Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss by rallying in the fourth quarter to top visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 91-84 in the Spanish capital on Friday. 

Real rallies past ASVEL

Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss by rallying in the fourth quarter to top visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 91-84 in the Spanish capital on Friday. Real improved to 7-5 in the standings and recorded its fifth consecutive home win while ASVEL dropped to 3-7. ASVEL led 58-70 in the final minute of the third quarter but Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez, Edy Tavares, Trey Thompkins and Fabien Causeur all stepped up for Real to rally their team to a new victory. Tavares and Llull led the winners with 19 points apiece. Causeur added 13 for Real. ASVEL got 21 points apiece from Norris Cole and Guerschon Yabusele, 13 from David Lighty and 11 from Allerik Freeman.



Freeman started ASVEL with a three-pointer and a driving layup, then Yabusele struck twice from downtown and added a put-back basket for a 6-13 visitors' lead. Nicolas Laprovittola hit a triple for Madrid, sparking a 9-0 run which Anthony Randolph capped with a jumper to put Real ahead, 15-13. Cole, Yabusele and Freeman each buried one from beyond the arc, and Lighty added a fastbreak layup to restore a 17-24 ASVEL lead. Moustapha Fall downed a jumper that Tavares matched with an alley-oop slam to get Real within 19-26 after 10 minutes. Cole hit a corner triple early in the second quarter, but Llull came up with a barrage of three consecutive threes in 48 seconds to bring Real within 32-35. Fall scored around the basket, then Antoine Diot and William Howard joined the three-point shootout but Usman Garuba and Thompkins kept the hosts within 36-43. Alberto Abalde banked in a turnaround jumper and Thompkins added a layup but Cole and Yabusele kept ASVEL way ahead, 40-50, at halftime. 

Catch up on Real Madrid vs LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 4th December 2020

Real Madrid vs LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Highlights - Round 12 - 4th December, 2020

Yabusele and Tavares traded dunks right after the break, then Freeman struck from beyond the arc for a 43-55 score. Gabriel Deck and Causeur scored around the rim in an 8-0 run that Tavares capped with a layup to give Real hope at 51-55. Cole downed a three-pointer and found Ismael Bako for a dunk. Lighty added consecutive baskets to force a Real timeout at 57-68. Cole downed a step-back jumper but Tavares and Llull brought Real a bit closer, 61-70, after 30 minutes. Fernandez sank back-to-back triples early in the fourth quarter but Lighty answered with a wild three-point play for a 67-73 ASVEL lead. Causeur took over with consecutive running floaters but Cole and Yabusele restored a 71-77 advantage for the visitors with under 6 minutes left. Thompkins scored in transition, getting help from Tavares, Llull and Causeur to tie the game, 79-79. Llull sank his fifth three-pointer to complete the hosts' comeback, 82-79. Tavares scored again and Thompkins sank a jumper to seal the outcome, 86-80, in the next-to-last minute.

### Pivotal performer

Tavares won his much-anticipated matchup against Fall. Tavares finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting plus 6 rebounds and 4 blocks for a PIR of 29. Fall finished the game with 6 points, 3 rebounds and a PIR of 5. Tavares was all over the place and effective at both ends.

### Game-changing moment

ASVEL led 73-79 midway through the fourth quarter but free throws by Tavares, Llull and Causeur tied it at 79-79. Llull buried a critical three-pointer and Tavares added a put-back basket that capped an 11-0 run. Real never looked back after that.

### Stellar stat

Real shot much better than ASVEL inside the arc and took a much better care of the basketball. The hosts hit 25-of-40 two-point shots (62.5%) and limited ASVEL to 18-of-37 (48.6%). Real had 16 assists and 8 turnovers. On the other hand, ASVEL had 12 assists and 15 turnovers.

### Did you know?

ASVEL buried 17-of-24 three-pointers against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens on Tuesday and opened the game with 9-of-10 tonight. That's 26-of-34 three-point shots (76.5%). ASVEL hit just 2 of 12 (16.6%) after that point, however.

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Real Madrid bounced back from last week's loss by rallying in the fourth quarter to top visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 91-84 in the Spanish capital on Friday. 


Real Madrid v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2020-12-04T20:00:00.000Z)

In a battle between classic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouses, TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz confirmed its outstanding momentum with a second consecutive road victory by downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul 59-77 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday. 

Peters, defense lift Baskonia past host Efes

In a battle between classic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouses, TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz confirmed its outstanding momentum with a second consecutive road victory by downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul 59-77 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday. Both teams now have a 6-5 records in the middle of the standings. Former Efes forward Alec Peters led the winners with 18 points. Baskonia also got 12 points each from Youssoupha Fall and Achille Polonara, and 11 from Pierria Henry. In a truly rare occurrence, no Efes player reached double digits in points as the hosts were held to their third-lowest home scoring total in the last decade. Shane Larkin led Efes with 8 points. Baskonia, ahead 37-42 at halftime, boosted its margin to 50-63 after three quarters and then again to 50-72 soon after that to cruise to a well-deserved win.



Larkin, Krunoslav Simon and Sertac Sanli got Efes going with a three-pointer apiece. Tadas Sedekerskis and Fall stepped up for Baskonia but Simon banked in a floater for an early 11-5 Efes lead. Rokas Giedraitis struck from downtown and Fall added a alley-oop layup to keep Baskonia within 13-10. Chris Singleton and Peters joined the three-point shootout and Fall hit a jumper for a 16-15 score before James Anderson helped Efes restore a 20-17 lead after 10 minutes. Dogus Balbay bettered Peters' jumper with a triple and Adrien Moerman added a layup for a 25-19 Efes edge early in the second quarter. Zoran Dragic and Polonara fueled a 0-5 Baskonia to stay close, run but Moerman struck from beyond the arc and Rodrigue Beaubois added a floater to give Efes fresh air at 30-26. Polonara kept pacing Baskonia with a three-pointer and Tonye Jekiri scored twice down low in a 0-8 run that put Baskonia in front for the first time, 30-34. Peters found space for a backdoor layup and Pierria Henry added a floater but Singleton and Larkin kept Efes within 35-38. Peters and Vasilije Micic exchanged baskets before a tip-in by Jekiri fixed the halftime score at 37-42. 

Catch up on Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 4th December 2020

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Highlights - Round 12 - 4th December, 2020

Sanli scored in close soon after the break but Polonara downed a couple of triples and Henry added another in a 0-9 run that suddenly put Baskonia up by double digits, 39-51. Beaubois hit a fallaway jumper and Micic scored in the paint but Henry and Giedraitis kept Baskonia way ahead, 43-55. Efes center Bryant Dunston, appearing for the first time since October due to injury, followed a three-point play with a layup but he didn't find much help as Fall and Peters boosted Baskonia's lead to 50-63 after 30 minutes. Peters sank his third three-pointer early in the fourth quarter and Fall scored down low to break the game open, 50-68, with over 7 minutes left. Henry took over with a backdoor layup and a dunk that capped a 0-12 run that sealed the outcome, 50-72, as Efes never recovered.

### Pivotal performer

Peters stayed unstoppable and led his team to a big road win against his former team. He finished the game with 18 points on 4-for-7 two-point and 3-for-7 three-point shooting, hitting his only free throw attempt, as well. Peters added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a block for a PIR of 20. Baskonia is now 5-0 when Peters scores at least 15 points.

### Game-changing moment

Sanli scored in the paint to bring Efes within 39-42 right after the break. Baskonia did not panic, as Polonara buried a three-pointer and followed Henry's triple with another bomb from downtown. The guests took their first double-digit lead, 39-51, and dominated the game until the final buzzer.

### Stellar stat

Rebounds and three-point shots made the difference in this game. Baskonia outrebounded Efes by 30-44. The guests buried 8 of 19 three-pointers (42.1%) and limited Efes to just 8 of 29 (27.6%). Baskonia pulled down 15 offensive rebounds, its second-best mark this season after 17 against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade on October 9.

### Did you know?

Larkin was limited to just 8 points, breaking his 16-game double-digit scoring streak. He now has scored 1,499 points in 98 career EuroLeague games. Only three active players have a better scoring average with over 100 games played – Nando De Colo, Alexey Shved and Mike James – than Larkin's 15.3 points per game.

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In a battle between classic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouses, TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz confirmed its outstanding momentum with a second consecutive road victory by downing Anadolu Efes Istanbul 59-77 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall on Friday. 


Anadolu Efes Istanbul v TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2020-12-04T16:30:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona used a strong defensive performance to stop host Zalgiris Kaunas 62-73 and retain exclusive hold on first place in head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's return to his beloved former club. 

Barca's D lets Jasikevicius win Kaunas return

FC Barcelona used a strong defensive performance to stop host Zalgiris Kaunas 62-73 and retain exclusive hold on first place in head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's return to his beloved former club. Brandon Davies, another prominent former Zalgiris figure, led Barcelona with 16 points off the bench and Kyle Kuric added 15 points in a reserve role as Barcelona took over the game with a 2-13 run in the fourth quarter. Nick Calathes chipped in 6 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals in the win, which pushed Barcelona to a 9-2 record. Zalgiris has now dropped six games in a row to fall to 5-7 after a 5-1 start. Rokas Jokubaitis evened his career high of 15 points to lead the way for Zalgiris while Nigel Hayes picked up 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Marius Grigonis was held to a season-low 5 points, 10.3 points below his season average.



Pierre Oriola's reverse layup plus scores by Calathes and Nikola Mirotic led to an early 0-6 Barca lead. Zalgiris missed 5 shots and committed 3 turnovers before Thomas Walkup scored the hosts' first basket off the glass after more than 4 minutes. Barca committed 4 turnovers that allowed Zalgiris to pull ahead 11-10. Davies calmed the visitors with 4 points and Rolands Smits hit a three-pointer to keep Barca ahead 14-17 after 10 minutes. Kuric's three-pointer increased the gap to 16-22 before Zalgiris got 6 points back, trimming the gap to 22-24. Kuric added 5 more points including his second triple as the advantage grew to 22-29. Jokubaitis stepped up his play, twice feeding Joffrey Lauvergne and then throwing down a dunk as the margin was down to 30-32. Davies led a 3-7 finish to the first half for a 33-39 Barca edge at the break. 

Catch up on Zalgiris Kaunas vs FC Barcelona highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 4th December 2020

Zalgiris Kaunas vs FC Barcelona Highlights - Round 12 - 4th December, 2020

Cory Higgins knocked down a three-pointer in a 0-7 spurt for Barca to start the second half by moving ahead 33-46. Zalgiris needed more than 2 minutes until Lukas Lekavicius finally scored, but 5 straight points by Davies extended the gap to 42-55. Zalgiris ended the third quarter with a 6-0 run to pull within 48-55. Davies opened the fourth quarter and then Hayes hit Zalgiris's first three-pointer after the team had missed its first 11 tries from deep. Walkup followed for back-to-back triples to make it 54-57. Jokubaitis was open on the break but missed a dunk which could have made it a one-point game and Kuric punished the hosts with a three-pointer. Barcelona delivered the knockout punch with a 2-13 run that included a pair of threes from Alex Abrines to go ahead 58-73 with less than 2 minutes to play and decide the game.

### Kings of thievery

Despite losing the game, Zalgiris collected 16 steals, matching the most thefts by any team in a EuroLeague game since CSKA Moscow on December 16, 2016. Since then only one team had even picked up 15 steals, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in the 2017-18 season.
 
### The end of a streak

The end of the second quarter saw a novelty as Zalgiris's Marius Grigonis missed a free throw for the first time this season, snapping his run of 41-for-41 going into the game.

### Telling numbers

Zalgiris came into the game as the EuroLeague's top three-point shooting team at 41.1%. But this time around, the hosts missed their first 11 three-point attempts. Zalgiris ended up hitting just 2 of 18 from long range on the night, or 11.1%. Barcelona survived committing 24 turnovers thanks to making 8-of-20 (40.0%) from beyond the arc.

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FC Barcelona used a strong defensive performance to stop host Zalgiris Kaunas 62-73 and retain exclusive hold on first place in head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius's return to his beloved former club. 

Zalgiris Kaunas v FC Barcelona (2020-12-04T18:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv celebrated a much-needed 81-76 victory over visiting Crvena Zvezda at Menora Mivtachim Arena on Thursday night to snap a three-game losing streak and improve its record to 4-8, the same Crvena dropped to.

Bryant shines as Maccabi ends losing streak

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv celebrated a much-needed 81-76 victory over visiting Crvena Zvezda at Menora Mivtachim Arena on Thursday night to snap a three-game losing streak and improve its record to 4-8, the same Crvena dropped to. The Israeli champs built a double-digit advantage, 52-39, early in the third quarter, but the visitors found an answer in former Maccabi player Johnny O’Bryant and Jordan Loyd to rally and take a slim lead, 64-66. Then Elijah Bryant came to the rescue and put on a terrific offensive show by scoring 14 points in the last 6 minutes -including 3 three-pointers and a three-point play- to hold off Zvezda. Scottie Wilbekin led all scorers with 23 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, while Othello Hunter posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and Bryant contributed 18 points and 6 boards for the winners. Loyd paced the visitors with 24 points, Dejan Davidovac contributed 14 - on 10-of-10 shooting from the line - and O’Bryant tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.



Both teams exchanged blows while looking for high-tempo basketball in the early going. Zizic and Wilbekin led the way for the hosts, as the visitors found a more balanced offense and involved six different players scoring to build a 9-16 lead after 5 minutes. Hunter came up big off the bench with 6 points in just 1 minute and 22 seconds to trim the deficit to 15-16. Soon he tied it at 18-18 from the line. A buzzer-beating three by Wilbekin made it 23-20 at the end of the first quarter. Loyd cut it to 23-22, but the visitors were held scoreless for 4 minutes after that and allowed Maccabi to amass a 29-22 advantage. The pace slowed down as the defenses increased their efficiency, with the visitors benefitting the most from it to come within 33-29 behind Davidovac's accuracy from the line. Jones and Wilbekin soon replied from the perimeter, but the visitors continued to add free throws and made it 38-35. Jones and Loyd swapped threes to end the first half with Maccabi ahead 41-38.

Catch up on Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 3rd December 2020

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Highlights - Round 12 - 3rd December, 2020

Wilbekin showed off after the break with a deep three, a couple of free throws and a floater to boost the lead to double digits, 48-38. Jones joined the party with a couple of steals and a pair of assists to make it 52-39. The visitors were unable to convert a single field goal until O’Bryant hit a pull-up jumper with less than 5 minutes to go in the quarter. But Zvezda didn’t give up, as Lloyd joined O’Bryant on offense with back-to-back threes to cap a 4-16 run that brought the visitors within 56-55 at the end of the third quarter. Loyd didn’t stop there, as he buried another to put Zvezda in front 56-58 to open the fourth quarter. Wilbekin and Caloiaro responded also from behind the arc, but Davidovac tied it again and Loyd took charge to make it 64-66 with 6 minutes to go. Bryant showed up with a three-point play right before both sides started trading leads and followed with consecutive three-pointers to put Maccabi in front 75-70. Neither team managed to score in the following 2 minutes until a technical foul on Jones allowed the visitors to reduce it to 75-71 and retain possession entering the last minute. O’Bryant missed a long jumper and Wilbekin found Bryant in the corner for his third consecutive three-pointer that sealed the win for the home team.

### Another nerve-breaking end

Maccabi had dropped three straight games with the last two coming by a total of 3 points. But, this time, Maccabi managed to cool its nerves when Crvena Zvezda erased a 13-point deficit and entered the last 5 minutes leading 69-70. The hosts made the right plays on offense and held Jordan Loyd to just 2 points in that span to get back on the winning path.

### Key performer

Even though Scottie Wilbekin and Othello Hunter recorded higher PIRs, Elijah Bryant became the hero of the night with an incredible and timely offensive performance in the last quarter. He started with a three-point play to get Maccabi back in front 67-66, then buried 3 consecutive three-pointers to build a definitive 78-71 home lead with less than 30 seconds remaining.

### Second chances

Crvena Zvezda tried to slow down Maccabi with strong defense and a low tempo, but failed when it came down to locking up the boards. The hosts grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, which turned into 17 second-chance points that helped them to make up for their 18 turnovers.

### Good to see you again

After more than a year, Maccabi forward Omri Casspi returned to Euroleague action on this night. In his first European game since November 2019, Casspi played 9:41 to score 4 points and block one shot.

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv celebrated a much-needed 81-76 victory over visiting Crvena Zvezda at Menora Mivtachim Arena on Thursday night to snap a three-game losing streak and improve its record to 4-8, the same Crvena dropped to.


Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2020-12-03T19:05:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens battled back from a 15-point deficit to overcome AX Armani Exchange Milan and claim a dramatic 77-80 road win. 

Panathinaikos rallies to win in Milan

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens battled back from a 15-point deficit to overcome AX Armani Exchange Milan and claim a dramatic 77-80 road win. Milan took early command and Panathinaikos struggled on offense in the second quarter as the host surged into a double-digit lead, which was 42-30 at the break. Panathinaikos responded well in the second half and tied the game, 62-62, early in the fourth quarter. It was closely contested the rest of the way, before Nemanja Nedovic and Ioannis Papapetrou came up with big plays in crunch time. Nedovic led the Greens with 16 points against his former club, while Papapetrou and Dinos Mitoglou both scored 14. Aaron White came close to a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds for Panathinaikos, which improved to 4-7. Kevin Punter paced Milan with 16 points, and Malcolm Delaney added 14. Shavon Shields scored 13 and Zach LeDay contributed 10 in defeat for Milan, which dropped to 6-4.



Howard Sant-Roos got Panathinaikos moving with a long two, but Punter responded with a floater and Kaleb Tarczewski’s slam sent the hosts ahead. Punter and Jeff Brooks added layups to complete an 8-0 run, ended by White’s putback and Nedovic’s three-pointer. Delaney scored 6 straight, including a four-point play, for a 14-7 lead. White, Papapetrou and Mitoglou scored inside for the visitors, but free throws and a dunk from LeDay kept Milan at a safe margin. Papapetrou scored at the basket again to make it 22-18 after 10 minutes. Shields started the second quarter with a driving score before Ben Bentil answered from deep. Kyle Hines with a tip-in and Michael Roll from deep stretched the lead to 29-21. LeDay’s deep two made it a double-digit game. Delaney combined with LeDay for a big alley-oop and Tarczewski added a two-handed dunk as the lead grew to 40-25. Sant-Roos ended a 7-0 run and scored Panathinaikos’s first points in 4 minutes with a triple, making it 42-30 at the half.

Catch up on AX Armani Exchange Milan vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 3rd December 2020

AX Armani Exchange Milan vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens Highlights - Round 12 - 3rd December, 2020

Papapetrou from deep and Nedovic inside brought Panathinaikos closer early in the second half, but two driving scores from Punter kept Milan ahead, 48-37. Shelvin Mack scored twice and brilliantly assisted Georgios Papagiannis, before White hit from the corner as the visitors kept fighting, 53-48. LeDay reignited Milan in the low post and a three-point play followed by a jumper from Hines gave breathing room, 60-50. Papapetrou from mid-range and Mitoglou with a breakaway slam had the last word of the third quarter, which ended 60-54. Eleftherios Bochoridis drilled a triple to start the fourth quarter. Two scores from Mitoglou tied the game at 62-62 with 7 minutes left. Six consecutive free throws got Milan back in front, 70-64, but Nedovic drove inside to keep it close. Punter struck a three-pointer before foul shots from Panathinaikos made it 73-70 with 3 minutes remaining. Shields was good from the line, but Nedovic hit a deep three to make it 75-73. Papapetrou’s catch and shoot triple sent Panathinaikos ahead. Shields restored Milan’s lead, 77-76, with a step-back jumper inside the last minute, but Nedovic and Papagiannis hit back with an alley-oop. Nedovic then split free throws, 77-79 with 13 seconds left. But Shields missed, Papapetrou snared the rebound and Panathinaikos took a dramatic win.

### Scoring when it mattered

Panathinaikos scored the first basket of the game but was then not ahead again for 38 minutes until Ioannis Papapetrou’s three-pointer made it 75-76 with 1:12 left on the clock.

### Green D holds firm

Panathinaikos produced a superb defensive effort in the fourth quarter, limiting Milan to only three field goals and only 4 points in the crucial last 3 minutes.

### Milan's off night from deep

Milan struggled from long range, only making 4 of its 15 three-point attempts (26.7%). Panathinaikos, by contrast, made 9 of 21 deep shots (42.9%) including a crucial pair in the last 2 minutes from Nemanja Nedovic and Ioannis Papapetrou.

### Panathinaikos wins the stats battle

The visiting team won the rebounding battle 35-29, including 10 from Aaron White, and also shared the ball better with 18 assists to Milan’s 12.

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Panathinaikos OPAP Athens battled back from a 15-point deficit to overcome AX Armani Exchange Milan and claim a dramatic 77-80 road win. 


AX Armani Exchange Milan v Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (2020-12-03T19:45:00.000Z)

CSKA Moscow extended its win streak to seven games with a runaway 80-61 win over the visiting Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday in the Russian capital.

CSKA rolls Olympiacos for 7th straight win

CSKA Moscow extended its win streak to seven games with a runaway 80-61 win over the visiting Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday in the Russian capital. CSKA improved to 9-3, becoming the first team this season to reach nine wins, while Olympiacos dropped to 5-5. Olympiacos was hot early, opening up a 9-17 lead, but CSKA stepped up defensively, erasing the deficit by the end of the first quarter and building a double-digit margin in the second before pulling away in the third quarter to a comfortable win. Mike James led CSKA with 16 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, while Tornike Shengelia scored 10 in a balanced CSKA offense. Hassan Martin and Georgios Printezis had 10 points apiece for Olympiacos.



Kostas Sloukas paced the Reds out of the gate, hitting a mid-range jumper and feeding big man Martin inside before dropping a three-pointer for a 6-11 lead. After Nikita Kurbanov answered from downtown, a three-point play from Livio Jean-Charles and a triple from Sasha Vezenkov gave the visitors a 9-17 advantage. Shengelia nailed back-to-back threes for CSKA and James hit his own just before the first quarter ended with CSKA taking a 20-19 lead. The visitors were held to a single field goal for almost 9 minutes bridging the first and second quarters, while Johannes Voigtmann's dunk in between driving layups from Darrun Hilliard and James put the hosts in control 28-21. A fastbreak layup from Giannoulis Larentzakis ended a 19-4 CSKA run, but Hilliard hit a three-pointer that extended the margin to 35-25. The reached 11 points before Jean-Charles had a pair of baskets, including an alley-oop dunk, to keep it at 39-29 at halftime. 

Catch up on CSKA Moscow vs Olympiacos Piraeus highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 3rd December 2020

CSKA Moscow vs Olympiacos Piraeus Highlights - Round 12 - 3rd December, 2020

Baskets were few and far between after the break until Shengelia fought to make one basket. After Kostas Papanikolaou and Daniel Hackett traded triples, Kurbanov's driving layup opened a 46-32 CSKA lead midway through the quarter. Shaquielle McKissic and Martin managed tough close-range baskets for the visitors, but back-to-back threes from Hackett and Voigtmann preceded a second-chance triple from James to extend the margin to 56-38. CSKA opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back alley-oops from James to Joel Bolomboy at 60-38 and didn't allow Olympiacos any field goals for more 4 more minutes. Ivan Ukhov and Semen Antonov each hit a triple for the hosts, while Charles Jenkins and Georgios Printezis did the same for the Reds in the minutes that followed as CSKA eased to victory.

### Defense steps up

Olympiacos scored 19 points in the first 7:30 of the game, but CSKA's defense allowed just 21 more in the next 24 minutes, including 10 points in the second and just 9 points in the third quarter, effectively sentencing the outcome on one end of the floor.

### Ensemble effort

CSKA had only two double-digit scorers, but six more players scored 6 or more, including Nikita Kurbanov, Daniel Hackett and Joel Bolomboy, each with 8 points.

### Facing old teammates

CSKA has three players who played with Olympiacos in the past. Hackett and Janis Strelnieks, who did not play in this game, each spent two seasons with the Reds, while center Nikola Milutinov played five seasons in Piraeus. He arrived to CSKA this past summer, and in his first game against his former coach and teammates, Milutinov had 4 points and 8 rebounds.

### Long time coming

CSKA is now 12-2 against Olympiacos in Moscow this century, but this was CSKA's first double-digit win on its home floor over the Reds since February 2012. That night, almost nine years ago, CSKA thrashed Olympiacos 96-64, but three months later Olympiacos famously shocked CSKA in the 2012 championship game in Istanbul.

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CSKA Moscow extended its win streak to seven games with a runaway 80-61 win over the visiting Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday in the Russian capital.


CSKA Moscow v Olympiacos Piraeus (2020-12-03T17:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul stemmed a four-game losing streak and killed Zenit St. Petersburg's three-game streak with a 65-73 victory at Sibur Arena on Thursday night.

Fenerbahce snaps losing streak with St. Petersburg win

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul stemmed a four-game losing streak and killed Zenit St. Petersburg's three-game streak with a 65-73 victory at Sibur Arena on Thursday night. The exciting back-and-forth contest saw the visitors pull ahead by as many as 17 in the second quarter before Zenit used an 18-0 march in the third quarter to take control. Down 5 in the fourth, Fenerbahce reeled off 10 straight points and held on the rest of the way to improve to 5-7 on the season. Jan Vesely led the way with 17 points, Danilo Barthel added 15 and Ali Muhammed scored 11. Kevin Pangos scored 16 and Will Thomas added 10 for Zenit, which fell to 6-3.



Leo Westermann's three-pointer marked the only basket in the first 3 minutes, but free throws by Mateusz Ponitka and Arturas Gudaitis gave the hosts the lead. A put-back dunk by Ahmet Duverioglu evened things at 9-9 midway through the first quarter. Lorenzo Brown, Muhammed and Barthel came off the bench to trigger a 0-8 Fener run for an 11-19 advantage, which prompted a Zenit timeout. KC Rivers got Zenit going again with a jumper, but Vesely's slam made it 14-23 after 10 minutes. Brown set up Barthel for a layup and then scored himself as Fenerbahce continued to add to its lead. After Andrey Zubkov and Barthel traded threes, the latter drove to make it 17-32. Zubkov helped the hosts trim the margin to 23-34 midway through the second quarter. Jarell Eddie nailed a three-pointer and then was fouled shooting a triple and made resulting foul shots to stretch the lead to 17. Pangos scored 5 quick points for Zenit as the home team got within 32-45 at the break.

Catch up on Zenit St Petersburg vs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 3rd December 2020

Zenit St Petersburg vs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Highlights - Round 12 - 3rd December, 2020

Pangos and Austin Hollins caught fire early in the second half, combining for the first 11 points in an 18-0 Zenit run that turned the game on its head. A three-pointer by Thomas gave Zenit a 50-47 lead. It took more than 8 minutes before Vesely scored Fenerbahce’s first basket of the half. Vesely next scored in an alley-oop slam courtesy of Brown's assist to tie it at 53-53 through three quarters. Billy Baron drained a three-pointer to put Zenit back on top and Hollins's steal and layup extended the margin to 5. Fenerbahce roared back with the next 10 points to regain the lead; Barthel scored twice before Muhammed made a pair of triples to go ahead 58-63. The Zenit attack tightened up at the worst time, while Fenerbahce got points from the line through Vesely, Muhammed and Dyshawn Pierre to extend its lead to 62-68 with 2:19 remaining. Vesely scored with 49 seconds left to all but seal the win as Fenerbahce claimed a tough road win.

### Game-changing run

Zenit roared back from a double-digit deficit with an 18-0 third-quarter run and led by 5 early in the fourth when Fenerbahce made its stand. Danilo Barthel scored twice and Ali Muhammed hit back-to-back threes – the second of which was assisted on by Barthel – to grab a 58-63 advantage that it would hang on to the rest of the way.

### Telling numbers

Fenerbahce followed most of the classic rules for a road win. It shot better than Zenit on both two-pointers (46.1% to 53.7%) and threes (25.8% to 38.5%) and committed a mere 8 turnovers. The biggest weakness for the visitors was on the glass; Zenit outrebounded Fenerbahce 38-25 – including 18 offensive boards for 21 second-chance points, however, the 19 points Fenerbahce scored from Zenit's 13 turnovers helped make up the difference.

### Vesely meets milestones

Fenerbahce star and the 2019 EuroLeague MVP Jan Vesely added to his legacy with a strong night. He tied David Andersen for ninth place on the all-time rebounding charts with 1,144 boards and became the 20th player to make 500 career free throws. He needs 45 more rebounds to catch Kerem Gonlum for the eighth-most career rebounds.

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul stemmed a four-game losing streak and killed Zenit St. Petersburg's three-game streak with a 65-73 victory at Sibur Arena on Thursday night.


Zenit St Petersburg v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2020-12-03T17:00:00.000Z)

Depleted ALBA Berlin hit a club-record 17 three-pointers en route to a resounding 92-100 road win against Valencia Basket on Thursday night. 

ALBA sinks Valencia in three-point shootout

Depleted ALBA Berlin hit a club-record 17 three-pointers en route to a resounding 92-100 road win against Valencia Basket on Thursday night. With a win in a game where the teams combined for 31 made three-pointers, ALBA improved its record to 4-7, while Valencia dropped to 7-4. ALBA led throughout the game, save for two brief periods, midway through the first and at the start of the third quarter. ALBA took control with a 3-23 run early in the third quarter that helped it open a 17-point lead. Despite picking it up offensively, the hosts never got closer than 8 the rest of the way. Luke Sikma was everywhere with 15 points and 12 rebounds for ALBA. Jayson Granger was the visitors' top scorer with 17 points on 5-for-7 three-point shooting. Johannes Thiemann also scored 15, Niels Giffey netted 13 points and Peyton Siva had 10 assists along with 9 points. Klemen Prepelic and Martin Hermannson scored 13 apiece for Valencia, Mike Tobey and Fernando San Emeterio each scored 12 points, Guillem Vives added 11 and Nikola Kalinic 10 in the losing effort.



ALBA opened with a zone defense it used throughout the first half and opened with a 0-7 lead behind 5 points from Sikma, including a triple. Valencia answered with a 10-0 run, capped with back-to-back threes from Sam Van Rossom and Vives, but Kresimir Nikic hit a long jumper to start ALBA's 2-10 run, in which Siva and Granger each nailed a three-pointer. After Vives and Tim Schneider traded threes, Luis Olinde scored inside and Maodo Lo from the outside to make it 19-27 late in the first. Hermannsson hit twice from long range to open the second quarter, but Giffey and Thiemann answered each with a triple of their own. The fast pace continued with the teams trading baskets. Jaime Pradilla and Prepelic scored from close range for the hosts, but Lo and Olinde hit from long range for ALBA, before Granger's driving layup created a double-digit margin, 37-47. However, the hosts scored the final 8 points of the half, including a three from San Emeterio, to close within 50-51 at the break.

Catch up on Valencia Basket vs ALBA Berlin highlights from Round 12 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 3rd December 2020

Valencia Basket vs ALBA Berlin Highlights - Round 12 - 3rd December, 2020

Van Rossom's triple put Valencia up 54-51 at the start of the third, but ALBA answered with a quick 0-9 run that saw Giffey knock down a three and Nikic score on a fastbreak. After a three-pointer from Vives, ALBA strung together 14 points on five trips down the floor, with Granger and Giffey combining to knock down 3 triples and Siva scoring a three-point play to open a 57-74 margin. Prepelic had a runner to snap a 0-14 run, but the visitors increased the margin to 63-83 in the final minute of the quarter. But Valencia did not have any intention of going away. Hermannsson and Prepelic hit back-to-back threes to start the fourth and cut it to 71-83. Granger scored twice and Siva hit another from downtown for the visitors to make it 76-92, but Tobey scored from close- and long-range to get within 83-92 with 5:20 to go. After a timeout, Giffey and Thiemann restored a double-digit margin. Another triple from Tobey got Valencia within 88-96, but that's the closest the hosts got as a pair of jumpers from Thiemann sealed the outcome.

### Raining threes

The two teams combined for 31 three-pointers - ALBA hit a club-record 17 threes on 32 attempts and Valencia added 14. It tied the record for combined three-pointers made in a single non-overtime game, set by Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Barcelona in March 2018. The all-time record belongs to Pau Orthez and Lottomatica Roma, which hit 35 triples in Roma's overtime win in 2003.

### Glass domination

ALBA outrebounded Valencia 39-23. ALBA grabbed 14 offensive rebounds on 29 missed field goals, while Valencia had just 15 defensive boards.

### ALBA's (near) record night

ALBA entered the game averaging 18.3 assists and 8.3 triples per game, but the team had 17 assists and 9 triples in the first half alone. ALBA finished with its all-time best 17 threes and dished 28 assists - 1 shy of the club record it set last week. It is the sixth time this century ALBA has scored 100 or more points and its 124 PIR is ALBA's third-most this century.

### Missing players

ALBA came into the game 48 hours after scoring just 55 points in Milan and without three starters: Marcus Eriksson, Simone Fontecchio and Ben Lammers. However, the team scored 51 points before halftime and went on to have one of its best-ever offensive performances in a single EuroLeague game.

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Depleted ALBA Berlin hit a club-record 17 three-pointers en route to a resounding 92-100 road win against Valencia Basket on Thursday night. 


Valencia Basket v ALBA Berlin (2020-12-03T20:00:00.000Z)

Alexey Shved of Khimki Moscow Region is probably one of the best scorers that the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague has ever had. As a youngster, he spend six seasons with CSKA Moscow, from 2006 to 2012. After that, Shved played in the NBA with several teams and then he returned to Europe joining Khimki.

In his second EuroLeague stint, now in its fifth season, Shved has always averaged more than 10 points per game, and from 2017 to 2020 he even averaged more than 20, which allowed him to win the 2017-18 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer trophy. He holds the EuroLeague records for consecutive games scoring 10 or more (78) and 15 or more (32) points. 

From their time in the United States, Shved and his wife were surprised to see how successful the dish macaroni and cheese was there and had the idea of opening an establishment in Moscow to serve precisely that comfort food. 

"Many times, we go with the team there to eat. They always want to go!" 

"In fact, opening Mac & Cheese was my wife's idea. And now it's working great." Shved says.

The first Mac & Cheese location debuted in 2018, almost three years after Shved's return to Europe, and there was a good reason behind the wait.

"We actually spent two years in the middle of figuring out how to open the business," Shved recalled. "We tried different menus, we tried different chefs, then we needed to teach more people how to prepare the food... And we could not be there every day, so in the end it took two years, because we did not want to open some middle-level restaurant in a middle-level food court. If you do something, you need to spend time on it and focus on many things: the restaurant, the jobs, everything. I think we had the idea probably just one year after I returned from the NBA, but we had to spend some time to get everything right."

This level on involvement makes it truly a family business for the Shveds, not just some kind of endorsement with his name. 

"We are thinking about it all the time," Shved says. "What we have to improve, what is working well, what needs changing... We are all together there and every day we think about what we can do better for Mac & Cheese. In fact there are three of us. We have one more guy who controls everything, because I cannot be there every day and we need someone we can trust."

Since Mac & Cheese opened its first location, it has now evolved into one full-on restaurant and four spots at Moscow food courts, with plans to expand even more inside Russia and even to other countries. One sign that the business is working is how it's become a favorite even among Shved's teammates at Khimki.

"The cuisine we offer stands more or less between an American style and European style," Shved says. "Americans, Russians, people from all over Europe... everybody likes it. Many times, we go with the team there to eat. They always want to go! They ask me to go there."

When asked what would be his favorite meal on the menu, Shved cannot make up his mind. 

"If you want to make a good job of it, you have to be there." 

"We have really great hot dogs, with sausage with macaroni, with bacon... Hot sausages to go on top. We also have a dessert called Tres Leches (Three Milks) that is Mexican. People come all the time and order it, but not just a portion – the full cake! They want to take them home. It all really depends on what you like. We have mac and cheese, of course, with chicken, salmon, avocado... Actually, you can put whatever you want in your order. You can mix and match and the cooks will prepare whatever you want. All the macaroni is homemade, too! We have pasta machines so we make them every day, and then we deliver them to all the spots we have."

Seeing how seriously Shved and his wife are taking Mac & Cheese and everything that implies, it begs the question of whether he will be pursuing a career in the restaurant business after retiring. The answer comes as no surprise.

"I like the restaurant business, so when I retire I will probably go in that direction," says the 31-year-old. "For now, I go to the food courts probably about four times a week, to check how everything is going. My wife is around there almost every day. If you want to make a good job of it, you have to be there." 

And a good job they are making.

"Last year we were among the top 20 or top 50 food courts in Russia, and this year we were nominated also for the best food court."

The talent and effort that Khimki Moscow Region superstar Alexey Shved combines so well on a basketball court are clearly the right ingredients for his thriving restaurant business, too. You might say they go together like Mac & Cheese!

The talent and effort that Khimki Moscow Region superstar Alexey Shved combines so well on a basketball court are clearly the right ingredients for his thriving restaurant business, too. You might say they go together like Mac & Cheese!