hit 5 three-pointers in the next 4 minutes to complete a comeback and stay alive in the series. Llull finished with 20 points and 7 assists, Alberto Abalde scored 11 points, Usman Garuba had 10 points plus 9 rebounds while Alex Tyus collected 10 points and 7 rebounds. Vasilije Micic paced all scorers with 29 points and also had 6 assists and 3 steals for Efes and Rodrigue Beaubois netted 18 points in a defeat.



Real opened the game with a 1-2-2- matchup zone, mixing it up with man defense, which kept Efes scoreless for more 4 minutes. But Real did not find much of an offensive rhythm and only led 5-0 behind Jaycee Carroll's jumper and Alex Tyus's dunk. Efes missed its first 7 field goals before Sertac Sanli hit a mid-range jumper, followed by a pair of layups from Micic that gave the visitors their first lead. Llull nailed a triple and after Alberto Abalde's three-point, a jumper from Llull made it 13-8. However, Chris Singleton had a put-back layup and Beaubois hit a corner triple to tie it at 15-15 after 10 minutes. Beaubois stayed hot early in the second quarter with 9 points, which included a triple and a triple-plus-foul to make it 17-27. Causeur answered by stringing together 7 points - two floaters and a three-pointer, but back-to-back triples from Sanli and Micic restored breathing room for Efes, 24-33. Real kept going back to its 1-2-2 zone defense, which had Efes struggling, but the visitors kept control behind their defense. A triple from Micic made it 28-38 at halftime.



Catch up on Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 27, 2021

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul Highlights - Quarter-finals - April 27, 2021

Beaubois and Carroll each banked in a shot from close range to start the third quarter, before a triple from Beaubois made it 30-45. Carroll and Usman Garuba hit a triple apiece to cut into the deficit, getting the hosts within 38-47, but Micic and Simon knocked down back-to-back three-pointers for a 40-55 margin. Real was not going away, as Abalde connected with Tyus for an alley-oop dunk and Llull and Garuba scored to get the hosts within 48-56 in the final minute of the third. But Beaubois scored a pair of floaters, one late in the third, and another early in the fourth to open a 48-62 cushion. Thompkins and Llull nailed back-to-back triples to give Real hope and Abalde's basket-plus-foul cut it to 58-66 with just under 7 minutes to go. But Larkin hit a three-pointer and Micic followed with one of his own before driving for a dunk that made it 61-74 with 5 minutes left. Llull and Abalde hit back-to-back threes to spark the hosts' final run and Garuba fought inside to make it 69-76. Llull nailed a second-chance triple and a three from Thompkins cut it to 75-76 with 1:35 left. Efes did not have an answer for Real's matchup zone, while Rudy Fernandez's off-balance step-back triple put Real in front for the first time since the first quarter, 78-76. Efes had a timeout, but Micic committed a turnover before Garuba scored a put-back with 22.5 seconds on the clock, the last basket of the night as Real completed a huge rally.



# Key run
Efes led 61-74 when Sergio Llull hit his third triple of the night with 4:50 left, fueling a 19-2 run that saw Real shock Efes to come out on top and stay alive in the series.

# Threes started falling
Real was 4 for 20 from three-point land entering the final 9 minutes of the game, but then went on to make 7 of 10 the rest of the way, with Sergio Llull knocking down 3 threes, Trey Thompkins netting a pair and Alberto Abalde and Rudy Fernandez had one each.

# Key contributor
Llull scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. He was 4 for 7 on three-point shooting and also dished 7 assists, all in just 21:28 on the floor. The main defensive contributor in victory was Real's 1-2-2 matchup zone, which troubled Efes the entire night.

# Start and finish
Efes started the game missing its first 8 shot attempts, 4 two-pointers, 2 three-pointer and 2 free throws, needing 4 minutes and 45 seconds to score. The visitors overcame the slow start and control the game until the final 5 minutes and 10 seconds during which they failed to score a single field goal on their last 7 possessions.

# No Sergeant Swat
For the second consecutive game Real was missing star center Walter Tavares, who ranks second in rebounding and offensive rebounding this season and leads the EuroLeague in blocked shots.

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Real Madrid scored the final 16 points of the game for one of the biggest comebacks in EuroLeague Playoffs history. Sergio Llull shined with 20 points and 7 assists.

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2021-04-27T17:00:00.000Z)

When it comes to developing future stars and giving them a shot at the highest level, no team is quite like Real Madrid. The winningest team in European basketball with 10 EuroLeague titles, Real also leads the standings with four EuroLeague Rising Star awards won by its players, which is double its closest competitors. This season Real has a new contender for the award in teenage big man Usman Garuba.

The 2.03-meter Garuba is a constantly improving bundle of energy and was one of only two players to appear in every Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game for Real this season, his second with the club's senior squad.

Born in Spain to parents from Nigeria, Garuba said that playing basketball was not his dream when he was young.

"My friends told me 'hey, you should play basketball!' and then I tried basketball and it was fun." 

"I didn't choose to play with Real Madrid. Real Madrid chose me to play with them, so that's why I started playing here. I started playing basketball, I think, at 9 years old," he said. "First of all, I was playing football because I preferred more football than basketball. But then I was very tall for playing football and my parents, my friends told me 'hey, you should play basketball!' and then I tried basketball and it was very fun and exciting for me."

The rest, as they say, is history. His younger brother Sediq also plays basketball in the Real youth system, which is a source of pride for the older Garuba. Usman credits the Real youth system for making him the player he is today.

"The most important thing about winning in the youth categories is to just keep being yourself. Just be yourself and keep working every day and keep working hard," Garuba explained while noting that the club will help with the rest if you put in the work. "The youth coaches help us a lot. We train a lot. We train in the morning. We train sometimes in the mid-morning. Also in the afternoon, and we train a lot of hours, almost every day besides the weekend when we can play games and train very hard."

"The facilities are really good for every player and honestly, we have the best youth players in maybe the world, maybe in Europe. They join us together and we compete between us. Every training, every day, every hour, we compete against each other, but not being selfish, we compete as teammates. That makes us feel better and make us work more."

Garuba had a successful run at the youth categories both with club and country. He helped Spain capture gold medals at the U16 European championship in 2016 and the U18 championship in 2019. He also captured the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2019 after losing in the finals in Belgrade the year before. Like so many champions, the stinging loss was motivation for the future.

"I remember more the loss [against Lietuvos Rytas] than the win," Garuba recalled. "We lost against Lietuvos and that gave us motivation for the next year to win the Next Generation in Vitoria. That motivated me and also all my team for the next year. It was really amazing and we enjoyed the win."

"We have the best youth players in maybe the world, maybe in Europe." 

Garuba averaged 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 block the ANGT Munich qualifying event in 2019 and was named tournament MVP. He was then voted to the All-Tournament Team at the finals in Vitoria-Gasteiz after posting 15.3 points, 7.3 boards and 2.3 blocks, including 21 points in the championship game against U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade.

After such strong appearances, there was nothing left for Garuba to prove among his peers. He began the 2019-20 season as a full-fledged member of the Real senior squad and scored 12 points along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals in his EuroLeague debut in Round 5 at FC Bayern Munich in October 2019. He was 17 and a half years old.

"I was training hard every day with the youth teams, competing with my teammates and I wasn't really thinking about that, about the senior team," Garuba said of his promotion. "Every year, if you keep working, keep working with your teammates and the youth team, you have a possibility to be here, so I worked very hard for that and I had a chance… It is something amazing to be a full member of the Real Madrid first team, especially at such a young age. It is something very special for me."

Real's players welcomed Garuba warmly and he is especially appreciative of the atmosphere and encouragement he felt from Coach Pablo Laso.

"He is a nice coach because he doesn't use the age as an excuse," Garuba explained. "He doesn't care about the age; if you are 16 and you can play well, perform well and help the team, he will put you in. So that's why I respect Pablo a lot and it is very nice to play in his teams."

"If you keep working with your teammates and the youth team, you have a possibility to be here, so I worked very hard for that." 

To be worthy of a larger role for Real in Laso's eyes, Garuba continues to work hard at all aspects of the game: "I tried to work on my outside shooting but that's not the only thing. I worked on a lot of things. I also worked on defense, the lateral movements... a lot of things. Physically also, I worked on that. I use that as an advantage."

The result has been a role as a regular in the rotation. In fact, no teenager in the EuroLeague has played more minutes than Garuba's 15.07 per game this season and he leads all Rising Star Eligible players in per-minute PIR with 14.0 prorated over 40 minutes. He has contributed 3.2 points on 64.9 two-point shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

Garuba remains hungry for the future. He was there in Belgrade, as a member of the club's U18 squad when Real won its last EuroLeague crown in 2018. Now he dreams of playing a central role on the next Real team to conquer the continental basketball championship.

"It would be amazing. It is a dream that I want that to be true," Garuba smiled at the thought of winning the EuroLeague. "It is a big dream for me and I will do whatever it takes to make my team win the championship."

Teenager Usman Garuba is a constantly improving bundle of energy and was one of only two players to appear in every Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game for Real Madrid this season, his second with the club's senior squad.

Usman Garuba: 'Real Madrid chose me'

CSKA Moscow moved within a victory of a record-breaking ninth consecutive Final Four when it downed visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by 78-67 on Friday in Game 2 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.

Defense gives CSKA a 2-0 lead

CSKA Moscow moved within a victory of a record-breaking ninth consecutive Final Four when it downed visiting Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by 78-67 on Friday in Game 2 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. With a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, CSKA will have at three chances, if needed, to reach its ninth consecutive Final Four, which no team has done before. Game 3 will be in Istanbul next Wednesday. Fenerbahce led 32-35 before CSKA used a 14-2 run to take a 50-42 halftime lead. Fenerbahce held CSKA without a field goal for the first 8 minutes of the third quarter to cut the difference to 52-51, but couldn't tie or go ahead, after which CSKA slowly pulled away. Daniel Hackett led the winners with 14 points and 9 assists. Tornike Shengelia added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Nikia Kurbanov chipped in 10 points. Marko Guduric led Fenerbahce with 27 points while Nando De Colo and Danilo Barthel had 9 each.



Kyle O'Quinn stole to feed Danilo Barthel full-court and De Colo downed a nifty reverse for an early 2-4 Fenerbahce lead. Nikita Kurbanov's steal and fastbreak for CSKA saw De Colo leave the court with a nosebleed. Barthel and Hackett traded triples before Melih Mahmutoglu put Fenerbahce back in front, 8-9. Hackett and Guduric both struck from deep before Shengelia and Iffe Lundberg joined CSKA's scorers to make it 18-13. Guduric answered from the arc and Dyshawn Pierre dunked off a steal to tie. Janis Strelnieks broke the tie for CSKA from downtown, but Guduric's 3 free throws and layup put the visitors ahead, where they stayed, 23-25, after Tarik Biberovic hit the first quarter's last shot. CSKA's Johannes Voigtmann and Guduric exchanged threes to restart the second-quarter scoring after 2 minutes. Kurbanov's 4 points put CSKA up briefly, 30-28, before De Colo regained the lead for Fenerbache from the arc and Biberovic slammed at 30-33. Hackett and Kurbanov would both tie it with triples, then Hackett put CSKA ahead again on a technical free throw, 38-37. Will Clyburn hit his first points on consecutive triples to make it 46-37. Guduric broke the spell with a step-back corner three and drove for a layup as the half ended 50-42 in CSKA's favor.



Catch up on CSKA Moscow v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 23, 2021

CSKA Moscow v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Highlights - Quarter-finals - April 23, 2021

After hot first-half shooting by both teams, only free throws fell through the first 5 minutes of the third quarter as Fenerbahce pulled within 52-46. Pierre scored a layup and Guduric hit 3 more free throws to cut the difference to 52-51. After 8 minutes without a field goal, CSKA got triples from Clyburn and Semen Antonov to make it 58-53. Lundberg added a basket but Lorenzo Brown matched it with a dunk to leave a 60-55 score after 30 minutes. Lundberg's step-back jumper opened the fourth quarter but Guduric matched him at the foul line and drove for a layup at 62-59. Ivan Ukhov lifted CSKA with a corner triple and Hackett added a jumper for a 67-59 lead with 5 minutes left. Barthel and De Colo shared 4 free throws around another triple by Ukhov for a 70-63 score. When Hackett hit a layup high off the glass, Fenerbahce needed a timeout at 72-63. Brown detonated another dunk to give Fenerbahce hope, but CSKA found Kurbanov in the corner for a double-digit 75-65 lead that put CSKA within one victory of yet another trip to the Final Four.

# CSKA seeks new milestone
With Friday's victory and a 2-0 lead in the series, CSKA moved within one more win of reaching its ninth consecutive Final Four, which would break the EuroLeague record of eight in a row that the club has already accomplished twice. CSKA set that mark for the first time between 2003 and 2010 and tied it again between 2012 and 2019, before the streak was interrupted only by last season being canceled. Fenerbahce's challenge to prevent that is huge: No team has ever recovered from a 0-2 deficit to win a series.

# Three-point parade
After tying the fourth-highest total of three-pointers made in playoffs history with 14 in Game 1, CSKA did it again in Game 2, downing 14 of 34 attempts -- both being the club's playoff highs -- albeit at somewhat lower accuracy (41.2%) than in Game 1 (46.7%). Its 14 to 6 edge over Fenerbahce from downtown was more than enough to explain the final margin.

# Russians to the rescue
CSKA was red-hot from deep in the first half as five players shared in 8 of 13 triples, including 3 of 3 by Daniel Hackett and 2 of 3 from Will Clyburn. After that, though, CSKA missed 8 consecutively before Clyburn downed another late in the third quarter. Janis Strelnieks would hit one of CSKA's last 5 long-range shots, early in the fourth quarter, but the rest came from the Russian quartet of Ivan Ukhov (2), Semen Antonov (1) and Nikita Kurbanov (1).

# Stellar stat
After committing 6 turnovers in the first quarter leading to 9 points by Fenerbahce, CSKA was disciplined enough to lose the ball just 4 times over the final 30 minutes. That included no turnovers at all in the second quarter, with CSKA seized the momentum that Fenerbache never quite took back.

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CSKA Moscow v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2021-04-23T17:00:00.000Z)

In an overtime thriller that went down to the wire, FC Barcelona bounced back from its initial loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing Zenit St Petersburg 81-78 in Game 2 of their best-of-five series at Palau Blaugrana on Friday. 

Barcelona tops Zenit in OT to tie series

In an overtime thriller that went down to the wire, FC Barcelona bounced back from its initial loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing Zenit St Petersburg 81-78 in Game 2 of their best-of-five series at Palau Blaugrana on Friday. The series is now tied at 1-1 with Zenit set to host Games 3 and 4 next week. Brandon Davies led the winners with 22 points and Cory Higgins added 15 for Barcelona. Kevin Pangos led Zenit with 23 points while Will Thomas added 17 Austin Hollins 12 for the guests, who had led 13-16 after 10 minutes. Davies propelled Barca on a 12-0 second-quarter run to take a 27-21 lead that Rolands Smits and Pierre Oriola helped boost to 38-29 at halftime. Thomas and Hollins fueled Zenit's comeback and Pangos hit a baseline jumper for a 48-48 tie at the end of the third quarter. Zenit had a chance to win at the end of regulation time, but Pangos missed a jumper at the buzzer. Adam Hanga made the difference in overtime with 5 points and a couple of critical steals for Barca.

Tarik Black got Zenit going with a layup but Oriola and Nikola Mirotic soon gave Barcelona its first lead, 5-4. Thomas followed a driving basket with a step-back jumper for Zenit but Higgins found his first points and Mirotic struck from downtown as Barcelona led 10-8. Black's tip-in and Billy Baron's floater flipped the lead to Zenit before Alex Poythress scored down low and Pangos hit a runner to keep the visitors ahead 13-16 after 10 minutes. Baron struck from beyond the arc early in the second quarter and Andrey Zubkov added a jump hook for a 15-21 Zenit lead. Barcelona found a go-to guy in Davies, who had an acrobatic basket among his 7 points in a 12-0 run that he capped with a three-point play off a steal for a 27-21 lead. Thomas answered with a power layup for Zenit, but Leandro Bolmaro, Kyle Kuric and Smits boosted Barcelona's lead to 34-25. K.C. Rivers banked in an off-balance shot and Poythress added a put-back layup to keep Zenit within 38-29 at halftime.

Catch up on FC Barcelona v Zenit St Petersburg highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 23, 2021

FC Barcelona v Zenit St Petersburg Highlights - Quarter-finals - April 23, 2021

Thomas scored again soon after the break and matched Higgins's three-point play with a bomb from downtown. Nick Calathes downed a floater for Barcelona but Hollins sank a triple and Rivers added a running jumper to give Zenit hope at 43-39. Bolmaro buried a three-pointer but Pangos and a red-hot Hollins got the guests even closer, 46-44. Baron and Pangos each hit a baseline jumper but Davies helped Barcelona get a 48-48 tie after 30 minutes. Kuric and Pangos traded three-pointers early in the fourth quarter and Davies scored off a spin move for a 53-51 Barcelona lead. Hollins joined the three-point shootout and Thomas downed a jumper but Davies gave the hosts fresh air at 59-56. Pangos banked in a floater before Davies and Kuric made it a 63-58 Barcelona lead with over 3 minutes to go. Higgins hit a critical jumper while Pangos and Black kept Zenit within 65-62. Mirotic split free throws that Thomas and Pangos answered by hitting twice each for a 66-66 tie with 40.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Mirotic and Pangos traded missed shots, sending the game to overtime.

Higgins scored first in the extra period but Hollins answered from beyond the arc and Black added a driving layup for a 68-71 Zenit lead. Calathes and Pangos split foul shots and Mirotic made it a one-point game, 71-72. Pangos hit a floater that Hanga bettered with a triple -- his first points -. for a 74-74 tie with 1:37 to go. Pangos and Higgins did not miss from the foul line before Davies put the hosts in charge, 77-76, with 38.1 seconds left. As Zenit looked to go ahead, Hanga collected a critical steal, drew a foul and made free throws for a 79-76 score with 13.3 seconds remaining. Pangos and Higgins exchanged foul shots and Hanga sealed his great overtime with another steal that assured Barcelona the victory.



# Pivotal performer
Brandon Davies made the difference, playing with great intensity at both ends. He finished the game with 22 points on 5-of-8 two-point shots and 12-of-13 free throws, adding 8 rebounds, a steal and 10 fouls drawn for a PIR of 33. It is a new Barcelona record in a playoffs game, surpassing Gianluca Basile, who had a PIR of 31 in the 2008 playoffs against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

# Game-changing moment
With Zenit leading 71-74 and less than 2 minutes remaining in overtime, Adam Hanga stepped up big for Barcelona. He buried a three-pointer to tie and soon collected a steal that forced Zenit to send him to the foul line. Hanga hit both attempts and denied Zenit the chance to tie the game with another steal in the closing seconds.

# Stellar stat
Barcelona took 44 free throw attempts, the biggest total in a EuroLeague playoffs game in more than a decade. Partizan Belgrade took 46 free throw attempts in Game 4 of the 2010 playoffs while downing Maccabi 76-67 and qualifying for the Final Four. Panathinaikos has the all-time record with 57 attempts from the foul line in a 102-96 overtime win against Efes Pilsen in Game 1 of the 2005 playoffs.

# Did you know?
It was the 11th overtime playoffs game since the format came back to stay in 2005. Barcelona has played three of those. It had previously beat Panathinaikos 72-70 in Game 1 of the 2013 playoffs and registered an 80-92 home loss against Lokomotiv Kuban in Game 4 of the 2016 playoffs.

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Adam Hanga made the difference in overtime with 5 points and a couple of critical steals for Barca. Brandon Davies led the winners with 22 points.

FC Barcelona v Zenit St Petersburg (2021-04-23T19:00:00.000Z)

If you told the people of Holland Landing, a small town in Canada, that one of their hometown heroes was playing a key role in the playoffs, they would assume you were talking about the rink rather than the court. The suburb of Toronto, like much of the country, is very much ice hockey territory.

So Kevin Pangos went against the grain when he followed a career with the ball instead of the puck.

"Ice hockey is everywhere in Canada," the Zenit St Petersburg guard admitted. "Growing up, when I said I played basketball, people wouldn’t understand it the same way they did the hockey teams and the hockey leagues that all my buddies were playing. Hockey was definitely the preferred sport. No matter where you were in Canada, it was all hockey. That’s changed a little now because the Toronto Raptors have had a major influence, but still hockey is Canada’s sport and everyone’s so passionate about it, even though basketball is growing." 

"Basketball was the one sport I could play non-stop, I never got sick and tired of it."

Like any other sports-mad youngster in Canada, Pangos did play plenty of hockey in his early days, his parents ensured that he was also exposed to other sports.

"I played a lot of sports growing up – hockey, volleyball, basketball, soccer. I tried a bit of everything," he recalled. "My parents were basketball players in college, and my dad was a college basketball coach. So I was around basketball all the time and I picked it up like that.

"I continued playing lots of sports, but basketball was the one I could play forever. It was the one sport I could play non-stop, I never got sick and tired of it. The other sports, I need that off-season break, to go from volleyball to hockey, from hockey to soccer. But with basketball, I wanted to play year-round. There was always something I wanted to improve and learn, and I met so many people along the way who helped me learn. So I was getting great resources and I just stuck even though I was in hockey territory."

Pangos believes that his playing all sorts of sports ultimately helped him retain his boyhood passion for basketball, which he values very highly now that it has also become his profession.

"My mom always wanted us to try a bunch of different sports, so I was never pushed or forced towards basketball. And I’m grateful for that because it meant that I never got burned out by basketball. I always had passion for the game – still to this day. Even when it becomes a job, I still enjoy it and I show up every day and have fun," Pangos added.

"I say that all the time when I go to camps and I’m talking to younger kids, I always tell them to enjoy it, especially at their age. If they do want to play professionally in the future, if you don’t enjoy it when you’re young there’s no chance when it becomes your job. Because it does turn into a job. There are days when you show up and you’re tired, you’re sore, you don’t really feel like going, but when you have the love of the game, still it’s all worth it. Once I get to the point where I don’t enjoy it, I know it’s time to hang it up."

Two other factors helped keep the young Pangos enthused about basketball during his early days in the sport. Firstly, the proximity of NBA team Toronto Raptors: "I went to watch the Raptors a bunch of times,” he said. "It was pretty special being in that environment. There was one time I got one of the players’ practice jersey. Eric Montross. He wasn’t even a star and it was a triple XL so it still doesn’t fit me to this day, but it was amazing that we had it. I’ve still got it in my closet at home! Having the Raptors there right down the road gave you something to dream about. I remember getting in the arena and seeing the bright lights, and thinking 'This is incredible.' The Raptors were great to support when I was growing up."

And, of course, then there was probably the greatest Canadian basketball player in history: Steve Nash. The two-time NBA MVP was at his peak just as Pangos started to become more serious about the sport, so being able to watch him perform regular heroics was understandably a major inspiration. 

"I met [Steve Nash] once at national team camp and from that day forward we built a relationship." 

"Having Steve Nash do what he was doing on a global stage, being from Canada, you saw it like: 'It is possible.' It gave you something that you could dream towards. So that was awesome, and having the Raptors as well, you could watch some games and see what a high level it was. Those two things were definitely a big influence for myself and a lot of Canadians growing up.

"I consider Steve a friend of mine now. He’s been great throughout my career, being super supportive. I met him once at national team camp and from that day forward we built a relationship. He’s been nothing but supportive. It’s been incredible. I didn’t expect much at first because he’s obviously Steve Nash, he’s got his own life, his own things to do, but he checks in from time to time and he’s been a great friend up until this day. I've worked out with him a couple of times and he’s shared a bunch of his knowledge. So, incredible guy, incredible athlete. He’s special, for sure."

And now, as faces his former club FC Barcelona in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs, Pangos is playing his part in helping turn Canada’s spotlight a little more towards basketball.

Despite hailing from a hockey-mad suburb of Toronto, Canada, Kevin Pangos fell in love with basketball as a boy and his passion has only increased with time.

Kevin Pangos, Zenit: 'I always had passion for the game' 

AX Armani Exchange Milan moved within one victory of its first Final Four appearance in 29 years with a hard-fought 80-69 win at home over FC Bayern Munich for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series.

Milan carries big early advantage to 2-0 series lead

AX Armani Exchange Milan moved within one victory of its first Final Four appearance in 29 years with a hard-fought 80-69 win at home over FC Bayern Munich for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series. Things were more comfortable for three-time champion Milan, which wrestled control of the game with a 20-0 first-quarter run and built a 22-point advantage in the second quarter. The hosts never let Bayern get closer than 6 points to keep the visitors from a magical comeback like the one Milan had in Game 1 when it rallied from 19 points down. Kevin Punter paced four Milan scorers in double figures with 20 points, while Sergio Rodriguez scored 13 points, Shavon Shields had 12 and Game 1 hero Zach Leday pitched in 10 points. Wade Baldwin IV tried to get Bayern its first-ever playoff victory, but his 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists were not enough. James Gist, Jalen Reynolds and Vladimir Lucic all added 11 points in the defeat.

Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri was forced to change his starting line-up as Nick Weiler-Babb missed the game with an ankle injury suffered in Game 1. DJ Seeley replaced Weiler-Babb in the first five for the guests alongside Baldwin, Lucic, Gist and Leon Radosevic. Milan head coach Ettore Messina kept the same starters with Malcolm Delaney, Punter, Leday, Vladimir Micov and Kyle Hines. Baldwin started the game with a three-pointer with Bayern getting the first 5 points. Milan struggled out of the gates with Punter’s fastbreak layup finally getting the home side on the board after nearly 3 minutes. Punter was Milan’s hot hand, netting a three-pointer and a three-point play to move his tally to 10 points and Delaney added 7 points in a 20-0 run while Bayern went ice cold on offense and fell behind 20-5. Paul Zipser ended the Bayern drought with just 1 of 3 free throws after more than 6 minutes. The cushion ballooned to 23-6 on Shields’s three-point play. Reynolds came off the Bayern bench for 4 points and had the guests within 26-12 after 10 minutes. Reynolds opened the second-quarter scoring, but the Bayern defense could not slow down the Milan offense, which got jumpers from Shields and Delaney as the margin increased to 20 points. The Bayern nightmare continued with Punter and Leday draining back-to-back triples to pad the lead to 40-18. Bayern managed to keep Milan without a basket for nearly 4 minutes and Lucic hit a triple while Baldwin converted a three-point play in a 4-11 spurt to make it 44-29. Rodriguez made sure Bayern didn’t have a positive feeling going into the break with a long three-pointer for a 47-29 score at intermission.



Catch up on AX Armani Exchange Milan v Bayern Munic highlights from Quarter-finals of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, April 22, 2021

AX Armani Exchange Milan v Bayern Munich Highlights - Quarter-finals - April 22, 2021

After Hines's free throw to start the second half, Gist tried to get Bayern going emotionally with a big dunk-and-one. Punter heated back up for the hosts with 7 points, but Bayern got back-to-back three-pointers and then two scores from Baldwin to get within 55-44. The deficit was 55-49 after Gist’s and-one. Bayern coach Trinchieri was ejected from the game with 1 minute left in the third quarter and his team down 58-50 for a second technical foul. Two Rodriguez free throws were followed by a Jeremy Evans dunk. Rodriguez added a three-pointer to extend the gap to 65-50. Baldwin managed a buzzer-beating triple and Bayern was down 65-53 after 30 minutes. Leday knocked down a jumper to start the final frame and Rodriguez came up with another big three-pointer to put Milan up 72-55. Bayern cut the deficit to 12 points only to see Hines make it 76-60. Bayern would not give up as Zipser drained 2 three-pointers and Lucic hit a triple of his own to pull within 77-69 with 2 minutes left. Baldwin missed a three-point attempt which could have made it a 5-point game and Leday knocked down a dagger triple at the other end with 77 seconds remaining for an 80-69 advantage.



# Milan a little bit better from long range
Milan came into the playoffs as the number two team in three-point shooting percentage at 41.6% and the hosts were a bit better in Game 2 than the opener. Milan made just 6 of 25 triples (24.0%) in Game 1 but followed that with 7-of-20 three-point shooting (35.0%).

# Punter guaranteed no slow start
Milan was slow out of the gates in Game 1 with just 27 points in the first 20 minutes. Kevin Punter made sure there wouldn’t be a slow start this time around with 10 points of his 20 points in the first 10 minutes as Milan raced away to a big lead - and eventually the win.

# History for Rodriguez
Sergio Rodriguez notched a historic mark in the victory as the Milan veteran picked up 2 steals to move into a tie for 10th place on the all-time list in the EuroLeague with 249 along with his former Spanish national teammate Juan Carlos Navarro.

# Telling numbers
Milan committed only 9 turnovers while forcing 14 Bayern miscues and the hosts took advantage of that to the tune of 24 points off turnovers to 13 for Bayern.

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Kevin Punter paced four Milan scorers in double figures with 20 points,

AX Armani Exchange Milan v FC Bayern Munich (2021-04-22T18:45:00.000Z)