Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul qualified for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing FC Bayern Munich 68-77 at Audi Dome on Tuesday.

Fenerbahce joins the playoff party 

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul qualified for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing FC Bayern Munich 68-77 at Audi Dome on Tuesday. Fenerbahce improved to 20-12 and punched its ticket to the playoffs with its victory combined with CSKA Moscow's win against Zenit St Petersburg. Bayern, which would have reached the playoffs with a win, dropped to 19-13. Nando De Colo led the winners with 21 points, Marko Guduric added 18 while Jan Vesely had 15 for Fenerbahce. Wade Baldwin IV paced Bayern with 20 points, Paul Zipser added 12 and Vladimir Lucic 11. Fenerbahce led 15-18 after 10 minutes and kept a 34-35 edge at halftime. The guests found a go-to guy in Guduric, who joined forces with Vesely to boost Fenerbahce's lead to 44-53 after 30 minutes. Fenerbahce went on to control the game until the final buzzer. 

Lucic got Bayern going with a three-pointer and a jumper. Melih Mahmutoglu and a red-hot Lucic traded triples and Zan Sisko scored off a steal for a 10-3 Bayern lead. Mahmutoglou and Vesely fueled a 0-6 run that Guduric capped with a driving layup. Jalen Reynolds dunked, but De Colo matched it with a jumper and Dyshawn Pierre added a jump hook that put Fenerbahce ahead, 12-13. Kyle O'Quinn scored in the paint, then D.J. Seeley and De Colo exchanged three-pointers for a 15-18 score after 10 minutes. O'Quinn scored again early in the second quarter. Zipser downed a jumper and Sisko Struck from beyond the arc to tie the game at 20-20. De Colo and Reynolds traded jumpers and Lucic pushed Bayern in front. De Colo struck from downtown, but Baldwin dunked and James hit a mid-range shot for a 28-25 edge. Lorenzo Brown took over with back-to-back layups in a 0-6 run that gave Fenerbahce a 28-31 edge. Baldwin rescued the hosts with a three-point play and Seeley added a three-pointer, but Vesely and Pierre kept the guests ahead, 34-35, at halftime. 

Catch up on Khimki Moscow Region vs LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne from Round 32 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 31 2021

Khimki Moscow Region vs LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Highlights - Round 32 - March 31, 2021

Seeley bettered Vesely's layup with an off-balance three-point play for a 37-37 lead after the break. De Colo buried a jumper, Leon Radosevic and Vesely traded jump hooks and Guduric gave the visitors a 39-43 lead. Vesely downed a floater and Guduric followed a jumper with a three-pointer to boost Fenerbahce's margin to 42-50. Guduric kept pushing his team with a driving layup, but Baldwin brought Bayern within 44-53 after 30 minutes. Guduric and Zipser struck from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter. Sisko improved De Colo's backdoor layup with a triple and fed Zipser for a layup that made it 52-58. Pierre scored in penetration and Guduric erased Zipser's three-pointer with his own shot from downtown. Baldwin and De Colo joined the three-point shootout and Vesely took over with a layup-plus-foul that seemed to seal the outcome, 58-70. Baldwin and Zipser managed to bring Bayern within 68-73 with 36.5 seconds left but the hosts didn't get closer. 

### Pivotal performer

Jan Vesely filled the stats sheet in many different ways and his relentless effort allowed Fenerbahce to dominate the game. He finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-8 two-point shooting and 5-of-5 on free throws plus 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 4 fouls drawn for a PIR of 25.
### Game-changing moment

Leon Radosevic allowed Bayern to tie the game for the last time, 39-39. Jan Vesely stepped up with a jump hook and a floater and got help from Marko Guduric, who buried a couple of jumpers and a three-pointer before adding a driving layup to boost his team's lead to 42-53, after a 3-14 run. Fenerbahce never looked back after that.
### Stellar stat

Two-point shots and turnovers made the difference in the game. Fenerbahce made 22 of 36 shots inside the arc (61.1%) and only allowed Bayern to score on 15 of 38 two-pointers (39.5%). Fenerbahce committed only 10 turnovers and pressured Bayern into 14.
### Did you know?

Fenerbahce has qualified for the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time. It made it to this stage from 2015 to 2019, reaching five consecutive Final Fours and lifting the trophy in 2017. Fenerbahce also made the playoffs in 2008, right after merging with Ulker.
### Next game

Both teams return to EuroLeague action later on this week. Bayern hosts Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday, April 1. A day later, Fenerbahce welcomes FC Barcelona.

Sisko-004571.jpg

FC Bayern Munich v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2021-03-30T19:00:00.000Z)

Although he has reached some of the greatest heights in basketball, Norris Cole's conversation with Joe Arlauckas on the newest edition of The Crossover podcast always comes back to family.

The current LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne point guard and team leader grew up playing four different sports, but his father, a nuclear medical technician, and his mother, an accountant, made it clear that education came first and gave their son the tools to succeed, like teaching him time management at an early age.

00:03:02 "I took care of the things that my parents demanded that I take care of first, and I was efficient with it," Cole recounted. "I made good grades and spent my time wisely doing what they asked me to do, and so I had leisure time to do extra sports."

The young Cole excelled not only in basketball, but also in baseball, American football, and track and field, as a long jumper. Another lesson along the way was how to handle losing, and it was taught to him by his father after Cole came home with an "attitude" following a bad game:

00:12:27 "He just flat out told me, 'Hey man, don't be mad at us. You had a bad game. You're still going to eat tonight. You've still got a bed to sleep in. You've still got clothes. We're gonna love you anyway, so don't come home with no attitude after no loss.' And after that day, I never felt pressure to have to perform well, because they were gonna love me anyway."

Eventually, in his last year of high school, Cole had to choose, and surprisingly, basketball wasn't the sport for which more universities requested him.

00:07:57 "I always knew in my heart that I was gonna be a pro at something, I just didn't know what," Cole said. "And it came down between basketball and football. And I was reasonable. I loved playing basketball. I liked football, but I loved basketball. I was willing to do all the sacrifices necessary to play basketball."

After four years of getting better and better at Cleveland State University, Cole was drafted into the NBA, where he landed on a storied Miami Heat team that proceeded to win the NBA title in his first two seasons. Playing alongside future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Dwayne Wade taught Cole a lot about how to be a pro.

00:39:58 "LeBron knows that he's blessed with certain gifts, but he don't take those gifts for granted," Cole said. "He's the most disciplined individual that I've ever seen with my own two eyes. "

After five full NBA seasons and one in China, Cole joined the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Maccabi Tel Aviv and has since been back in the competition with both Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and now ASVEL. What impressed him from the start was how not only every game counts in the EuroLeague, but every possession.

00:58:02 "The margin for error is so slim in the EuroLeague," Col said. "It's not 32 teams; it's only 17 [other] teams, so you know you don't have a lot of room for error. It definitely makes for more intense competition on the night-in and night-out basis."

Now, Cole feels that his experience can help ASVEL reach its dream under team president Tony Parker of firmly establishing its place among the EuroLeague elite.

01:03:55 "You can definitely feel that something special is coming down the pipeline," Cole said. “I wasn't here last year, but I know Tony, and Tony is a guy that's gonna be doing things in a first-class way."

Even since coming overseas, Cole keeps his heart close to where he grew up in Dayton, Ohio. His Norris Cole Foundation is dedicated to encouraging academic achievement, health and well-being, community service and leadership development among the youth of his hometown.

1:10:07 "Other than education, inspiration is the biggest thing you can do for a kid," Cole said, "because if you spark that fire, they'll do the rest."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guests in Season 3 were FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton. Pangos is the seventh guest for the 2020-21 season.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Two-time NBA champ tells his story to Joe Arlauckas

ASVEL's Norris Cole visits The Crossover

eb-20-21-ep-8-the-crossover-cole-static-joe-guest-16x9-v2.png

FC Barcelona clinched the home-court advantage in the upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing ALBA Berlin 80-67 at Palau Blaugrana on Friday. 

Barca nails down home-court advantage

FC Barcelona clinched the home-court advantage in the upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing ALBA Berlin 80-67 at Palau Blaugrana on Friday. The only team that punched its playoffs ticket, Barcelona improved to 23-8 to move closer to clinching first place, too. Meanwhile, already-eliminated ALBA dropped to 11-20. Nikola Mirotic led the winners with 26 points. Pierre Oriola added 13, Brandon Davies 12 and Kyle Kuric got 10. Nick Calathes dished 11 assists for Barcelona. Luke Sikma led ALBA with 9 points. Sikma, Simone Fontecchio and Johannes Thiemann pushed ALBA to a 22-23 lead after 10 minutes. Mirotic stepped up for Barcelona, getting help from Kuric and Oriola to put Barcelona in charge, 45-40, at halftime. ALBA managed to stay within 62-58 at the end of the third quarter but Adam Hanga and Mirotic fueled a 9-0 run that sealed the outcome way before the final buzzer. 

Oriola got Barcelona going with a tip-in but Sikma hit a couple of jumpers in a 0-6 run and Malte Delow bettered Mirotic's layup with a three-point play for a 4-9 ALBA lead. Mirotic and Hanga hit floaters in a 6-0 run that Oriola capped with a layup for a 10-9 Barcelona lead. Fontecchio took over with a fastbreak slam and Peyton Siva struck from downtown but Mirotic and Davies kept the hosts within 14-16. Sergi Martinez and Rolands Smits downed triples for the hosts, but Niels Giffey and Thiemann kept ALBA ahead, 22-23, after 10 minutes. Kuric followed a four-point play with a bomb from beyond the arc early in the second quarter. Ben Lammers stepped up with 5 quick points but Oriola sank a triple for a 32-28 score. Calathes bettered Siva's jumper with a layup-plus-foul, Mirotic and Sikma traded three-pointers, and Oriola restored a 40-33 Barcelona margin. Christ Koumadje followed a jump hook with an alley-oop slam in a 0-7 ALBA run that Marcus Eriksson closed with a triple for a 40-40 tie. Oriola and Mirotic put Barcelona back ahead, 45-40, at halftime.

Berlin embark on a new era under head coach Israel Gonzalez against last season's finalists Barça, who've been enhanced further by four summer signings.

FC Barcelona v ALBA Berlin - Round 1 - Highlights

 Mirotic hit a jumper and Oriola added a backdoor layup but Sikma and Jayson Granger kept ALBA within 49-44. Thiemann and an unstoppable Mirotic traded baskets and Giffey struck from downtown to keep ALBA as close as 51-49. Davies followed a three-point play with a jump hook and soon added a couple of layups to give Barcelona a 60-52 edge. Eriksson, Giffey and Granger each downed a jumper to give ALBA hope, 62-58, after 30 minutes. Hanga sank a corner triple early in the fourth quarter and Mirotic scored twice in the paint to give the hosts plenty of fresh air, 69-58. Hanga capped a 9-0 run with a driving layup, as Lammers hit a triple at 71-61. Smits and Fontecchio traded layups and Kuric struck from beyond the arc to seal the outcome, 77-65, with over 2 minutes left. 

### Pivotal performer

Nikola Mirotic lived up to his role and led Barcelona, especially on offense but also on defense. He finished the game with 26 points by hitting 8 of 10 two-pointers while adding 7 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals, 1 block and 5 fouls drawm for a PIR of 28.
### Game-changing moment

Barcelona broke the game open at the start of the fourth quarter as Nick Calathes had 4 assists in 3 minutes. He found Adam Hanga for a corner three-pointer, fed Nikola Mirotic for back-to-back layups, and connected again with Hanga for a driving basket. Barcelona used a 9-0 run to get a 71-58 margin and never looked back.
### Stellar stat

Barcelona forced ALBA into 21 turnovers and 13 assists, the visitors’ second-highest and second-lowest such figures, respectively, this season. ALBA dished .62 assists per turnover and Barcelona did much better (1.63, 26 assists and 16 turnovers).
### Did you know?

Barcelona remains undefeated at home against ALBA since the turn of the millenium. ALBA's last win at Palau Blaugrana, 66-67, came on February 17, 2000 behind 13 points from Wendell Alexis. Barcelona is also a five-game winning streak against the German powerhouse.
### Next game

Both teams return to EuroLeague action next Tuesday, March 30, for their first games in a double-round week. ALBA visits Zalgiris Kaunas, featuring its former player, Marius Grigonis, while Barcelona travels to play Maccabi Playtike Tel Aviv, the one-time club of its coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius. 

Mirotic-000796.jpg

FC Barcelona clinched the home-court advantage in the upcoming Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing ALBA Berlin 80-67 at Palau Blaugrana on Friday. 


FC Barcelona v ALBA Berlin (2021-03-26T20:00:00.000Z)

Zenit St Petersburg got back to winning ways and improved its playoff stock with 70-91 road win in a Russian derby against Khimki Moscow Region.

Zenit cruises in Russian derby

Zenit St Petersburg got back to winning ways and improved its playoff stock with 70-91 road win in a Russian derby against Khimki Moscow Region. Zenit snapped its three-game losing streak to improve to a 17-13 record, while Khimki suffered it fourth consecutive defeat, dropping to a 3-27 in last place. Zenit overcame a slow start to take control in the second quarter when it built a double-digit margin, then used a 0-7 run break the game open after halftime. Austin Hollins led all Zenit scorers with 17 points. Kevin Pangos had 13 points and 6 assists, while Billy Baron and Alex Poythress scored 10 apiece in victory. Jordan Mickey paced Khimki with 23 points, Alexey Shved scored 19 off the bench, and Errick McCollum added 17.

Mickey got Khimki going with a put-back dunk and a long jumper, as Khimki kept the visitors scoreless for almost 5 minutes to open the game. Poythress ended the drought with two close-range baskets, only for McCollum's triple to make it 9-4. However, Zenit found offense in transition, with fastbreak baskets from Mateusz Ponitka and Will Thomas in a 0-8 run to go in front 11-14 after 10 minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers from Hollins and Andrey Zubkov took the margin to 15-23 early in the second quarter. Shved opened his tally with a triple, and Sergey Karasev cut into the deficit with a tough runner, but a monster dunk from Arturas Gudaitis and a corner triple from K.C. Rivers kept Zenit up 20-29. Despite Shved hitting a long jumper, Zenit did not allow the hosts to get close. A floater by Pangos and a long triple from Baron opened a 25-38 margin before McCollum's basket-plus-foul made it 29-39 at the break.

Catch up on Khimki Moscow Region vs Zenit St Petersburg from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 26 2021

Khimki Moscow Region vs Zenit St Petersburg Highlights - Round 31 - March 26, 2021

Zenit started the third quarter with a 0-7 run with baseline baskets from Rivers and Hollins around a triple from Pangos. Hollins added a three-pointer of his own, and after Shved knocked down a jumper and Mickey scored on a three-point play, a triple from Thomas and a dunk from Gudaitis increased the difference to 36-55. Mickey and Shved scored some more for the hosts, but a triple from Pangos and a basket-plus-foul by Ponitka opened a 44-66 gap late in the third quarter. Shved finished the quarter with a buzzer-beating triple, and Zaytsev and Mickey had three-point plays early in the fourth. But Zubkov hit from the outside and Poythress twice inside for the visitors to keep the margin at 20 points, 55-75. Mickey had an alley-oop dunk and Shved took it to the rim, but a triple apiece from Baron, Pangos and Hollins made it 61-84 on the way to Zenit closing it out.


Poythress-2-009960.jpg

Khimki Moscow Region v Zenit St Petersburg (2021-03-26T17:00:00.000Z)

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz kept feeding its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs hopes by downing AX Armani Exchange Milan 86-69 at Buesa Arena on Friday. 

Baskonia keeps chasing playoffs spot

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz kept feeding its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs hopes by downing AX Armani Exchange Milan 86-69 at Buesa Arena on Friday. Baskonia improved to 17-14 after recording its eighth win in the last nine games. Meanwhile, Milan dropped to 19-12 with its second consecutive loss. Pierria Henry led the winners with 19 points. Achille Polonara added 17 and 13 rebounds, Zoran Dragic had 15 points while Rokas Giedraitis got 14 for Baskonia. Kevin Punter led Milan with 13 points. Sergio Rodriguez added 12 while Luigi Datome, Shavon Shields and Jeff Brooks each had 10 for the guests. Rodriguez and Michael Roll helped Milan take a 10-16 lead after 10 minutes. Baskonia found a go-to guy in Dragic, who helped the hosts regain a 33-32 edge at halftime. Henry dominated the game after the break, getting help from Giedraitis and Polonara to boost the hosts' lead to 60-45 after 30 minutes. Baskonia made it a 20-point game, 76-56, and never looked back.

Youssoupha Fall and Polonara got Baskonia going but Rodriguez struck twice from downtown and fed Zach LeDay for an alley-oop slam, good for a 4-8 Milan lead. Brooks banked in a close shot, Roll erased Ilimane Diop's layup with a jumper, and Kyle Hines dunked to boost the guests' lead to 6-14. Dragic scored off a steal and Polonara hit a jumper to bring Baskonia within 10-16 after 10 minutes. Dragic and Henry combined for all points in a 6-0 run that tied it at 16-16. Dragic bettered Rodriguez's jumper with a bomb from beyond the arc to put Baskonia ahead 19-18. Luigi Datome buried a three-pointer but Dragic and Tadas Sedekerskis fueled a 7-0 run highlighted by Polonara's acrobatic basket. Brooks hit a turnaround jumper and added a couple of triples, getting help from Punter to restore a 30-32 Milan lead. Giedraitis stepped up with a three-point play for a 33-32 Baskonia edge at halftime. 

Catch up on TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs AX Armani Exchange Milan from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 26 2021

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs AX Armani Exchange Milan Highlights - Round 31 - March 26, 2021

Henry followed a jumper with a three-pointer to boost the hosts' lead to 39-32 right after the break. Fall capped an 11-0 run with a jump hook before Rodriguez rescued Milan with a jumper. Punter took over with a four-point play but Henry downed consecutive jumpers and fed Dragic for a layup that restored a 47-38 Baskonia margin. Giedraitis scored in the paint but Punter and Datome fueled a 0-7 run to bring Milan closer, 49-45. Polonara, Alec Peters and Giedraitis each struck from beyond the arc in an 11-0 run that broke the game open, 60-45, after 30 minutes. Shields followed a jumper with a layup early in the fourth quarter. Polonara and Kaleb Tarczewski traded layups and Dragic made it a 13-point game, 64-51, with over 6 minutes left. Rodriguez answered with a driving layup, then Giedraitis and Shields traded triples for a 68-56 score. Polonara kept pacing Baskonia with a tip-in and Sedekerskis sealed the outcome with a fast break slam, 72-56, as Milan did not recover in the final 4 minutes.


### Pivotal performer

Achille Polonara was all over the place, especially under the boards, setting new personal-best marks in defensive (10) and total rebounds (13). He also had 17 points, 4 assists, a steal and a block for a PIR of 28, matching his career-high.
### Game-changing moment

Milan led 30-32 shortly before the break but Baskonia took off after that. Rokas Giedraitis stepped up with a three-point play and Pierria Henry had 6 points in an 11-0 run that Youssoupha Fall capped with a jump hook. Baskonia took a 41-32 lead and managed it well since that moment.
### Stellar stat

Baskonia hit 1-of-15 three-point shots (6.7%) in the first half. It buried 8-of-14 shots from downtown (57.2%) after the break, and that made the difference in the game. Baskonia also outrebounded Milan by 42-30.
### Did you know?

Baskonia has won its two games against Milan for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Back then, Baskonia beat Milan 85-95 at Mediolanum Forum and 64-62 at Buesa Arena on a go-ahead layup by Thomas Heurtel with 5 seconds left.
### Next game

Both teams return to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action week Tuesday, March 30. Baskonia visits Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, one of coach Dusko Ivanovic's former teams while Milan stays on the road against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade as Kevin Punter, who played for Zvezda last season, returns to the Serbian capital. 

Henry-006754.jpg

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v AX Armani Exchange Milan (2021-03-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul led from start to finish for an important win in a heated playoff race, holding off host Olympiacos Piraeus 71-76 on Friday at Peace and Friendship Stadium. 

Fenerbahce holds on, eliminates Olympiacos

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul led from start to finish for an important win in a heated playoff race, holding off host Olympiacos Piraeus 71-76 on Friday at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Fenerbahce improved to 19-12 on the season, sharing a fourth-best record with three games to go. The loss dropped Olympiacos to 14-17 and eliminated it from the playoffs race. Fenerbahce scored the first 8 points of the game, needed under 5 minutes to build a double-digit lead, and went on to lead by as many as 18 in the second quarter. Olympiacos tried to rally in the second half, but never got closer than 6 until the final seconds of the game. Jan Vesely paced Fenerbahce with 18 points and Dyshawn Pierre scored 15. Livio Jean-Charles led Olympiacos with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Sasha Vezenkov had 15 points and Kostas Sloukas finished with 12 in the losing effort against his former team. 

Ahmet Duverioglu scored twice and also had 2 offensive rebounds in Fenerbahce’s game-opening 0-8 run. Close-range baskets from him and Pierre extended the lead to 2-14 before Vezenkov stopped the early bleeding with a three-pointer. Fenerbahce kept punishing the hosts inside, through Marko Guduric and Kyle O'Quinn, but Georgios Printezis and Vassilis Spanoulis got the Reds to within 11-20 at the end of the first quarter. A pair of baskets from Fenerbahce’s Danilo Barthel opened the second quarter at 11-24. Sloukas had a triple-plus-free throw, but O'Quinn inside and Kenan Sipahi from the outside increased the visitors’ margin to 17-31. Giannoulis Larentzakis knocked down consecutive threes for the hosts, but the margin remained in double figures. Barthel and Jean-Charles traded put-back layups, but Vesely scored twice, including an alley-oop dunk, to open an 18-point lead, before Fenerbahce took 27-43 into halftime.


Catch up on Olympiacos Piraeus vs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 26 2021

Olympiacos Piraeus vs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Highlights - Round 31 - March 26, 2021

A put-back dunk from Jean-Charles and a three-pointer from Vezenkov got the Reds going in the opening minute of the third quarter. Another put-back dunk from Jean-Charles forced a Fenerbahce timeout, but Vezenkov hit another triple to cut it to 39-45 after just 3:30 played in the quarter. But Fenerbahce defense stopped the bleeding, not allowing another basket for almost 4 minutes, a span during which Pierre strung together 6 points to restore a double-digit margin. Sloukas ended a drought with a triple before Printezis scored inside and from the outside. But Pierre knocked down a triple on the other end to help Fenerbahce take 49-58 into the fourth quarter. O'Quinn opened the fourth with a corner triple, and Lorenzo Brown followed with a steal and dunk before a long-range shot from Nando De Colo made it 51-66 with 7:30 to go. Spanoulis tried to spark the Reds, but their offense could not manage much. Vesely had a steal that led to his two-handed reverse dunk to open a 53-70 advantage with 4 minutes left. Jean-Charles and Vezenkov each scored twice from close range, with Larentzakis netting a triple to get Olympiacos within 64-72 with 1:08 to go. A triple from Sloukas and another close-range basket from Jean-Charles made it 71-74 with 11 seconds on the clock, but Fenerbahce held on.

Sloukas-2-001926.jpg

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2021-03-26T19:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv escaped from Zalgirio Arena with a hard-fought 81-88 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday night.

Maccabi’s strong finish buries Zalgiris

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv escaped from Zalgirio Arena with a hard-fought 81-88 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday night. The visitors trailed 79-72 with less than 4 minutes remaining, but only allowed a bucket by Rokas Jokubaitis in that span in a 2-16 run that sealed the outcome. Dragan Bender had career-highs in points (16) and PIR (15) to lead the winners, who improved to 12-17. Chris Jones followed him with an all-around performance of 13 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, good for a career-best in PIR of 21. Scottie Wilbekin and Elijah Bryant netted 12 points each and Ante Zizic posted 10 and 6 rebounds for the Israeli champs. Nigel Hayes scored career-high 24 points on 8-of-11 field goal shooting, also registering his best mark in PIR (30). Marius Grigonis knocked down 14 points and dished 6 assists and Jokubaitis scored 11 in defeat. 

Four different Zalgiris players scored on a 9-2 opening run. Maccabi called for a timeout, right before Angelo Caloiaro and Wilbekin accounted for a triple and a three-point play, respectively, to make it 12-8. Hayes showed up then to score 7 points in a row, giving the hosts a double-digit lead, 19-8. The visitors struggled to keep the ball safe in offense, which allowed Hayes to extend the margin to 23-10 after another steal. Omri Casspi took over for the Yellows with 6 points in a row and Jones followed with a jumper to reduce the deficit, even though Jokubaitis drilled a corner three to close the first quarter with Zalgiris ahead, 26-18. Maccabi had a strong start in the second, going on a 2-10 run that got it all square after 12 minutes. Zalgiris tried to stop it with a timeout, but Bender scored a layup to complete the comeback and put the visitors in front, 28-30. The hosts found some relief from behind the arc as Thomas Walkup, Paulius Jankunas and Hayes connected on a three each to recover a 37-33 edge. Hayes and Augustine Rubit kept delivering from the line, but a timely corner triple by John DiBartolomeo helped Maccabi reach halftime trailing 40-38.

Catch up on Zalgiris Kaunas vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 25 2021

Zalgiris Kaunas vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Highlights - Round 31 - March 25, 2021

Walkup and Grigonis got Zalgiris going with a three-point play and a three-pointer early in the third that returned a comfortable 46-38 advantage to the hosts. Oz Blayzer held the guests with a strong block and a three, as Jones followed with a pair of jumpers to bring Maccabi within 48-45. Both teams traded baskets until Bryant showed up with a three and a couple of free throws to tie it again, 55-55. Dorsey got Maccabi ahead again, 57-58, as the lead switched 6 times for the following 2 minutes until a bucket by Bryant closed the third with the visitors leading 63-64. Lauvergne took over on the offensive glass for Zalgiris, but Bender replied in style with back-to-back triples that kept the Yellows up, 69-70. The hosts reacted with a 7-0 run capped by a difficult bucket by Hayes to make another turnaround, 76-70. Maccabi didn’t panic, though, as Zizic delivered a couple of buckets inside, Wilbekin connected from deep and Jones scored free throws to tie it again, 79-79, entering crunch time. Jokubaitis hit a jumper that brought the lead back to Zalgiris, but he missed the next two as Maccabi found first Bryant from behind the arc, then Zizic inside to get an 81-84 edge. A turnover by Walkup was followed by a layup by Wilbekin with 22 seconds to go that sealed the visitor’s victory. 

### Pivotal performer

Dragan Bender had to play a different role for his team in this game, as Othello Hunter missed it because of an injury. Bender filled in the center position for several minutes and he didn’t look uncomfortable. He drilled 2 key threes early in the fourth quarter to prevent Zalgiris from escaping and ended up tallying career-high 16 points to lead Maccabi.
### Close end, strong finish

Maccabi had played several tight games in the Turkish Euroleague regular season so far but had not very good memories from most of them. The Israeli champs had lost 10 games decided by 5 or fewer points, winning just four. But on this night, Maccabi showed no panic when the game was tied, 79-79, entering crunch time. The visitors allowed only 2 points in the last 4 minutes of the game and signed off a 2-16 run in that span to take the win.
### Team balance

The visitors had five scorers in double-figures, but it was even more remarkable that they had six different players - playing different positions - with double-digits in PIR. They got three guards (Elijah Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin and Chris Jones), two forwards (Dragan Bender and Omri Casspi) and one center (Ante Zizic).
### What’s next?

In Round 32 next week Zalgiris Kaunas will remain in Kaunas to host ALBA Berlin on Wednesday, March 31. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will also play at home. It takes on current Turkish Airlines Euroleague leader, F.C. Barcelona, the same day.

Bender-004549.jpg

Zalgiris Kaunas v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2021-03-25T19:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid boosted its playoff chances with a hard-earned 71-74 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, eliminating the French team from post-season contention. 

Real boosts playoffs hopes with hard-fought win

Real Madrid boosted its playoff chances with a hard-earned 71-74 victory at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, eliminating the French team from post-season contention. ASVEL enjoyed the better of a closely contested first half, taking a 37-32 lead into the break. Real battled back with a 2-15 run after the break and led nearly all the rest of the way, holding firm on defense for a vital victory. Trey Thompkins paced the victors with 13 points, with Nico Laprovittola adding 12 and Alberto Abalde scoring 11. ASVEL’s Norris Cole led all scorers with 18 points. Guerschon Yabusele and David Lighty both netted 13 and Antoine Diot 12 in defeat. Real improved to 18-13 to ensure it will finish the week in the playoff zone, while ASVEL’s chances are now mathematically zero as it dropped to 12-18. 

Thompkins, Laprovittola and Jeffery Taylor scored inside to send Real ahead, but Diot and Yabusele struck from deep for a 6-6 tie. Thompkins and Garuba kept the visitors strong inside the paint before 5 points from Cole made it 11-10 for ASVEL. Lighty’s deep strike was answered by Laprovittola, before dunks from Taylor and Gabriel Deck sent Real back ahead, 16-19. ASVEL responded with Diot’s triple and Amine Noua’s driving score, and Paul Lacombe beat the buzzer to make it 23-20 after 10 minutes. Defenses controlled the early going in the second frame, with no points for nearly 3 minutes until Noua’s layup and one. It took 5 minutes for Abalde to drain one from deep for Real’s first field goal of the quarter, making it 28-25. Yabusele’s tip-in and free throws extended the lead before Abalde hit another triple. Lighty and Laprovittola exchanged inside scores. Yabusele gave ASVEL a 37-32 halftime lead.

Catch up on LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs Real Madrid from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 25 2021

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs Real Madrid Highlights - Round 31 - March 25, 2021

Yabusele and Laprovittola traded three-pointers early in the third quarter, before Garuba and Jaycee Carroll also struck from deep to send Real ahead, 42-43. Laprovittola and Carroll scored inside to complete a 2-15 run, but Cole rescued ASVEL with a long two. Walter Tavares added a put-back and one, but Cole started to heat up with another inside score, making it 46-50. Lighty’s mid-range strike was bettered by Deck from deep, and Thompkins added a three-point play to give Real a 51-56 edge with 10 minutes remaining. Cole’s triple boosted ASVEL and he then hit from mid-range to tie it up, 58-58. Diot briefly sent the hosts ahead from the foul line, but Deck and Thompkins restored Real’s lead. Abalde banked one in and it was 61-64 with 3 minutes left. Lighty netted a driving layup, but Thompkins responded with free throws and Abalde sank a crucial three in the final minute for a 63-69 lead. Diot gave ASVEL hope from deep. Tavares scored inside, but Yabusele hit another triple to make it 69-71. After Deck split free throws, Cole and Thompkins made theirs. However, Cole and Charles Kahudi missed three-point attempts to force overtime on the final possession.

### Real improves on D

After allowing 23 points in the first quarter, Real tightened up its defense the rest of the way. ASVEL only scored 14 points in both the second and third quarters, allowing Real to move ahead despite struggling for offensive fluidity.
### Garuba and Fall impress

No players lit up the scoreboard in a defensive struggle, but two centers impressed. Usman Garuba offered a strong all-round contribution for Real with 9 points, 8 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists, while ASVEL’s Moustapha Fall recorded 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
### Contrasting early strategies

The teams had contrasting approaches in the early stages: ASVEL scored its first 9 points from beyond the arc on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, while Real’s first 12 points all came from two-point territory 6-of-7 from two-point range.
### Next round

Real returns home for a big battle with Anadolu Efes Istanbul next Tuesday, March 30, while ASVEL travels to Khimki Moscow Region on Wednesday.

Thompkins-005836.jpg

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Real Madrid (2021-03-25T19:45:00.000Z)

CSKA Moscow took another step toward clinching a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 87-72 in the Russian capital on Thursday. 

CSKA beats Zvezda for its 20th win

CSKA Moscow took another step toward clinching a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs by downing Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 87-72 in the Russian capital on Thursday. CSKA improved to 20-10 and could qualify before the end of the night depending on other results. Zvezda dropped to 9-22 and remains 17th in the standings, with no mathematical chance to advance. Toko Shengelia paced the winners with 16 points, Daniel Hackett added 15, Johannes Voigtmann and Will Clyburn each scored 14 and Mike James 13 for CSKA. Dejan Davidovac led Zvezda with a career-high 20 points, Landry Nnoko added 12 and Langston Hall 11 for the visitors. James, Hackett and Shengelia helped CSKA to a 31-19 margin after 10 minutes. CSKA kept a 50-39 lead at halftime and extended it to 74-59 early in the fourth quarter, which was enough to keep full control of the game until the final buzzer. 

James and Michael Eric got CSKA going and Hackett hit a corner triple for a 7-2 lead. Davidovac answered from downtown and Jordan Loyd added a coast-to-coast layup to tie it at 7-7. James, Eric and Hackett kept pushing the hosts, but Nnoko followed a layup with an alley-oop slam for a 16-11 Zvezda score. Shengelia took over with a couple of three-point plays and Hackett added a three-pointer to make it a double-digit game, 26-14. Hall hit a jumper and Ognjen Dobric struck from beyond the arc, but Iffe Lundberg and Voigtmann established a 31-19 CSKA lead after 10 minutes. Voigtmann recorded his second three-point play, fed Janis Strelnieks for a layup and added a triple for a 40-24 CSKA cushion. Hall and Loyd stepped up for Zvezda and Walden's layup gave his team hope at 43-30. Marko Jagodic-Kuridza followed a power layup with a tip-in, Loyd bettered James's running hook with a bomb from downtown and Marko Simonovic helped Zvezda get within 48-39. Eric banked in a close shot to fix the halftime score at 50-39.

Catch up on CSKA Moscow vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade from Round 31 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, March 25 2021

CSKA Moscow vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Highlights - Round 31 - March 25, 2021

Davidovac followed a triple with a driving layup to bring Zvezda closer, 53-45, soon after the break. James hit a floater and Eric added a jump hook in a 6-0 run that Hackett capped with a jumper. Nnoko scored down low and Davidovac added a floater and a layup for a 61-51 Zvezda deficit. Dobric sank his second triple, but Shengelia and Clyburn restored a 65-54 CSKA lead. Hall found space for a driving layup, then Semen Antonov, Voigtmann and Simonovic each struck from beyond the arc for a 71-59 score after 30 minutes. Clyburn joined the three-point shootout early in the fourth quarter. Hall and Nnoko each scored around the basket and Simonovic struck from downtown, prompting CSKA to call timeout at 74-66. Voigtmann downed a floater and Hackett scored in the low post to give the hosts fresh air, 78-67, with 4 minutes left. Shengelia dunked and had a big block on Loyd, which allowed James to seal the outcome, 82-69, with over 2 minutes remaining. 

### Pivotal performer

Daniel Hackett played a major role on offense after six consecutive games scoring in single figures. He finished the game with 15 points on 2-of-3 three-point shooting plus 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 7 fouls drawn for a game-high PIR of 24.
### Game-changing moment

Ognjen Dobric hit a triple to bring Zvezda within 28-19, but CSKA found a go-to guy in Johannes Voigtmann. He stepped up with back-to-back three-point plays, sent a 25-meter baseball pass to Janis Strelnieks for a reverse layup and added a bomb from downtown to boost CSKA's lead to 40-24. The hosts never looked back after that.
### Stellar stat

CSKA outrebounded Zvezda 39-33, pulling down 14 offensive boards. It also shot the ball much better inside the arc (54.8%, Zvezda 45.2%) and committed just 7 turnovers.
### Did you know?

With this win, CSKA is 6-0 at home against Zvezda since the turn of the millennium and 8-0 overall. CSKA has won its last four home against Zvezda by an average margin of 18.3 points.
### Next game

Both teams return to EuroLeague action early next week. CSKA visits Zenit St Petersburg, featuring former star guard Vitaly Fridzon, in an all-Russian showdown on Tuesday, March 30. Zvezda hosts AX Armani Exchange Milan in the Serbian capital that same evening. 

Hackett-001844.jpg

CSKA Moscow v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2021-03-25T17:00:00.000Z)