With two five-game winning streaks on the line, CSKA Moscow kept its own going strong with a thrilling 74-73 victory over visiting Real Madrid in the Russian capital on Thursday. 

CSKA's James pulls out thriller vs. Madrid

With two five-game winning streaks on the line, CSKA Moscow kept its own going strong with a thrilling 74-73 victory over visiting Real Madrid in the Russian capital on Thursday. CSKA raised its record to 8-3 to at least retain its share of second place while Real dropped to 6-5. Mike James fired in 28 points, including a spectacular game-stealing four-point play with 2.5 seconds left, to lead all scorers. Toko Shengelia added 15 points and Will Clyburn points for CSKA. Trey Thompkins led Real with 15 points while Gabriel Deck added 14, Anthony Randolph and Sergio Llull 13 each. Real led by 25-36 in the second quarter before a 10-0 run got CSKA close enough to eventually go ahead 58-55 after three. Real soon re-took the lead but back-to-back threes by James put the hosts up 68-64 with under 5 minutes left. Trey Thompkins drilled a triple with 24 seconds left for Real to seize a 70-71 advantage, but that merely set the stage for the game-winning heroics by James.top graph goes here 



CSKA scored the first 6 points of the night with Nikola Milutinov and Shengelia working inside. Thompkins got the visitors going with a triple and a tip-in, before Alberto Abalde's floater during a 0-6 Real run helped make it 8-11. Shengelia answered hitting from long and close range, but Deck scored a pair of layups and a second triple by Thompkins made it 17-20 after 10 minutes. Sergio Llull and Anthony Randolph hit a three apiece to start the second quarter by opening up a 17-26 lead. Will Clyburn answered with a three of his own, before Randolph and Mike James traded triples. James and Llull exchanged floaters before the latter's second triple opened the first double-digit margin, 25-36. CSKA got the needed reply with a three from Clyburn and a reverse layup from James. Johannes Voigtmann had a put-back and a triple to cap a 10-0 run to cut the gap to a single point before a one-handed jam by Tavares made it 35-38 at halftime.

Catch up on CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid highlights from Round 11 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 26th November 2020

CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid Highlights - Round 11 - 26th November, 2020

Baskets by Milutinov and Shengelia let CSKA surge ahead 41-40 after halftime, but Randolph soon knocked down a triple put Real back in front 43-45. After a couple more lead changes, CSKA stepped up defensively before Clyburn and Milutinov made it 51-47. Abalde knocked down a second-chance triple, but James hit a jumper and a three-pointer, helping CSKA to a 58-55 lead going into the fourth quarter. Tavares scored twice inside early in the fourth, restoring a Real advantage at 60-61. James hit a triple, and after Llull answered in kind, another triple before downing a runner high off the glass to make it 68-64. A circus shot by James made it 70-66 with 3:30 to go, but a pair of free throws by Deck were the only points in the next 3 minutes, before Thompkins hit his three-pointer with 24 seconds to go, giving Real 70-71 lead. James missed his first try at the win, but Daniel Hackett's offense rebound gave him a second chance. Surrounded in the corner, he lifted up and swished the shot, getting fouled in the act for a four-point play with 2.5 seconds to go, giving CSKA a thrilling victory.

### Heroic James

The only CSKA player who scored in the final 6 minutes and 15 seconds of the game was Mike James. He scored half of his game-high 28 points in that final stretch, with his four-point play with 2.5 seconds left proving just enough to avoid overtime.

### Stats story

Real had 18 assists compared to CSKA's 4, committed just 6 turnovers to 10 by CSKA, and registered 6 blocks to CSKA's 1. But the hosts outrebounded Real 44-34 with Nikola Milutinov and Will Clyburn pulling 9 each.

### No dishes

CSKA won despite dishing just 4 assists, tying a club-low in the EuroLeague this century which CSKA previously had in February 2002 against Skipper Bologna. Interestingly, last season in Moscow against Real, CSKA only had 6 assists, but also won that game.

### Stars off the bench

Walter Tavares, who was the only Real player who started in each of the first 10 games this season, did not enter the game until the start of the second quarter and finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds. Mike James and Will Clyburn, in their usual role coming off the bench in the first quarter, gave CSKA a 44-26 advantage in reserve scoring.

James-005985.jpg

With two five-game winning streaks on the line, CSKA Moscow kept its own going strong with a thrilling 74-73 victory over visiting Real Madrid in the Russian capital on Thursday. 


CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid (2020-11-26T17:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul shrugged off being short-handed and continued its strong run of results by knocking off Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 64-75 on the road. 

Short-handed Efes shuts down Zvezda

Anadolu Efes Istanbul shrugged off being short-handed and continued its strong run of results by knocking off Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 64-75 on the road. Shane Larkin had another strong performance with 18 points and 5 assists and Adrien Moerman scored 17 points in helping Efes pick up its fifth win in the last six games for a 6-4 record. Krunoslav Simon chipped in 11 points and 4 assists for the visitors, who were without Rodrigue Beaubois, Tibor Pleiss, Vasilije Micic and Bryant Dunston. Zvezda saw its record fall to 4-7 despite Corey Walden scoring 14 points. The EuroLeague’s leading scorer Jordan Loyd was held to just 10 points.



Walden drained a three-pointer on the opening possession for the hosts and Ognjen Kuzmic’s three-point play made it 8-0. Chris Singleton finally got Efes on the scoreboard after nearly 4 minutes with a three-pointer. Larkin added an and-one and Dogus Balbay’s triple trimmed it to 10-9. While Walden had two more baskets, Simon’s layup gave Efes its first lead, 12-13, and Moerman’s triple added to it. The score was 14-16 after 10 minutes. Taylor Rochestie’s triple to open the second quarter put Zvezda back ahead only to see Bugrahan Tuncer and Larkin knock down three-pointers to surge ahead 17-23. Tuncer added 2 more triples and Larkin and Moermann were both on target from deep as well as the advantage swelled to 21-35. Zvezda was able to keep the Efes offense silent for more than 3 minutes and a Walden three-point play and 3 foul shots from Ognjen Dobric closed it to 29-35. Five straight points from Zvezda had the gap down to 34-37 and the score was 36-40 at the break.

Catch up on Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul highlights from Round 11 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 26th November 2020

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul Highlights - Round 11 - 26th November, 2020

Moerman added another triple early in the second half as the cushion went to 37-45. Loyd finally scored his first basket of the game, but Larkin responded with 5 points at the other end and Singleton and James Anderson hit from the outside to reestablish a double-digit lead, 45-58. Moerman knocked down another triple among his 5 points in a 0-9 run to extend the advantage to 48-67, which became 50-67 after 30 minutes. Efes did not slow down in the fourth quarter with Simon and Balbay hitting three-pointers as the lead extended to 54-75 with 6 minutes to play. Zvezda managed to keep the visitors scoreless for the final 6 minutes and went on a 10-0 run with Dejan Davidovac hitting a three-pointer and Loyd converting a three-point play, but the hole had been way too deep.

### More scoring problems for Loyd

Jordan Loyd came into the game leading the EuroLeague in scoring at 19.2 points a game, but the Zvedza leader had another poor shooting night. After missing all eight of his field-goal attempts in Round 10 against FC Barcelona and scoring just 2 points, Loyd could not connect on his first nine shots against Efes. In the end, Loyd made 3 of 14 shots and 4 of 6 free throws for 10 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

### Pivotal performer

Adrien Moerman did a great job off the bench for the winners, tallying 17 points while hitting 6 of 9 shots including 5 of 6 threes and also picking up 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

### Telling numbers

Efes shot the lights out from the outside, hitting 15 of 28 on three-pointers (53.6%), while Zvezda connected on just 5 of 20 (25%) from deep. Efes also only committed only 8 turnovers in the game.

Larkin-007200.jpg

Anadolu Efes Istanbul shrugged off being short-handed and continued its strong run of results by knocking off Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 64-75 on the road. 


Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2020-11-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Few players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, if any, have crossed more of the continent than Zenit St Petersburg swingman KC Rivers. After starting his European adventure in 2009 with small Italian club Latina, he has also played in France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Serbia, Lithuania and now – for the third time in his career – Russia.

Rivers was born in North Carolina and spent his youth in Virginia before attending college at Clemson University. He readily admits that the prospect of pursuing his professional career away from his native United States never really crossed his mind. And when the move to Italy came along, it took a while to adjust. 

"For American kids, our dream is the NBA," he says. "So when I started out with Latina, it was an eye-opener. A shock, to be honest. It’s a small city about 40 minutes south of Rome and I was one of the first Americans on the team. There wasn't really anywhere to go and I was by myself, so I really had to grow up. At college, you’ve got your teammates and your friends and lots of things around you to occupy your time, but I didn’t have anything besides watching movies all day! 

"These are things you've read about and when you visit a place like the Red Square you don't forget it." 

"Once we started playing, I was doing so well and it was probably because I didn’t want to be there. I had that mindset of doing whatever I could to get myself out of that situation by joining a bigger team and I was playing great, so it did help start my career."

Indeed, Rivers only spent half a season with Latina before joining Benetton Treviso and he continued to climb the ladder before eventually reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a move to Khimki Moscow Region in the summer of 2012. But he said it was a mixed experience.

"I was excited to play in EuroLeague and the team we had at Khimki was pretty good, but I got depressed because of that weather," he reflected. "Every day was constant snow. As a kid, I loved snow, but seeing it every single day… I was over it. I didn't want to see another drop of snow! I was struggling to adapt to what life was like in Moscow and I never really got over it. I had some days that were good, but a lot of days that were not necessarily bad but you could tell that something was bothering me, and I didn't really have an outlet to express what was going on." 

"I enjoyed the two years I was there and the Greek people are great." 

His memories of Moscow aren’t all negative, though, as he adds: “The architecture in Moscow is amazing, especially seeing the Kremlin and how these buildings are designed. These are things you've read about and when you visit a place like the Red Square you don’t forget it."

After a year away from Europe, Rivers returned by joining Real Madrid in 2014, and he immediately felt very comfortable in the Spanish capital.

"I gotta say Madrid was one of my favorite places,” he stated. “Being able to venture out and see some of the city, as well as the way the club was run. The organization was Class A from top to bottom. I embraced being in Madrid. I loved it and didn't want to leave. The city has that New York City kind of flow – lots of people walking around at two o clock in the morning, everywhere feels safe, and I enjoyed the life there."

His two spells with Real were interspersed with a brief stint with FC Bayern Munich, where he was able to enjoy one of Europe’s great cultural traditions: "I went to Oktoberfest," he smiled. "So I got to understand what that hoopla is all about, although I’m not a big beer drinker and I didn't dress up! But it was nice to experience it and it’s definitely something to go and do when you're in Germany."

Next up was a move to Panathinaikos and Rivers has very fond memories of his time in Greece.

"Athens was beautiful, man, I loved it. There are a lot of Greek-Americans who go back to live there so the language barrier wasn't hard. The living was pretty easy and it was one of the best cities, along with Madrid, where I lived comfortably," Rivers said. "I was able to enjoy the life of the city, it’s a beautiful city with so many different parts. I enjoyed the two years I was there and the Greek people are great. They’re crazy! But they've very supportive, die-hard fans. I love them to death. I'll never forget the atmosphere at Panathinaikos."

After a brief return to Italy with Reggiana, the next stop on Rivers's European tour was Belgrade, where he spent half a season with Crvena Zvezda. "Belgrade was nice," he said. "It’s not that big a city, but there's a beauty to the place. They have the different rivers and you can look around and see the old ruins, which they keep to remind people of where they came from, that’s how I saw it. The city is alive and you see the new buildings which are going up to uplift the city, but I like the fact they keep some of the ruins around as a constant reminder of where the country came from."

Last season saw Rivers start out with Real Betis in Spain before moving to Zalgiris Kaunas for a few months and he was struck by the picturesque nature of the Lithuanian city’s historic center.

"I appreciated playing for such a well-known EuroLeague club in a small city and I loved walking around the old town – especially when I got there around Christmas time and you see the big tree and lots of people out, partaking in the festivities," he reminisced.

That brings us to the present day and Rivers making his return to Russia with a move to Zenit, but his opportunities to see the sights of St Petersburg have so far been limited by the current situation – which has also complicated his family life.

"I had to be in quarantine when I arrived so I haven’t had the chance to see the city much," he explained. "My wife and kids are back in California because Russia is not permitting families to enter the country, so I’ll probably be here myself this season unless something changes.

"My kids are young. My daughter is six so she understands what’s going on, but my son’s four so he doesn’t quite get it. I have to keep telling him, 'No man, I don't think you're coming over this year.' The kids love the whole experience of flying and traveling, so I feel bad for them that they won’t get to enjoy it this year." 

"It’s been an adventure. Seeing different cultures and different aspects of life." 

Overall, though, Rivers rates his experiences in Europe as a big positive for both himself and his family: "We were together in places like Madrid, Munich, Athens, Belgrade… We've always been together until this year when things are different. My mom always jokes and says the kids have more stamps in their passport than she does! It’s definitely good for them. They have memories and they understand they've lived in certain countries and not only been stateside for their entire life.

"And I've been blessed to have this opportunity to play abroad. It’s been an adventure. Seeing different cultures and different aspects of life. How people live, how they parent, what they do in everyday life. I’m grateful for this opportunity to travel and live in different countries.

"I've even had the idea that I might write a book!" he laughed. "Given how many places I've played and how many years I've been here, I could tell stories for days about the things I’ve seen!"

Write the book, KC, we'll all be reading it!

Zenit St Petersburg swingman KC Rivers's career has seen him play professionally in Europe for clubs in eight different countries and he has special memories from every stop.

KC Rivers, Zenit: 'I've been blessed to have this opportunity'

Klemen Prepelic, Valencia: 'The club is growing year by year'

More than a decade passed from the time that Riccardo Moraschini made his EuroLeague debut as a top Italian prospect until he returned to the competition as an important role player with AX Armani Exchange Milan. The 29-year-old guard took the road less traveled in that time, dropping down as far as the Italian third division in order to rebuild his game and his confidence and become the person and player he is today.

It all started for Moraschini in the small town of Cento, between Bologna and Ferrara, which is well-known since the middle ages for its famous carnival and from the 1980s for its passion for basketball. 

"The basketball tradition in Cento pushed me to start playing when I was young. My father and my uncle also played for our local team, so it was very easy for me to make the decision to start to play seriously," Moraschini said. 

"My family supported me because of their passion." 

After playing two seasons of mini-basket in Cento, Moraschini's family realized that his talent was worthy of the 35-kilometer journey to the big city to join a strong youth program.

"Starting from age eight, I played for Virtus Bologna," Moraschini said. "My family supported me because of their passion. My grandmother drove two or three times a week to Bologna to bring me to and from practice. It was fantastic, but also a huge sacrifice."

The investment of time and effort to join Virtus paid off as Moraschini became one of the top young players in Italy. He played for the junior national team from the time he was 15 and made his professional debut a year later, though there was plenty of pressure on him, too.

"When there is a young and promising player in Bologna, everybody talks about him, everything is exaggerated," Moraschini explained. "I was fortunate because, at 16, Stefano Pillastrini in just a week gave me the chance to debut in [the Italian League] and the EuroLeague." 

"All the stops in my career, the good and bad experiences, helped me a lot." 

He started and played nearly 18 minutes in that first EuroLeague game, but Moraschini did not score as a depleted Virtus lost 79-59 at Prokom Trefl Sopot. He recalled that game as "a positive but traumatic debut." He also appeared in the next game for almost 18 minutes again.

"I had emotions, adrenaline and a lot of sensations running around inside me which are difficult to describe," he said. "I remember that game very well from an emotional point of view. It was a great satisfaction also because I played many minutes in those two games."

Moraschini dreamed of being a professional at the highest of levels. He describes himself as someone who doesn't "like to lose – and not just in sports." That competitive drive caused him to continue working just as hard even after that auspicious early start "because this was my goal since the first days I started playing."

Despite all of his dedication, Moraschini struggled to take the next step with Virtus. He remained with the club until midway through the 2010-11 season, though he had a minor role in that time. To find increased playing time, Moraschini began a journey that would see him play for Biella, Sant'Antimo, Virtus Rome, Mantova and Trento over the next eight years.

"All the stops in my career, the good and bad experiences, helped me a lot," Moraschini said. "When you're so young and have a label, everyone has big expectations for you. Today, young Italian players have to be patient and lucky to get their chances. I did not have many chances, or maybe I was not in the right place at the right time, but my experiences helped me to grow up quickly and prepare for different situations, positive and negative. All of that helped me to build my personality. If you grow up in a soft situation, you're not ready to face problems. This helped me to become stronger mentally even in tough times." 

It was with Mantova, where Moraschini spent two stints totaling three seasons in the Italian second division, that his game took off as he found the right atmosphere to work and play. In between, Moraschini joined Dolomiti Energia Trento, where a knee injury hampered his game.

"I took advantage of the time in Mantova," Moraschini explained. "I played a ton of minutes and was able to rediscover my confidence back in [second division] after the knee injury I suffered in Trento. Playing in Mantova was the right decision."

Back in the Italian top flight at age 27 with Brindisi for the 2018-19 season, Moraschini at long last had his breakout campaign. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in helping the team reach the Italian League playoffs and the Italian Cup final. At the end of the season, Moraschini was chosen as the Best Italian Player in the league.

"I played naturally with my mind free, without having to think about what can I do or cannot do. I just played," Moraschini said of his success with Brindisi. "I found a coach [Frank Vitucci] and a team that trusted me and let me play the way I know. When our point guard was injured, the coach even gave me the opportunity to play in that role and everything went at its best."

Moraschini's strong season did not go unnoticed. In the summer of 2019, when Ettore Messina took the coaching reins in Milan, the guard quickly became a target.

"I spoke with Coach Messina and it was a very direct exchange," Moraschini revealed. "He talked about his ideas for the team he was building and told me what he expected from me. I showed him my great desire and passion to play at the highest level. It was a dream come true to sign for Milan with Coach Messina and to finally play again in the EuroLeague. All the efforts and sacrifices were repaid."

It was double special for Moraschini to play under Messina, who he looked up to as a young boy at Virtus when the was leading the men's team to EuroLeague crowns in 1998 and 2001. He summed up the chance to play for Messina in the EuroLeague as "all parts of a puzzle finally completed." 

"When the call arrived, I was ready... I knew exactly what I had to do to help the team." 

After playing sparingly during parts of his first season in Milan, Moraschini delivered late. He started and tallied a career-high 21 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting in a Round 27 game against Real Madrid, which was the penultimate game before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds over 15 games last season, which prepared him for an even bigger role this time around.

"With Ettore, all the players have a role on the team and you know that the goal is to win," Moraschini said. "I needed time to adapt to the team. I followed his suggestions and worked hard, knowing that I would have my opportunities and that he trusted me and pushed me to work to be ready for his call. And when the call arrived, I was ready. I grew day by day and I knew exactly what I had to do to help the team."

Again this season, Moraschini is averaging more than 17 minutes and 5.0 points as Milan has started strong at 3-1.

"This season, I know everything better and feel better with my teammates," Moraschini said. "We have big goals, the team is very important and we are working hard to reach them. The key so far has been our defensive intensity and we have to continue this way."

Riccardo Moraschini was out of the EuroLeague for more than a decade before Coach Ettore Messina brought him to AX Armani Exchange Milan last season. The one-time prized prospect retraces the steps in his career through Italy's second divisions and back to the top.

Riccardo Moraschini, Milan: 'I don't like to lose'

Zenit St Petersburg claimed an impressive road win by downing TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 70-77 in a rescheduled Round 3 game on Monday night. 

Zenit stays road perfect with solid win at Baskonia

Zenit St Petersburg claimed an impressive road win by downing TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 70-77 in a rescheduled Round 3 game on Monday night. After a low-scoring start Zenit enjoyed an excellent second quarter to move ahead by 9, but Baskonia battled back and the third quarter saw numerous lead changes. Zenit took control by launching a 2-15 run to bridge the third and fourth quarters, stretching the lead to 17 points midway through the fourth and cruising after that. Mateusz Ponitka led the scoring with 18 points along with 8 rebounds. Zenit had a strong inside presence through Arturas Gudaitis (13 points and 7 rebounds) and Alex Poythress (14 points), while Kevin Pangos orchestrated the offense with 9 points and 10 assists. Rokas Giedraitis paced Baskonia with 15 points and Luca Vildoza added 11. Zenit improves to 5-2, and Baskonia is now 4-5.



Defenses dominated early before Gudaitis opened the scoring from the foul line. Giedraitis downed an alley-oop layup for the game’s first field goal, and Tonye Jekiri added a layup for Baskonia’s first lead. Alex Peters downed a lucky triple for a 7-2 lead before Gudaitis and Youssoupha Fall traded inside scores. Will Thomas netted a putback for Zenit but Fall’s big dunk helped make it 13-10 at the end of the first. Pierria Henry and Fall extended the lead, but two dunks from Poythress pulled Zenit back, and Ponitka struck a three-pointer for a 17-18 lead after a 0-8 run. Zoran Dragic rescued Baskonia with a pair of scores under the basket, but Pangos heated up with a couple of triples and Poythress scored again to keep Zenit ahead, 21-26. Ponitka drove to cap a 0-7 run which was ended by Giedraitis from deep. Pangos and Vitaly Fridzon scored in penetration to stretch the lead, but Dragic’s triple made it 28-34 at the break. 

Catch up on TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Zenit St Petersburg highlights from Round 3 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 23rd November 2020

TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Zenit St Petersburg Highlights - Round 3 - 23rd November 2020

Giedraitis with a triple and Jekiri with a three-point play tied it up at the start of the second half, and Giedraitis stayed hot with two more strikes to give his team the lead. The outstanding Poythress netted a trio of inside scores to keep Zenit close, 42-40, and KC Rivers struck from long-range to send the visitors back ahead. The scoring was evenly shared for the next few minutes, and it was 49-50 after Achillie Polonara’s threeball was answered by Ponitka’s layup and one. Billy Baron and Andrey Zubkov added triples for a 0-9 run, but Henry went coast to coast to beat the buzzer and make it 51-56 at the end of the third. Zubkov opened the final period with another triple, and a three-point play from Gudaitis gave Zenit a double-digit lead, 51-62, before Ponitka’s basket in penetration stretched the advantage. Zubkov’s long two and Gudaitis free throws made it 53-70 with 6 minutes left, before Vildoza and Peters gave Baskonia hope with 5 fast points, but Zenit steadily added to its scoring through free throws and used its strong defense to do the rest despite a late Baskonia flurry.

### Slow starters

Both offenses struggled early on, with Baskonia missing its first 7 field goal attempts and not scoring in the first 4:30. Zenit also missed its first 5 shots from the field and the only scoring in the opening 4 minutes were free throws from Arturas Gudaitis.

### Early turnover problems averted

Zenit was careless in possession in the opening stages, committing 5 turnovers in the first quarter. But Xavi Pascual’s team got much better after that and ended the game with just 13 turnovers.

### Still perfect on the road

Zenit is now a perfect 4-0 on its travels, with this victory following triumphs at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and ALBA Berlin. No other team in the competition is unbeaten on the road.

Zenit St Petersburg claimed an impressive road win by downing TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 70-77 in a rescheduled Round 3 game on Monday night. 


TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Zenit St Petersburg (2020-11-23T18:30:00.000Z)

In one of the wildest comebacks in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, Valencia Basket registered a valuable home win by edging Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 82-80 at La Fonteta on Friday. 

Valencia rallies past Maccabi in a thriller

In one of the wildest comebacks in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, Valencia Basket registered a valuable home win by edging Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 82-80 at La Fonteta on Friday. Valencia improved to 6-3 in the standings while Maccabi dropped to 3-7. Maccabi, powered by an unstoppable Scottie Wilbekin, led 70-77 with 2:21 left but Valencia rallied and Derrick Williams tied the game, 80-80, with 7.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Maccabi tried to put the ball in Wilbekin's hands to try to win, but Bojan Dubljevic got a steal and fed Sam Van Rossom for the game-winning layup in astonishing fashion. Klemen Prepelic led the winners with 22 points. Derrick Williams added 15 while Mike Tobey had 12 for Valencia. Maccabi got 25 points from Wilbekin and 15 from Angelo Caloiaro while suffering its fourth defeat in five games.



Dubljevic got Valencia going with a jump-hook and Prepelic added a three-pointer for a 5-0 lead. Wilbekin answered from downtown but back-to-back baskets by Jaime Pradilla boosted the hosts' lead to 9-3. Ante Zizic dunked and Elijah Bryant added a driving layup but an unstoppable Prepelic kept Valencia in charge, 14-7. Caloiaro and Dragan Bender stepped up for Maccabi and a layup by Othello Hunter brought the guests within 16-14. Tobey and Wilbekin exchanged three-pointers to fix the score at 19-17 after 10 minutes. Williams and Tobey boosted the hosts' margin to 23-17 early in the second quarter. Hunter and Oz Blayzer fueled a 0-6 Maccabi run, then Caloiaro bettered Fernando San Emeterio's layup with a triple that gave Maccabi its first lead, 25-26. Tobey insisted from downtown and Prepelic added a floater to give the hosts fresh air at 30-28. Zizic answered with a put-back layup but Prepelic and Williams restored a 35-30 Valencia lead. Wilbekin followed a corner triple with a fastbreak layup, then Nikola Kalinic and Zizic traded layups for a 37-37 tie. Dubljevic and Louis Labeyrie helped the hosts regain a 43-37 lead at halftime. first half goes here 

Catch up on Valencia Basket vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv highlights from Round 10 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 20th November 2020

Valencia Basket vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Highlights - Round 10 - 20th November, 2020

Bender sank a three-pointer right after the break. Prepelic and Bryant exchanged layups and Labeyrie hit a jump hook for a 47-42 score. Wilbekin and Caloiaro each struck from downtown in an 0-8 run that put Maccabi ahead, 47-50. Prepelic answered from beyond the arc but a circus shot by Wilbekin and a layup by Bender restored a 50-54 Maccabi lead. Prepelic, Chris Jones and Williams each hit a triple, and Van Rossom kept Valencia within 58-59 after 30 minutes. Tobey downed an alley-oop slam early in the fourth quarter, igniting a 6-0 run that Martin Hermannsson capped with a three-pointer. Tobey dunked again but Blayzer and Caloiaro brought Maccabi as close as 66-63. Wilbekin sank his fifth triple and Bryant buried his first one for a 66-69 score with 4 minutes left. Williams rescued Valencia with a put-back basket but Wilbekin struck twice from downtown and fed Zizic for an alley-oop, giving Maccabi a 70-77 lead with over 2 minutes left. Guillem Vives hit a triple, San Emeterio and Prepelic hit free throws, and Williams struck from beyond the arc to tie it at 80-80 with 7.4 seconds to go. Dubljevic collected a steal and fed Van Rossom for the game-winning layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. Wilbekin missed from way downtown at the buzzer, as Valencia celebrated a big win in come-from-behind fashion!



### Pivotal performer

Prepelic led Valencia throughout the entire game and had another career night. He finished the game with a personal-best 22 points, hitting 4-of-5 two-point shots, 4-of-6 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws, adding 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 24.

### Game-changing moment

San Emeterio drew a foul with 1:13 left and Valencia down by six points, 73-79. He hit both free throws, Bryant missed at the other end, Prepelic was also perfect from the foul line, Bender split attempts, Williams tied the game with a three-pointer and Dubljevic collected a key steal which allowed Van Rossom to win the game. What a comeback!

### Stellar stat

Valencia finished the game with 23 assists and Maccabi only had 15. Valencia also shot the ball with slightly better percentages (55.9% 2FG, 47.6% 3FG, 73.7% FT to Maccabi's 51.5% 2FG, 40.6% 3FG, 50% FT), but this time, the game went down to intangibles like resilience, determination and character.

### Did you know?

Dubljevic set a new personal-best in assists twice this season. He had 6 assists against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens earlier on this season. Tonight, Dubljevic did even better with 7 assists, none more important than the final one to Van Rossom to win the game!

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In one of the wildest comebacks in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, Valencia Basket registered a valuable home win by edging Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 82-80 at La Fonteta on Friday. 


Valencia Basket v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2020-11-20T20:00:00.000Z)

Zenit St Petersburg salvaged split of the double-round week by ambushing ALBA Berlin in the German capital with a defensive-minded 66-73 victory on Friday.

Zenit locks down ALBA for road win

Zenit St Petersburg salvaged split of the double-round week by ambushing ALBA Berlin in the German capital with a defensive-minded 66-73 victory on Friday. Its first victory ever in three tries against ALBA lifted Zenit's record to 4-2 and left the German club with a 2-6 mark thus far. Will Thomas led the winners with 17 points to go with 5 rebounds, while Arturas Gudaitis followed with 16 and 3, respectively. Mateusz Ponitka was right behind with 14 points. Ben Lammers recorded a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double for ALBA to go with 2 blocks. However, none of his teammates joined him in double figures as ALBA's 66 points matched its lowest in the last two seasons under head coach Aito Garcia Reneses.



Austin Hollins, Thomas and Lammers all hit a pair of baskets as Zenit took an early 4-8 lead. Niels Giffey joined Lammers in ALBA's scoring column as all the action remained. Johannes Thiemann, Alex Poythress, Giffey and Andrey Zubkov kept the two-pointers falling without answer from the three-point line as Zenit held a 10-12 lead after 10 minutes. The trading of baskets inside continued into the second quarter with even ALBA three-point ace Marcus Eriksson settling for two. Jayson Granger's first bucket put ALBA up 16-14 as the teams combined already for 16 missed threes. Zubkov finally broke the spell on the 17th collective try and Ponitka followed him to send Zenit to the game's biggest lead yet, 18-24. Despite an ALBA timeout, Zenit kept rolling to an 18-29 advantage as Kevin Pangos hit from deep. An exchange of free throws preceded Pangos feeding Poythress to make it 22-33 at halftime. 

Catch up on ALBA Berlin vs Zenit St Petersburg highlights from Round 10 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 20th November 2020

ALBA Berlin vs Zenit St Petersburg Highlights - Round 10 - 20th November, 2020

After Thomas opened the second half from deep, Jonas Mattissek was cornered before he ended the hosts' triple drought on their 12th try. He came back for another at 30-38 but Poythress helped Zenit restored a double-digit lead until Luke Sikma's three-point play at 37-45. Granger's high-banked layup and assist to Giffey got ALBA closer before Zenit stayed ahead 43-51 after 30 minutes. Thiemann's bucket to start the fourth quarter was bettered with an and-one play by Arturas Gudaitis to make it 45-54. Gudaitis started moving bodies and taking names for 2 free throws and a new three-point play, on which he made his 10th free throw without a miss for a 45-59 lead. Lammers and Thiemann drew ALBA back to within 51-61 heading into the last 10 minutes. Lammers kept the home fires burning for the hosts, and when he scored again after Peyton Siva's triple, ALBA was within 58-63 with 2 minutes left. Dimitry Khvostov, Lammers and Ponitka hit 2 free throws each for a 60-67 Zenit lead. Within the final minute, Ponitka added 2 more as Granger missed as many and Siva converted a three-point play at 63-69 with 27 seconds left. The parade of free throws continued and, though interrupted by a triple from Siva, Zenit made sure to take the victory back to St Petersburg.

### Pivotal performer

Zenit got veteran leadership from Will Thomas in the paint, where most of the action took place all game. His 17 points and 5 rebounds were the basis for his team-high 24 performance index rating, which was matched by Gudaitis.

### Two-point dominance

The game was won inside by Zenit, whose forwards and centers hit 15 of 17 two-point tries on the night. Zubkov, Gudaitis and Poythress went a perfect 3-for-3 each while Thomas was 4-for-5 and Ponitka 2-for-3 inside.

### Free-throw near-perfection

When Zenit wasn't downing inside shots, those big men were getting fouled, and they were the basis for a club-record 27 free throws made out of 28 tries. Only once has the club shot a better percentage and that was a 6-for-6 effort, so this was really Zenit's best night on the foul line. Gudaitis was 10-for-10, his best without a miss ever, while Thomas hit 6 of 6 and Ponitka 7 of 8.

### Triple troubles

One reason for the defensive nature of the game was both teams starting it with 16 missed three-pointers between them. Zenit solved that in the second quarter but ALBA waited until 21:30 had elapsed before Jonas Mattisseck hit a couple, the only ones for the home team through two quarters. ALBA's woes worsened when its designated marksman from deep, Marcus Eriksson, went down injured late in the first half, being seen on crutches only after that. Thus ended his streak of 27 consecutive EuroLeague games making a three-pointer.

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Zenit St Petersburg salvaged split of the double-round week by ambushing ALBA Berlin in the German capital with a defensive-minded 66-73 victory on Friday.


ALBA Berlin v Zenit St Petersburg (2020-11-20T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Barcelona extended its reign atop the standings by leading from start to finish in downing the Crvena Zvezda MTS Belgrade 76-65 on Friday night at Palau Blaugrana. 

Barca downs Zvezda, extends win streak

FC Barcelona extended its reign atop the standings by leading from start to finish in downing the Crvena Zvezda MTS Belgrade 76-65 on Friday night at Palau Blaugrana. Barcelona registered its seventh consecutive win and improved to a league-best 8-1 record, while Zvezda dropped to 4-6. Barcelona took control from the start, quickly opened a double-digit margin, and led by as many as 22 points before Zvezda attempted a late charge. Nikola Mirotic led the way with 23 points in 23 minutes. Pierre Oriola had 12 points, and Nick Calathes contributed with 10 points and 8 assists for the winners. Dejan Davidovac was the only double-digit Zvezda scorer with 12 points.



Barcelona started strong on defense, forcing 4 turnovers and not allowing a single Zvezda basket for more than 4 minutes to open the game. With Calathes creating, Mirotic accounted for 5 of the hosts' first 7 points even before he nailed a triple to open an 11-2 lead. Big man Duop Reath scored twice from close range for the visitors, but Calathes took it to the rim twice before fastbreak baskets from Leandro Bolmaro and Brandon Davies opened 19-6 advantage after 10 minutes. The hosts kept the intensity, not allowing a field goal for more than 4 minutes of the second quarter, with Rolands Smits scoring twice inside as the margin reached 25-8. Langston Hall hit a mid-range jumper to end the visitors' drought, and Davidovac followed it up with a triple and a jumper at 27-15. But Oriola and Sergi Martinez scored from close range for the hosts, and after Corey Walden hit a triple, Mirotic answered with a three-point play before Cory Higgins' buzzer-beating triple made it 39-22 at halftime. 

Catch up on FC Barcelona vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade highlights from Round 10 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 20th November 2020

FC Barcelona vs Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Highlights - Round 10 - 20th November, 2020

Not much changed after the break. Mirotic's triple opened a 46-24 gap, and while Davidovac scored 6 close-range points for the visitors, Mirotic and Higgins kept the margin intact. A triple from Reath, followed by back-to-back threes from Ognjen Dobric soon gave Zvezda hope at 54-42. Davies snapped a 2-12 Zvezda run and Adam Hanga followed with a corner three to help restore a 61-44 scoreboard after three quarters. Zvezda had no intentions of giving up and Johnny O'Bryant's three-point play and Hall's jumper soon cut the difference to 63-51. Alex Abrines answered with a jumper-plus-foul, before two more tough baskets from Hall and a step-back triple from Taylor Rochestie helped get the visitors get within 69-62 with 2:30 to go. They could not come any closer, however, as Calathes iced the game.

### Club 500

This game marked Barcelona's 500th in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this century. Barcelona became just the second team to reach that milestone after CSKA did it last week in Round 8.

### Defense neutralizes Loyd

Barcelona's top-scoring defense held league's top scorer Jordan Loyd to just 2 points, both coming from a free throw line early in the third quarter. Loyd, who entered the game averaging 21.1 points per game, shot 0-for-4 on both two- and three pointers.

### Starter dominance

Barcelona starters scored 55 of team's 76 points, compared to just 19 by Zvezda's starters.

### Interesting stats

Barcelona led by double digits for the great majority of the game, and despite Zvezda's late charge the hosts controlled things for four quarters. Still, Zvezda did dish 15 assists compared to just 13 by Barcelona, and the hosts had more turnovers (16) in victory than the visitors (14) in defeat.

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FC Barcelona extended its reign atop the standings by leading from start to finish in downing the Crvena Zvezda MTS Belgrade 76-65 on Friday night at Palau Blaugrana. 


FC Barcelona v Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2020-11-20T20:00:00.000Z)