FC Bayern Munich came up with another strong performance in fighting back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Anadolu Efes Istanbul on the road 71-74. 

Bayern continues magic with comeback win at Efes

FC Bayern Munich came up with another strong performance in fighting back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Anadolu Efes Istanbul on the road 71-74. Wade Baldwin IV collected a double-double of 15 points and 11 assists to lead Bayern, which survived scoring only 8 points in the third quarter for its seventh win in the last eight games to improve to 7-2. Jalen Reynolds added 14 points, Paul Zipser scored 12 points with 7 assists and Nihad Dedovic added 10 points. Tibor Pleiss had 19 points to lead Efes, which had its three-game winning streak snapped to fall to 4-4. Shane Larkin was held to 13 points with 7 assists and Vasilije Micic picked up 12 points and 4 assists in the loss - Efes's first defeat against Bayern.


Dedovic opened the scoring for the guests, who were up 0-3 before Efes reeled off 10 straight points including a three-point play from Pleiss and a Larkin triple to move up 10-3. Vladimir Lucic stopped the run and then Baldwin scored 4 points in a 0-8 Bayern surge to go up 12-14. And Dedovic and Zipser hit three-pointers for Bayern, but 3 Larkin free throws put Efes up 23-22 after 10 minutes. Neither team scored for the first 2 minutes of the second quarter and Zipser scored 5 points and Dedovic hit another triple to help push Bayern ahead 23-32. Krunoslav Simon finally snapped the 0-10 run after almost 5 minutes with a three-pointer and Larkin cut it to 30-32. It was down to 35-36 after a Micic triple, but Baldwin’s jumper had the visitors up 37-42 at the break.

Catch up on Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs FC Bayern Munich highlights from Round 9 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 17th November 2020

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs FC Bayern Munich Highlights - Round 9 - 17th November, 2020

Baldwin opened the second half with the first basket, but Micic and James Anderson went back-to-back from deep to start a 10-0 surge for a 47-44 Efes lead. Bayern was able to reclaim the lead with the next 4 points, but Pleiss answered with 4 points in an 8-0 Efes spurt and the hosts led 57-50 after 30 minutes. After Reynolds scored to open the fourth quarter, Adrien Moerman’s 5 points gave Efes its biggest lead at 62-52 with 7 minutes to play. Nick Weiler-Babb responded with a big three-pointer and Reynolds added an and-one to bring Bayern within 64-58. Bayern would not go away with Weiler-Babb’s three-pointer trimming the margin to 68-67 and Reynolds's three-point play evening the game 70-70 with 90 seconds left. After two failed attempts by Efes, Reynolds's hook shot put Bayern ahead 70-72 at the 1-minute mark. Larkin, an 85.2% free throw shooter in his career, was fouled with 17 seconds remaining, but he split the foul shots. Bayern then decided the game for good as Baldwin threw a long pass to Reynolds for a dunk with 11 seconds left.

### Baldwin sets Bayern record

Wade Baldwin IV was on his game all night, finding his teammates and dishing out 11 assists. That broke Bayern’s EuroLeague record for assists in a single game of 10 set by Malcolm Delaney against Maccabi Tel Aviv in April 2014.

### Bayern once again grab first win

A week after knocking off Valencia Basket for its first-ever win over the Spanish club, Bayern collected its first victory in history over Efes. The Turkish power had won the four previous games, each time by at least 15 points.

### Telling numbers

The game was tight in statistics as well, but a couple of numbers stood out. Bayern made 16 of 17 free throws while Efes hit 11 of 13 - including Larkin’s big miss in the final minute. Efes also won the rebounding battle 36-30 including 13 offensive rebounds, but Bayern only gave up 6 second-chance points.

FC Bayern Munich came up with another strong performance in fighting back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Anadolu Efes Istanbul on the road 71-74. 


Anadolu Efes Istanbul v FC Bayern Munich (2020-11-17T17:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket recorded its third home win of the season by downing Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 95-83 at la Fonteta on Tuesday. 

Valencia outlasts Panathinaikos at home

Valencia Basket recorded its third home win of the season by downing Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 95-83 at la Fonteta on Tuesday. Valencia improved to 5-3 in the standings while Panathinaikos dropped to 2-5. Klemen Prepelic led the winners with 18 points. Derrick Williams added 14, Martin Hermannsson had 13 while Mike Tobey and Fernando San Emeterio each got 11 for Valencia. Shelvin Mack led Panathinaikos with 15 points. Ioannis Papapetrou, Howard-Sant Roos and Dinos Mitoglou each added 11 for the guests. Valencia led 45-41 at halftime, kept a 70-66 margin after 30 minutes and sealed the game midway through the fourth quarter.


Aaron White got Panathinaikos going with a three-pointer but Nikola Kalinic and Prepelic soon gave Valencia its first lead, 4-3. White and Prepelic traded triples, then Marcus Foster scored in penetration for a 7-8 Panathinaikos lead. Louis Labeyrie followed a dunk with a layup, getting help from Prepelic to make Valencia regain a 14-12 lead. Foster scored in penetation and Papapetrou followed a driving layup with a jumper to give the Greens a 16-18 advantage. Labeyrie kept pacing the hosts with a tip-in, getting help from San Emeterio to put the hosts ahead, 22-21, after 10 minutes. Hermannsson and Tobey pushed Valencia further in front, 26-21, early in the second quarter. Mitoglou stepped up with a put-back layup and Mack buried a triple that tied it at 28-28. White dunked but Williams and San Emeterio provided another lead change, 33-30. Mitoglou followed a turnaround jumper with a jump hook but San Emeterio took over with a three-point play and Bojan Dubljevic scored down low for a 38-34 score. Sant-Roos and Mitoglou rescued Panathinaikos but an outstanding Prepelic gave Valencia a 45-41 lead at halftime. 

Catch up on Valencia Basket vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens highlights from Round 9 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 17th November 2020

Valencia Basket vs Panathinaikos OPAP Athens Highlights - Round 9 - 17th November, 2020

Georgios Papagiannis followed a dunk with a tip-in to tie the game, 45-45, right after the break. Labeyrie dunked again but Papagiannis and Papapetrou put Panathinaikos ahead, 47-49. Lefteris Bochoridis hit a three-pointer but so did Prepelic and Guillem Vives for a 53-52 score. Prepelic took over with a backdoor layup, Dubljevic bettered Foster's jumper with a triple and Kalinic added a layup that made the Greens call timeout at 60-54. Mack struck from downtown but Tobey matched that with a layup-plus-free throw. Nemanja Nedovic found his first 5 points, getting help from Mack to bring Panathinaikos within 70-66 after 30 minutes. Ben Bentil hit a corner triple early in the fourth quarter but Williams restored a 74-70 Valencia margin. Hermannsson nailed a big triple and fed Williams for a dunk in an 8-0 run that broke the game open, 82-70, with over 4 minutes left. Mack, Tobey, Sant-Roos and Williams each struck from beyond the arc, and Hermannsson joined the three-point shootout to seal the outcome, 91-78, as Panathinaikos never recovered.

### Pivotal performer

Prepelic kept his good momentum going and led Valencia to a great home win. He finished the game with 18 points on near-perfect shooting: 2 of 2 two-pointers, 4 of 5 threes and 2 of 2 free throws. He added 6 assists and 4 fouls drawn for a PIR of 26, a new personal best.

### Game-changing moment

Hermannsson took matters into his own hands early in the fourth quarter. With Valencia ahead 74-70, Hermannsson buried a triple and then sent a no-look pass to Williams for a slam. It was the start of an 8-0 run which gave Valencia full control of the game, 82-70, and the hosts never looked back.

### Stellar stat

Valencia took a much better care of the ball and that allowed the hosts to get the win. Valencia finished the game with 28 assists and just 10 turnovers for a fantastic assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.8. Panathinaikos had 19 assists but picked up as many as 18 turnovers.

### Did you know?

Dubljevic became Valencia's all-time top scorer, beating Rafa Martinez, who combined for 5,589 points in all competitions. Dubljevic reached 5,591 with a three-pointer midway through the third quarter. His 9 points tonight gave him a total of 5,593 in Valencia's uniform.

Valencia Basket recorded its third home win of the season by downing Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 95-83 at la Fonteta on Tuesday. 


Valencia Basket v Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (2020-11-17T20:00:00.000Z)

Khimki Moscow Region prevailed in an exciting clash by claiming an 83-88 come-from-behind victory at Zenit St Petersburg.

Khimki takes exciting win over Zenit

Khimki Moscow Region prevailed in an exciting clash by claiming an 83-88 come-from-behind victory at Zenit St Petersburg. The first half was fast-moving and high-scoring as Zenit established several solid leads through excellent shooting, but Khimki kept fighting back to stay in contention. The second half was closely contested and the visiting team finished stronger to take the win. Alexey Shved led Khimki’s scoring with 24 points, followed by Errick McCollom with 19. Greg Monroe came close to a double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds for the winning team. Billy Baron paced the host with 24 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting. Arturas Gudaitis had 10 points and 9 rebounds, Austin Hollins scored 15, and Kevin Pangos dished 10 assists. The victory improved Khimki to 2-6, while Zenit dropped to 3-2.



Zenit went inside to open the scoring with Gudaitis before adding a fastbreak three-point play from Pangos. Shved got Khimki moving from deep, but the hosts had more joy inside as Hollins, Mateusz Ponitka and Gudaitis made it 10-5. Hollins swished a couple of three-pointers to keep Zenit ahead despite deep strikes from Sergey Karasev and Sergey Monia plus a pair of baskets in penetration from Shved. The red-hot Gudaitis added two more scores inside. Hollins took the baseline for a layup and KC Rivers struck from deep, making it 27-19 at the end of the first quarter. Five points from Shved narrowed the gap, but a four-point play from Baron kept Zenit ahead. Gudaitis added a basket-and-foul, Andrey Zubkov made a couple of tough scores and Hollins struck from deep for a double-digit lead, 45-34, after a 12-3 run. McCollom scored inside to reignite Khimki, and Jordan Mickey and Janis Timma added threes before McCollom netted again to complete a 0-10 run. But Zenit had the last word of the first half through Ponitka, making it 47-44 at the break.

Catch up on Zenit St Petersburg vs Khimki Moscow Region highlights from Round 9 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 17th November 2020

Zenit St Petersburg vs Khimki Moscow Region Highlights - Round 9 - 17th November, 2020

Monroe and Hollins traded two-pointers early in the third, before McCollom’s jumper with a foul made it 50-49 and Timma gave Khimki its first lead from deep. Shved netted a long three, but Rivers and Ponitka restored Zenit’s lead. An off-balance basket from Mickey tied it up again, 57-57. Baron struck twice in a row from deep for the home team, before Baron and Dairis Bertans traded three-point blows and Shved sliced through to beat the buzzer and make it 67-63 after three quarters. Rivers floated home the first score of the fourth quarter, but McCollom responded from distance. Baron netted another triple, this time with a foul, to make it 75-68. Shved and McCollom hit back, only for Baron to strike his sixth three-pointer. Monia’s three was followed by Monroe’s strong finish inside and it was 78-77 with 4 minutes left. Alex Poythress kept Zenit ahead, but Monroe’s inside strike and Shved’s long-range dagger made it 81-82. McCollom made 5 straight free throws in the last minute to secure the win.

### Rebounding not enough for hosts

Zenit enjoyed a huge advantage in the battle of the boards, claiming 38 rebounds compared to just 24 for Khimki. But the home team committed 13 turnovers against Khimki’s 8, and the visitors were also more accurate by shooting 17 of 26 on two-pointers (65.4%) and 13 of 30 on triples (43.3%).

### 100% road record

After both teams were triumphant on the road last season, Khimki’s victory made it three road wins out of three all-time in the EuroLeague in this matchup.

### Milestone night for Pangos

Despite ending on the losing side, Zenit point guard Kevin Pangos had a milestone evening as he tied two club records with 10 assists and 4 steals. It was the first time he reached 10 assists in a game since March 2018, when he still played for Zalgiris Kaunas.

Khimki Moscow Region prevailed in an exciting clash by claiming an 83-88 come-from-behind victory at Zenit St Petersburg.


Zenit St Petersburg v Khimki Moscow Region (2020-11-17T17:00:00.000Z)

alexey-shved-khimki-moscow-region-eb20.jpg

CSKA Moscow grabbed its fourth consecutive win by topping Zalgiris Kaunas 78-87 in Lithuania on Tuesday. 

James leads CSKA past Zalgiris

CSKA Moscow grabbed its fourth consecutive win by topping Zalgiris Kaunas 78-87 in Lithuania on Tuesday. CSKA improved to 6-3 in the standings, while Zalgiris dropped to 5-4 and is now on a three-game losing streak. Mike James led the winners with 27 points. Will Clyburn added 13 while Darrun Hilliard had 12 for CSKA. Marius Grigonis led Zalgiris with 19 points and Thomas Walkup added 10. Zalgiris rallied from a double-digit deficit to get within 78-79 within 1:09 left, but James scored the final 8 points of the game, allowing CSKA to add a good-as-gold road win.



Daniel Hackett got CSKA going with a jumper and Nikola Milutinov added a layup for a 0-4 lead. Marius Grigonis struck from downtown and Steve Vasturia gave Zalgiris its first lead, 5-4. Hilliard buried a couple of three-pointers and added a jumper to boost the margin to 7-14. Grigonis tried to change things for Zalgiris, but Toko Shengelia and James kept CSKA fully in charge, 13-18. Augustine Rubit downed a baseline jumper, but Semen Antonov did better with a triple. Mike James fed Joel Bolomboy for an alley-oop slam and downed a buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 17-26 CSKA lead after 10 minutes. Bolomboy buried a jumper early in the second quarter and Clyburn scored in penetration to boost the lead to 17-30. Martinas Geben scored down low and Walkup buried a triple, but Clyburn and Antonov answered for a 22-37 score. Rubit hit a floater and Rokas Jokubaitis added a layup to give Zalgiris hope at 26-37. Shengelia and Grigonis traded triples before Milutinov hit a jump hook for a 29-42 CSKA lead. Rubit scored again and Nigel Hayes did better with back-to-back triples to bring the hosts within 37-42. Milutinov rescued CSKA with a layup-plus-foul to restore a 38-45 CSKA lead at halftime.

Catch up on Zalgiris Kaunas vs CSKA Moscow highlights from Round 9 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 17th November 2020

Zalgiris Kaunas vs CSKA Moscow Highlights - Round 9 - 17th November, 2020

Grigonis buried a three-pointer in transition right after the break and got help from Geben and Walkup to bring Zalgiris within 47-50. James and Nikita Kurbanov stepped up for CSKA, but Arturas Milaknis downed a triple. Ivan Ukhov and James joined the three-point shootout to give the visitors some fresh air at 52-60. Joffrey Lauvergne and Lukas Lekavicius tried to change things for Zalgiris, but James and Bolomboy gave CSKA a 58-66 margin after 30 minutes. Lauvergne followed a floater with a dunk early in the fourth quarter and Milaknis added a layup to make it 64-66 after an 8-0 run. Clyburn and James combined for all the points in a 0-8 run that boosted CSKA's lead to double figures. Grigonis sank his fifth bomb from downtown and Walkup also buried a three-pointer to make it 70-76 with less than 4 minutes left. Clyburn insisted from downtown, but Grigonis and Rokas Jokubaitis kept the hosts within 76-79 in the next-to-last minute. Paulius Jankunas hit free throws, but James buried a step-back three-pointer that sealed the outcome, 78-82, with 43.2 seconds left.

### Pivotal performer

Mike James made the difference for CSKA in this game. He finished the game with 27 points on 3-of-5 two-point shooting, 5-of-6 from downtown and 6-of-6 on free throws. He added 5 assists and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 32.

### Game-changing moment

Zalgiris rallied to 64-66 early in the fourth quarter, but CSKA used long possessions and superb ball circulation to pull away. Clyburn beat the shot clock with a three-pointer and then James struck from downtown and added a driving layup at the end of another possession, giving CSKA a 64-74 lead and full control of the game.

### Stellar stat

It was a very balanced game that could have gone either way, but turnovers may have been the biggest difference. Zalgiris committed 14 while CSKA had just 9 giveaways. CSKA also had a slightly better two-point shooting percentage (55.9%, Zalgiris 50%).

### Did you know?

It was the teams' 25th showdown between them in the EuroLeague, since the turn of the millennium. CSKA now has a 22-3 record against Zalgiris. CSKA is 12-0 at home and 10-2 in Kaunas. Zalgiris bested CSKA in the 2018 EuroLeague Third Place Game in Belgrade, Serbia.

CSKA Moscow grabbed its fourth consecutive win by topping Zalgiris Kaunas 78-87 in Lithuania on Tuesday. 


Zalgiris Kaunas v CSKA Moscow (2020-11-17T18:00:00.000Z)

For seven years starting at age five, Zach Elias Auguste would come home from school each day in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while his mother was still working, and spend afternoons and evenings with his great-grandmother, Vasiliki. She was already in her 70s and barely spoke English, so young Zach was treated to his first lessons in her native language, Greek.

"To me, she was speaking in Greek the whole time," he recalls. "It would just be repetitiveness. She'd just give me commands like, 'Do you want some water? Do you want to go do this or go shower? Go wash your hands or anything.' So, I just start picking up on it and the more and more I was around her, the more I picked it up."

Flash forward about two decades and Auguste, a live-wire big man now starting his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stint with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, is rediscovering a big part of his heritage in the land of his great-grandmother. After four years at the University of Notre Dame, his pro career started with one season in Turkey before Panathinaikos signed him in 2017. It marked his first steps ever in Greece.

"When I finally got here, I'm like, wow, I'm so far from home but it's crazy because it felt like home because it just reminded me of my childhood," Auguste says.

During that childhood, Auguste not only learned to understand Greek from his family, but he also ate Greek food as a habit and attended a Greek church. All of that came flooding back to him in Athens.

"Hearing people speak Greek, seeing Greek food, being able to eat Greek food, having the experience and the culture here, it was just like it was... It was like a second home for me," he says. "So, it was such an easy transition. I didn't even miss home. Not at all. I just felt at home."

And unlike the vast majority of Americans, Auguste had been well aware from a young age of the great rivalry between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus.

"That's something that surrounded our family, you know Greek basketball, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos," he said. "They go back such a long time and that rivalry is such thing that, when you talk about basketball, those are the two teams that people really talked about. Actually, my high school coach played in Greece for a while. Of course, he's Greek and he went to high school with my mom. So me coming here, it kind of closed the circle."

With a Haitian father and a Greek mother, Auguste stood out in Massachusetts more than for his height, which eventually reached 2.08 meters.

"I was really stuck in between both cultures, including my American culture. I was just getting a mix of all three," he says. "At first, it was a little bit confusing because, you know, I was different. Most Greeks are Caucasian, obviously. And for me, with an African American dad, it was different. But the Greek culture embraced me, open arms. The church was like a second family for me growing up, so it was a great experience."

Once arrived in Athens four years ago, Auguste would stick out even more, as an African-American who hit the ground speaking some Greek already.

"When I would be in the street or I'd just be talking to somebody, and then, you know, I might just say something Greek to them. And they'd be like, 'Hold on. You're Greek?' And I'd say, 'Yeah.' It changed the dynamic," he says.

After playing sparingly for 14 games of the 2016-17 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Panathinaikos, Auguste went back to Turkey for two seasons with Galatasaray before returning to the Greens this summer. One of his missions now is to find time to perfect his Greek.

"I can speak about, I'd say, 50 percent Greek. But at the same time, it's a little bit different because my great-grandmother came from a village," he says. "She spoke the dialect of Attica, which is like a village type of Greek, versus the city type. So, when I first came here in 2017, I'd try to speak a little bit and I'd be nervous because my Greek wouldn't be that of the cities.

"I'm getting a lot better, I'm getting better consistency. Hopefully, this year I can try to get fluent, as long as I can start studying and stuff. That's a goal of mine."

Now 27, and a recent first-time father, another goal of Auguste's is to bring his young family to Greece and continue playing there as long as he can.

"It has everything you need, honestly: the weather is nice, it has the islands, the beaches, everything. The food is unbelievable. I wouldn't have any problem being here as long as my career lasts," says. "I even tell my family that I wouldn't even mind retiring here."

One of the many tattoos that Auguste sports is a direct connection to his Greek heritage.

"It's my great-grandmother's name, Vasiliki," he explains. "She passed away about six, seven years ago now. She had a major impact. She pretty much was like a second mother to me. She helped raise me and had a great impact on my childhood, my raising, my morals, my everything. That's why I honored her by getting a tattoo."

When Auguste is running the floor or skying for dunks, that particular tattoo can't be seen because of where it's placed – under his jersey, right beneath his heart.


Zach Auguste, a live-wire big man now starting his second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stint with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, is rediscovering a big part of his heritage in the land of his ancestors.

Zach Auguste, Panathinaikos: 'The Greek culture embraced me, open arms'

A back-and-forth battle went down to the wire on Friday before Real Madrid eked out a 67-73 victory on the court of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to extend its winning streak to three games.

Real outlasts Zvezda from long range

A back-and-forth battle went down to the wire on Friday before Real Madrid eked out a 67-73 victory on the court of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to extend its winning streak to three games. Real raised its record to 4-4 while denying the same to Zvezda, which fell to 3-5. Trey Thompkins led Real with 14 points while Anthony Randolph followed with 13 for the winners. Jordan Loyd had 22 points and Corey Walden 16 for Zvezda, which had led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and by 42-36 at halftime. With an 11-23 third quarter, Real rose to lead by a high of 8 points, at 46-54, but Zvezda whittled it down and went ahead 65-64 with 4 minutes left. Thompkins hit 2 triples while Zvezda went almost 4 minutes without scoring to settle the matter in the visitors' favor.



Ognjen Kuzmic scored 4 points and helped draw 2 quick fouls on Walter Tavares of Real, who took a seat within 2 minutes, after which Duop Reath, Loyd and Langston Hall quickly pushed Zvezda ahead 13. Loyd, Randolph and Corey Walden traded triples before Emanuel Terry's tip-in made it 21-8. Usman Garuba steadied Real before Jaycee Carroll and Thompkins drilled back-to-back threes at 21-19. Johnny O'Bryant stopped Zvezda's bleeding and Walden beat the buzzer from deep for a 26-21 Zvezda edge after 10 minutes. Loyd's 5 quick points led to a kept Zvezda in charge early in the second quarter and soon Reath and O'Bryant boosted the lead back to double digits, 38-27. Rudy Fernandez ended Real's nearly five-minute scoring drought from deep before Garuba and Campazzo hit their first baskets at 38-34. Dejan Davidovac's tip-in would send Zvezda to the half holding a 42-36 advantage.

Catch up on Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs Real Madrid highlights from Round 8 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 13th November 2020

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs Real Madrid Highlights - Round 8 - 13th November, 2020

Randolph hit a triple and Tavares slammed a lob pass before Sergio Llull drove for a go-ahead layup at 42-43 for Real's first lead early in the second half. Campazzo and Llull then connected from long range as the Real run hit 4-15 for a 46-51 lead. Randolph kept it going from the corner before Loyd sliced for a layup and buried a catch-and-shoot triple at 51-54. Alberto Abalde had the answer for Real on the third-quarter buzzer for a 53-59 lead. Loyd and Davidovac got to the basket to open the final quarter by pulling Zvezda within 57-59. Fernandez and Tavares pushed the difference to 59-64 but Terry and Loyd cut it quickly and Corey Walden supplied a new lead change at 65-64 with 4 minutes left. Out of a timeout, Real found Thompkins for triples on either side of the court to just as suddenly jump back in front, 65-70, a lead that lasted into the final minute and proved good enough for the victory.

### Turning point

Zvezda led by 13 in the first quarter and Real by 8 in the third, but then the hosts came back to re-take a 65-64 advantage with 4 minutes left. Out of a timeout, it took less than a minute for Trey Thompkins to nail mirror-image threes from either wing on stellar assists from Facundo Campazzo. Real's defense did the rest, holding Zvezda without any more point until 11 seconds remained, which was too late for another comeback.

### Inside-out game

The two teams took almost exactly opposite paths to their final scores. Zvezda shot 39 two-point shots at a 53.9% rate and 21 three-pointers, making just 5, for 23.8%. Real launched 39 threes and made 14, for 35.9%, while trying just 18 shots inside the arc, although making 11 of them, or 61.1%. Free throws were not a major factor, so those higher percentages paid off for Real in the end.

### Stellar stat

Real's 39 three-point tries were the team's second-highest total this century, exceeded only by the 40 attempted less than a year ago, on December 26, 2019, in a 75-87 road win at Panathinaikos OPAP Athens.

Randolph-005757.jpg

A back-and-forth battle went down to the wire on Friday before Real Madrid eked out a 67-73 victory on the court of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to extend its winning streak to three games.


Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v Real Madrid (2020-11-13T18:00:00.000Z)

Zenit St Petersburg registered its third win by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 53-66 at the Astroballe on Friday. 

Thomas leads Zenit to road win

Zenit St Petersburg registered its third win by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 53-66 at the Astroballe on Friday. Zenit improved to 3-1 while ASVEL dropped to 1-5. Will Thomas led the winners with 14 points, and Alex Poythress added 12. Charles Kahudi led ASVEL with 14 points while David Lighty and Moustapha Fall each added 10. Zenit led 11-12 after 10 minutes and extended it to 21-28 at halftime. ASVEL managed to get within 53-56 with under 3 minutes left, but Zenit finished the game with a 0-10 run, cruising to a well-deserved win.



Fall got ASVEL going with a layup-plus-foul. Kevin Pangos answered with a floater and followed Mateusz Ponitka's fast break basket with a layup that gave Zenit its first lead, 5-6. Kahudi struck from downtown but Arturas Gudaitis kept the guests in charge. Lighty stepped up with a fast break layup but KC Rivers made Zenit regain the lead, 11-12, after 10 minutes. Poythress found his first points early in the second quarter for a 13-16 Zenit lead. Billy Baron downed a triple but Lighty dunked and Rihards Lomasz sank a jumper. Austin Hollins came off the bench and immediately delivered back-to-back jumpers and an alley-oop slam, boosting Zenit's margin to 19-26. Hollins kept pacing the guests and an off-balance layup by Paul Lacombe fixed the halftime score at 21-28. 

Catch up on LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs Zenit St Petersburg highlights from Round 8 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 13th November 2020

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs Zenit St Petersburg Highlights - Round 8 - 13th November, 2020

Antoine Diot downed a close jumper soon after the break. Gudaitis stepped up for Zenit but Fall and Lighty kept ASVEL within 28-32. Thomas scored down low but Kahudi did better with a three-pointer. Ponitka answered from beyond the arc, getting help from Gudaitis to give Zenit fresh air at 33-40. Thomas followed a layup with a turnaround jumper but Lomasz and Lighty gave ASVEL hope, 37-44, after 30 minutes. Lacombe downed a jumper early in the fourth quarter but Thomas and Poythress boosted their team's margin to 39-47. Lomasz swished a three-pointer and Fall added a jump hook to bring the hosts as close as 44-47. Poythress hit a jumper and Baron bettered Fall's close basket with a triple. Kahudi struck twice from beyond the arc but Thomas took over with a dunk-and-foul and Ponitka gave Zenit a 52-56 edge with 3 minutes left. Fall split free throws and Thomas downed a turnaround jumper that made it a five-point game, 53-58, before Pangos and Poythress sealed the outcome from the foul line.

### Pivotal performer

Will Thomas played great defense down low and stepped up on offense in the second half, hitting all the shots Zenit needed to win the game. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 two-pointers, adding 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 24.

### Game-changing moment

ASVEL managed to get within 53-56 near the end but Zenit did not panic. Thomas hit a critical turnaround jumper, igniting a final 0-10 run in which Alex Poythress had 4 points, including a one-handed slam. By the time Billy Baron capped this run with a three-pointer, everything was said and done already.

### Stellar stat

Two-point shots made the difference in this low-scoring game. Zenit hit 19-of-28 shots inside the arc for its best two-point shooting percentage this season (67.9%). ASVEL only hit 16-of-39 two-point shots (41%) and picked up 19 turnovers. Zenit had 12 steals, a new club record in the EuroLeague.

### Did you know?

ASVEL's 53 points are its worst scoring mark in the EuroLeague in over a decade, and its third worst in competition history. It previously scored 44 points against Efes Pilsen on November 12, 2003, and was limited to 52 against Zalgiris Kaunas on October 21, 2009.

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Zenit St Petersburg registered its third win by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 53-66 at the Astroballe on Friday. 


LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Zenit St Petersburg (2020-11-13T19:45:00.000Z)

A stunning performance from Vasilije Micic gave Anadolu Efes Istanbul a comeback 77-80 victory over Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in a highly competitive showdown on Friday night. 

Sensational Micic leads Efes to comeback win in Athens

A stunning performance from Vasilije Micic gave Anadolu Efes Istanbul a comeback 77-80 victory over Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in a highly competitive showdown on Friday night. Panathinaikos led for almost the entirety of the first half, protecting a series of small leads with determined defense and robust rebounding. But Micic inspired an Efes turnaround in the second half, scoring 12 points in 6 minutes after the break to give his team a lead which rose to double-digits and was never overcome. Micic finished with a career-high 33 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and Krunoslav Simon (12 points) was the only other Efes player to score in double figures. New signing Shelvin Mack led Panathinaikos with 18 points, while Georgios Papagiannis scored 16 on 7-of-8 field goal shooting. Ioannis Papapetrou scored 12 points and Aaron White added 11. Efes improves to 4-3, while Panathinaikos drops to 2-4.



Papagiannis started on fire with a block and a driving score, and Papapetrou’s three-pointer kept Efes ahead. Micic scored twice for a 7-7 tie, but Marcus Foster and Papapetrou responded for Panathinaikos. Tibor Pleiss hit a baby hook and Howard Sant-Roos and Simon netted from deep, before Papapetrou stayed hot with a mid-range floater and White dunked for 18-14. Micic drove to layup and Pleiss made free throws for another tie, but Dinos Mitoglou’s putback helped make it 22-21 at the end of the first. Mitoglou scored again from close range to open the second quarter, and Mack’s triple extended the lead to 27-21. Bugrahan Tuncer responded from deep but Mitoglou’s reverse and Papagiannis’s alley-oop layup kept the host ahead, 31-26. Dogus Balbay kept Efes close in penetration and from deep, before Tuncer and Balbay again both burst to the basket to layup for 35-33. Mack struck another triple and Papagiannis drained a long two, but Micic beat the half-time buzzer from deep to make it 40-36 at the break. 

Catch up on Panathinaikos OPAP Athens vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul highlights from Round 8 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 13th November 2020

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul Highlights - Round 8 - 13th November, 2020

Micic was a one-man team early in the second half, scoring twice inside and once from deep, but White’s dunk and free throws kept the host in front, 46-43. Micic penetrated to score yet again, and then hit from deep for a 48-50 lead. Mack scored twice to reignite Panathinaikos, but the unstoppable Micic nailed another triple and Adrien Moerman’s layup made it 54-59 with ten minutes left. Balbay and – inevitably – Micic extended the lead early in the fourth, and Simon’s floater made it 55-65. White, Eleftherios Bochoridis and Papapetrou scored inside to keep Panathinaikos hoping at 61-67, but a three-point play from Simon kept Efes safe. White drained a triple, but James Anderson stepped up with two scores. Mack pulled it back to 69-75 inside the last two minutes, but Moerman’s hook and Anderson’s layup were just enough to seal the deal as the final seconds were played out with a series of free throws and Papapetrou missed from the halfway line on the buzzer.

### Beaubois joins list of Efes absentees

Already without star shooter Shane Larkin, Efes was dealt another early blow in the backcourt when Rodrigue Beaubois collided with Marcus Foster and suffered a deep cut to the face. The French guard did not return, but Micic’s heroics made sure that didn’t matter in the end.

### Long losing sequence broken

The victory broke a long losing sequence in Athens for Efes. The Turkish team had not won at Panathinaikos since 2006, losing ten consecutive games in the process.

### Host controls the glass

Panathinaikos came into the game as the league’s best rebounding team and lived up to that billing, winning the battle of the boards 37-29 including 12 on the offensive end.

### Mack makes strong debut

Panathinaikos gave a debut to new signing Shelvin Mack, and the former AX Armani Exchange Milan guard made an impressive start by draining a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter. He finished with a team-high and personal best 18 points.

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A stunning performance from Vasilije Micic gave Anadolu Efes Istanbul a comeback 77-80 victory over Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in a highly competitive showdown on Friday night. 

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2020-11-13T19:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich continued its fantastic start to the season by battling with Valencia Basket before finally pulling away late for a 90-79 victory. 

Bayern marches on to first win over Valencia

FC Bayern Munich continued its fantastic start to the season by battling with Valencia Basket before finally pulling away late for a 90-79 victory. Bayern closed the game on an 11-1 run over the final 2:30 minutes to improve to 6-2 with six wins in the last seven games. Vladimir Lucic collected 22 points, 7 rebounds and a career high index rating of 35 while Paul Zipser poured in 20 points. JaJuan Johnson picked up career bests of 17 points and 8 rebounds and Malcolm Thomas chipped in 11 points as Bayern beat Valencia for the first time. Valencia dropped to 4-3 despite Klemen Prepelic tallying 18 points and 5 assists, and Bojan Dubljevic scoring 12 points.



Johnson got the hosts on the board first but Valencia followed with the next 9 points – 4 from teenager Jaime Pradilla - to go up 2-9. The Bayern defense stepped up, allowing just one basket in the next 5 minutes while Lucic tallied six points in a 16-2 run which also included a Johnson three-point play and a Thomas triple to go ahead 18-11. Fernando San Emeterio came off the Valencia bench to stop the drought with 5 straight points and Bayern’s lead was 21-18 after 10 minutes. Louis Labeyrie and Derrick Williams came up big early in the second quarter as Valencia moved ahead 26-27. Nick Weiler-Babb punched right back with a three-pointer for Bayern, which also got 4 points from Thomas to stay ahead until Prepelic picked up 5 straight points for a 37-39 lead at the break.

Catch up on FC Bayern Munich vs Valencia Basket highlights from Round 8 of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, 13th November 2020

FC Bayern Munich vs Valencia Basket Highlights - Round 8 - 13th November, 2020

Lucic twice - once from deep - evened the game early in the second half with a Johnson jumper making it 44-42. Dubljevic answered with four points and Prepelic added a three-point play as Valencia moved ahead 46-49. After a Bayern timeout, Weiler-Babb nailed a triple, Zipser followed with a four-point play and the hosts were up 53-51. The push continued with a Jalen Reynolds three-point play and a Zipser three-pointer to open some daylight, 61-55. Valencia trimmed the gap to 62-60 after 30 minutes, and San Emeterio opened the final frame to even the score. But Bayern put together a 10-5 surge with Lucic picking up four points for a 72-67 advantage midway through the quarter. Williams responded with two foul shots and a three-point play and Dubljevic’s free throws knotted it at 74-74. With the score 79-78 with under 3 minutes left, Zan Sisko hit a driving layup followed by Lucic adding a steal and dunk and a three-point dagger to make it 86-78 with 77 seconds left. The only point Bayern allowed the final 2:30 minutes was a free throw after a technical on the Munich bench as Bayern finished strong for the win.

### Bayern’s first win over Valencia

Bayern finally broke through to secure its first victory over Valencia. The Spanish club won both games in the EuroLeague last season and also beat Bayern twice in the EuroCup Eighthfinals in 2015.

### Did you notice?

The starting lineups of the teams featured two teenagers. Bayern’s Sasha Grant, who won’t turn 19 until next February, started his second straight game and played 2:50 minutes without registering any statistics. Meanwhile Valencia head coach Jaume Ponsarnua gave the 19-year-old Jaime Pradilla his first start in the EuroLeague and he picked up 4 points and 1 rebound in 11:27 minutes.

### Telling numbers

Valencia came into the game with the fewest turnovers in the league with just 11.0 per game, but Bayern forced the Spanish side into 18 turnovers. Valencia was also held to just 25.0% on three-pointers while Bayern drained 52.6% from long range.

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FC Bayern Munich continued its fantastic start to the season by battling with Valencia Basket before finally pulling away late for a 90-79 victory. 


FC Bayern Munich v Valencia Basket (2020-11-13T19:30:00.000Z)