Alec Peters, Baskonia: 'See you guys back in the court'

FC Barcelona bounced back from last week's loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Valencia Basket 66-71 at La Fonteta on Tuesday. 

Barcelona rallies to triumph in Valencia

FC Barcelona bounced back from last week's loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Valencia Basket 66-71 at La Fonteta on Tuesday. Both teams now have 2-1 records in the standings. Rolands Smits led the winners with 15 points, Nick Calathes added 14, Brandon Davies and Alex Abrines each had 11 and Cory Higgins scored 10 for Barcelona, which was without star forward Nikola Mirotic. Nikola Kalinic and Bojan Dubljevic led Valencia with 13 points apiece. A 0-16 run that bridged the final two quarters allowed Barcelona to take control of the game for good.



Smits got Barcelona going with a layup, but Dubljevic and Derrick Williams soon gave Valencia its first lead, 4-2. Smiths buried a triple and added a running hook, but Dubljevic singlehandedly kept the hosts ahead, 11-9. Klemen Prepelic followed a fast-break layup with a floater and Higgins and Williams traded three-pointers. Calathes kept the guests close at 19-16 after 10 minutes. Abrines tied the game with a bomb from downtown early in the second quarter. Fernando San Emeterio answered from beyond the arc and Mike Tobey matched Calathes's coast-to-coast basket with a layup for a 24-21 Valencia lead. Louis Labeyrie joined the three-point shootout and Sam Van Rossom added a layup, but Smits and Davies brought Barcelona within 29-26. Labeyrie chipped in with a put-back basket and Guillem Vives scored twice in penetration, prompting the guests to call timeout at 35-31. Davies scored down low to fix the halftime score at 35-33.

Back-to-back baskets by Calathes gave Barcelona the lead soon after the break. Vives downed a three-pointer and Kalinic scored off a blocked shot for a 40-37 Valencia edge. Davies and Victor Claver rescued Barcelona and Calathes scored in transition for a 42-43 Barcelona lead. Williams dunked, but Abrines followed a three-pointer with a jumper. Pierre Oriola, Smits and Claver each scored in the paint to make it a double-digit game, 44-54, after 30 minutes. Abrines downed another three-pointer early in the fourth quarter and Oriola dunked to break the game open, 44-59, after a 0-16 run. Van Rossom and Vanja Marinkovic tried to change things for Valencia and Dubjevic capped a 7-0 run with a floater. Calathes scored again and a three-point play by Davies seemed to seal the outcome, 53-64. Kalinic had other ideas, however, as he singlehandedly brought Valencia within 60-66 with less than 3 minutes left. Davies scored down low and Adam Hanga added free throws that sealed a tough road win.

### Pivotal performer

Rolands Smits stepped up in Nikola Mirotic's absence with a career-best performance. Smiths, the 7DAYS EuroCup Rising Star award winner for the 2016-17 season, finished the game with a personal-best 15 points and no missed shots - 3-of-3 shooting inside the arc, 3-of-3 from downtown. He added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 23, also a new career-high.

### Game-changing moment

A fast-break dunk by Williams gave Valencia its last lead, 44-43. Barcelona found a go-to guy in Abrines, who scored half of the points in a 0-16 run which he opened with a triple and a jumper. By the time Oriola dunked, Barcelona led 44-59 and was well on its way to a well-deserved victory.

### Stellar stat

Barcelona shot the ball a little bit better inside the arc and that allowed it to win the game. Barcelona made 23 of 35 two-point shots (65.7%) and limited Valencia to 18-of-34 shooting on attempts inside the arc (52.9%). Calathes made 7 two-point shots, which was more than in Rounds 1 and 2 combined (5).

### Did you notice?

Barcelona went to the foul line for the first time with 4:25 left in the game - on a three-point play by Davies. It ended up making 4 free throws, its lowest since sinking 3 in Game 5 of the 2019 Playoffs against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on May 1.

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FC Barcelona bounced back from last week's loss in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague by downing Valencia Basket 66-71 at La Fonteta on Tuesday. 


Valencia Basket v FC Barcelona (2020-10-13T19:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas remained perfect on the season with its third straight road win on Tuesday, 69-75 over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.

 Zalgiris leaves Belgrade with perfect record intact

Zalgiris Kaunas remained perfect on the season with its third straight road win on Tuesday, 69-75 over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Zalgiris became the first team to ream three wins while dropping Zvezda to 1-2. The Lithuanian champs kept Zvezda to just 2 points in the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter and held on late for their third straight win on the road. Lukas Lekavicius came off the bench for 16 points on near-perfect shooting to lead the winners and Joffrey Lauvergne returned from a one-game hiatus to post 12 points and 8 rebounds. Jordan Loyd paced the Zvezda attack with 19 points and Dejan Davidovac and Corey Walden netted 11 points apiece.



Round 2 MVP Loyd remained hot with a three-pointer for the game's first points. A Marius Grigonus layup was all Zalgiris could musted in the game's first 5 minutes as the hosts raced to a 9-2 start. Teenager Rokas Jokubaitis came off the Zalgiris bench to hit a jumper and assist on a Lekavicius triple that rallied the visitors to tie it at 11-11. Paulius Jankunas free throws gave Zalgiris its first lead, 14-15, but Zvezda came right back through Langston Hall and the score was tied at 19-19 after 10 minutes. Ognjen Kuzmic got going for the hosts to jump ahead 26-23 before Steve Vasturia responded for Zalgiris to take a 29-30 advantage. Lauvergne had 3 offensive rebounds on a single possession before converting a three-point play to make it 31-36. Martinas Geben scored 3 points and blocked a shot in the final minute of the half to leave Zalgiris with a 33-39 cushion at halftime.

A three by Nigel Hayes to start the second half gave Zalgiris its biggest lead of the night, but Davidovac scored 8 in a 10-0 run as Zvezda surged ahead 43-42. The lead switched hands several times over the ensuing minutes with Lauvergne and then Loyd playing big roles. A one-legged fadeaway jumper by Augustine Rubit lifted Zalgiris in front 60-62 at the end of the third quarter. Zvezda was held without a basket in the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter while Jokubaitis drilled a three to make it 62-69. Zvezda turned things around, keeping Zalgiris without a point for more than 5 minutes before a jumper by Hall got Zvezda within 2. Zalgiris made 6 free throws without a miss in the final minute to hold on for the victory.

### Pivotal player

Thomas Walkup had a tough night; he was limited by foul trouble and did not score in his 14 minutes on the floor. Zalgiris turned to Rokas Jokubaitis in his place and the teenager went wild with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in a brilliant effort. He shined early to help Zalgiris turn around a first-quarter deficit and later drilled a big three-pointer in the fourth quarter that put his team up 7.

### Telling numbers

Zalgiris committed 15 turnovers and collected just 3 steals, which could make it tough to win on the road. However, the visitors dominated the glass, outrebounding Zvezda 25-36. Four Zalgiris played contributed at least 5 rebounds: Joffrey Lauvergne had 8, Rokas Jokubaitis 6 and Nigel Hayes and rebounding king Paulius Jankunas grabbed 5 each.

Zalgiris Kaunas remained perfect on the season with its third straight road win on Tuesday, 69-75 over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.


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Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v Zalgiris Kaunas (2020-10-13T17:00:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul picked up its first victory of the season in its third attempt with a comfortable 72-93 road triumph at ALBA Berlin, which remains winless at 0-3. 

Micic, Pleiss lead Efes past ALBA

Anadolu Efes Istanbul picked up its first victory of the season in its third attempt with a comfortable 72-93 road triumph at ALBA Berlin, which remains winless at 0-3. Efes raced into an early double-digit lead through a 0-12 run and never looked like relinquishing it, especially after Bryant Dunston came off the bench to score 11 points in the second quarter. ALBA initially kept itself alive through a flurry of three-point shooting, but that couldn’t be maintained and Efes cruised home. Vasilije Micic led the Efes offense superbly to claim a double-double of 13 points and a joint career-high 13 assists, while Tibor Pleiss top-scored with 23 points. Dunston netted 13 points in just 12 minutes and added 3 blocked shots, while Chris Singleton (10) and Krunoslav Simon (10) also registered double digits. Markus Eriksson led ALBA’s scoring with 13 points and Niels Giffey added 12 points while Jayson Granger dished 8 assists in defeat.



Micic opened the scoring with a mid-range jumper and Pleiss doubled the lead from close range. Eriksson and Singleton traded triples before Pleiss stayed hot with 4 consecutive points and Micic’s layup made it a double-digit margin, 3-13. James Anderson added a three-point play before Eriksson ended the 0-12 run with a three. Rodrigue Beaubois and Luke Sikma also struck from distance before Ben Lammers finally scored ALBA’s first two-pointer in transition. Micic and Maodo Lo struck from distance before Anderson added another three and a fastbreak dunk to make it 14-29 after 10 minutes. Lammers and Giffey were on target from deep at the start of the second frame, but two tough scores by Dunston kept Efes well ahead. Bugrahan Tuncer from deep and Adrien Moerman off a steal added to the lead, 22-39. Dunston continued to dominate with a blocked shot and three more close-range baskets before Pleiss and Simon took Efes past the half-century mark. Another Eriksson triple made it 35-53 at the break.

Eriksson and Sikma brought ALBA closer straight after the break, but Anderson and Beaubois reignited Efes from deep. Lo was the next to strike from beyond the arc, but Dunston returned to score immediately and keep the lead at 45-64. Simon and Beaubois netted from beyond the arc and Giffey scored twice from close range to make it 55-70 after three quarters. Pleiss made a three-point play and had an alley-oop layup to protect his team’s lead and Simon’s three-pointer helped make it 64-80 midway through the fourth as ALBA battled hard but couldn’t put together the run it needed to stage a comeback. Two more scores from Pleiss after Micic assists made sure there was no doubt and the lead steadily grew in the latter stages.

### Defense shows Efes the way

Efes got on track for victory through defense, limiting ALBA to just one field goal in the opening 5 minutes. Efes had 2 steals, 1 blocked shot and 4 defensive rebounds during that strong opening on D.

### Accurate shooting sets the tone

The visiting team also started well on offense, making 8 of its first 9 field goal attempts including three-pointers from three different players: Chris Singleton, Rodrigue Beaubois and Vasilije Micic. Efes couldn’t maintain that pace, but finished with strong shooting percentages of 25-of-40 shooting on two-pointers (62.5%) and 10-of-20 on threes (50%).

### Hot and cold from ALBA

ALBA initially kept itself in contention through outstanding three-point shooting, making 8 of its first 11 attempts from beyond the arc. At the same time, though, the home team only converted 1 of 11 two-pointers, allowing Efes to establish a big lead.

### Debut for Gazi

With his team comfortably ahead, Efes coach Ergin Ataman took the chance to give a EuroLeague debut to 23-year-old point guard Erten Gazi. The Fordham University graduate immediately made a mark with a fastbreak assist to Adrien Moerman.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul picked up its first victory of the season in its third attempt with a comfortable 72-93 road triumph at ALBA Berlin, which remains winless at 0-3. 


ALBA Berlin v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2020-10-13T18:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas hit 13 three-pointers to register an 70-84 victory over undermanned host Khimki Moscow Region in a rare Saturday night game to complete Round 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Zalgiris holds off depleted Khimki

Zalgiris Kaunas hit 13 three-pointers to register an 70-84 victory over undermanned host Khimki Moscow Region in a rare Saturday night game to complete Round 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Its second straight road win gave Zalgiris a 2-0 record for the first time in eight years as it joined four other unbeaten teams in first place after two rounds. Khimki, with only eight players available due to injury and COVID-19, dropped to 0-2. The hosts, built a nine-point lead early behind Jonas Jerebko, but Zalgiris caught fire early in the second quarter and pulled away for good. Zalgiris pulled into halftime on a 6-24 run and then opened the third with 4-17 push to build an unsurmountable lead midway through the third quarter. Khimki fought until the end, cutting the difference from a high of 21 to 7 points with under 5 minutes left, before Zalgiris resumed its three-point sniping and shut the door. Marius Grigonis led Zalgiris with 21 points on 5-for-8 three-point shooting. Nigel Hayes added 15 points, Arturas Milaknis 14 and Augustine Rubit 12 points for the winners. For Khimki, Jerebko finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Devin Booker added 14 points, Vladislav Odinokov 11 and Vyacheslav Zaytsev 10. Khimki was missing Alexey Shved, Stefan Jovic, Jordan Mickey and Janis Timma, among others.



Khimki started hot, with Sergey Monia and Sergey Karasev each hitting a triple to fuel a 9-2 game-opening run. Zalgiris struggled on offense, with Grigonis and Rokas Jokubaitis scoring tough buckets before Milaknis knocked down a three-pointer to close the gap to 13-11. Jerebko answered with a three of his own to help Khimki stay ahead 20-17 after one quarter. Jerebko scored 6 points in less than 2 minutes to open the second quarter, increasing the lead to 26-17. However, Zalgiris found its range against Khimki's zone defense, with Grigonis, Thomas Walkup and Milaknis each connecting from long range to get the visitors within 28-26. Zalgiris also stepped up on defense, pressuring Khimki's playmakers deep on their own half court, and continued their offensive charge with Walkup running the offense. Augustine Rubit and Nigel Hayes scored inside before triples by Milaknis and Steve Vasturia made it 32-41 at halftime. 

Zalgiris kept its foot on the gas pedal early in the third as Grigonis sandwiched 2 triples around one from Hayes for a sudden 34-54. Another triple from Hayes extended the margin to 21 points, the largest lead of the night, before Odinokov hit a three-pointer for Khimki, followed it with a layup, then knocked down another three at 46-61. Jumpers from Lukas Lekavicius and Rubit gave Zalgiris 48-67 advantage after 30 minutes, but the hosts had no intention of giving up. Their zone defense finally stalled Zalgiris, while Zaytsev hit a pair of runners and Booker scored inside during an 8-0 run that trimmed the margin to 56-67. A Grigonis triple snapped Zalgiris drought of more than 4 minutes without a basket, but Odinokov answered with his third triple to help. When Booker dunked, it was suddenly 63-70 with 4:18 to play. After a Zalgiris timeout, however, Milaknis answered from the corner and Grigonis added own triple before a fastbreak layup from Hayes restored a 65-78 lead with 3 minutes left, putting an end to Khimki's hopes.

### Key run

It took a while for Zalgiris to click on offense, but once they did, the visitors quickly put together a 4-19 run to pull away. Zalgiris scored 16 points in the first 12 minutes and 19 in the following 6. The visitors made 3 of 4 two-pointers and 4 of 5 triples over that six-minute span.

### Good start

This is the first time that Zalgiris has started the regular season with two wins since the 2012-13 season, when it started 5-0. This is also the first time in six attempts that Zalgiris has downed Khimki on the road.

### Double-digit debut

Vladislav Odinokov made the best of his opportunity. Khimki's 20-year old forward got a chance to make his EuroLeague debut and in 18 minutes netted 11 points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting.

### Saturday clash

The game took place 24 hours later than it was originally planned, after one Zalgiris and several Khimki players tested positive for COVID-19.

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Zalgiris Kaunas hit 13 three-pointers to register an 70-84 victory over undermanned host Khimki Moscow Region in a rare Saturday night game to complete Round 2 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.


Khimki Moscow Region v Zalgiris Kaunas (2020-10-10T17:00:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich was carried by a big second quarter to its first victory of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, knocking off ALBA Berlin 72-90 to also grab bragging rights domestically in a clash of German teams.

Second quarter carries Bayern to first win

FC Bayern Munich was carried by a big second quarter to its first victory of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, knocking off ALBA Berlin 72-90 to also grab bragging rights domestically in a clash of German teams. Nick Weiler-Babb led the way with 15 points and 4 assists for Bayern, which took the second quarter 9-31 to improve its record to 1-1. Vladimir Lucic and Wade Baldwin both added 14 points for Bayern with Jalen Reynolds chipping in 12 points. ALBA remain winless despite Marcus Eriksson picking up 15 points and Jayson Granger adding 10 points and 6 assists.

In the first-ever EuroLeague showdown between ALBA coach Aito Garcia Reneses and Bayern’s Andrea Trinchieri, Simone Fontecchio scored the first 4 points for the hosts before Leon Radosevic scored twice at the other end to make it 6-6. Fontecchio’s next basket was a three-pointer for a 13-6 lead. Reynolds and Lucic both converted three-point plays and Paul Zipser drained a three-pointer to give Bayern its first lead, 18-19. Granger responded with a pair of triples as ALBA led 27-21 after 10 minutes. Niels Giffey scored early in the second quarter, but the hosts could not get anything going after that. Baldwin tallied five points and Nihad Dedovic and Weiler-Babb both hit three-pointers as Bayern reeled off a 0-16 run for a 29-39 lead. Luke Sikma finally stopped ALBA’s drought after nearly 5 minutes, but Bayern just kept going with Weiler-Babb and Lucic hitting triples. The advantage grew to 19 points at 33-52 before Peyton Siva's three-pointer at the buzzer sent the teams into the break with Bayern ahead 36-52. 

Lucic gave Bayern the perfect start to the second half with a three-pointer and Baldwin’s jumper increased the cushion to 21 points. Jonas Mattisseck nailed a three-pointer and Ben Lammers converted a three-point play to trim the margin to 44-61, but the guests remained unstoppable with TJ Bray’s triple pushing the gap to 44-67. Giffey and Eriksson hit from long range for ALBA to move within 52-67, and Lammers scored early in the fourth for ALBA but the home side then went scoreless while Weiler-Babb and Baldwin’s three-point play made it 58-82. Eriksson tried to get the hosts back with two three-pointers but Weiler-Babb and Lucic hit from outside and ALBA could not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way.

### Balance and depth

Bayern showed balance and depth in the game with four players in double figures while 11 of the 12 players on the team scored in the game.

### Telling numbers

Bayern connected on 68.4% of its 2-point shots as well as 47.4% on three-pointers. The guests also won the rebounding battle 32 to 19, with Bayern grabbing 7 offensive rebounds to just 4 for ALBA.

### Bayern undefeated against ALBA in EuroLeague

This game was just the second between Bayern and ALBA in the EuroLeague, with Bayern improving to 2-0 after having knocked off ALBA 76-77 in overtime in the German capital last December, when Vladimir Lucic scored all of his 19 points in the second half and overtime.

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FC Bayern Munich was carried by a big second quarter to its first victory of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, knocking off ALBA Berlin 72-90 to also grab bragging rights domestically in a clash of German teams. 


ALBA Berlin v FC Bayern Munich (2020-10-09T18:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus led from start to finish in downing its arch-rival Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 71-78 on the road in the Greek capital on Friday night.

 Reds hold on for Greek derby win

Olympiacos Piraeus led from start to finish in downing its arch-rival Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 71-78 on the road in the Greek capital on Friday night. Both teams now hold 1-1 records in the young Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. Olympiacos opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter, and led by as many as 15 in the second. Panathinaikos started charging back late in the third, but the Reds never allowed the hosts closer than 4 points. Georgios Printezis led the victory by scoring 17 points in 20 minutes. Shaquielle McKissic was the only other Olympiacos player in double figures with 10 points, while Ocatvius Ellis pulled down 13 rebounds. Marcus Foster paced Panathinaikos with 15 points, and Ioannis Papapetrou scored 14 in a losing effort.



It took a while for the teams to get going. Printezis scored twice from close range to kickstart the visitors, while Panathinaikos needed almost 5 minutes to open their scoring. The Reds continued to pull away with McKissic and Kostas Sloukas feeding big men Ellis and Hassan Martin inside, and Printezis outside to make it 7-19. Zach Auguste replied with 5 quick points for the hosts, but Vassilis Spanoulis ended the first quarter with a triple, and Charles Jenkins hit from downtown to open the second, making it 12-25. Foster drove to score and Papapetrou hit from long range for Panathinaikos, but Sasha Vezenkov had some timely offensive boards, before Spanoulis and Jenkins drove to the basket to open a 18-33 lead. The Greens' cut into the lead with Foster's three-point play and Leonidas Kaselakis adding 4 points, and after Vezenkov knocked down a three-pointer, Aaron White and Kaselakis struck to make it 35-44 at halftime.

A three from Foster and a pair of close-range baskets from Papapetrou cut it to 42-48 early in the third, but the visitors answered with a 0-7 run, capped by two clever Printezis close-range baskets, before a triple from Sloukas made it 44-58 midway through the third. But Papapetrou put urgency into the hosts, Foster hit a triple, before Howard Sant-Roos and Nemanja Nedovic had fastbreak dunks in the last 20 seconds of the quarter to cut the gap to 57-62. Panathinaikos got closer with a put-back dunk from Sant-Roos, 60-64. However, McKissic strung together 6 points to restore a double-digit margin with just over 3 minutes remaining. Nedovic gave the Greens some hope with a triple and a driving layup, getting the hosts within 69-73 and 2 minutes left in the game. But Aaron Harrison answered with a runner, and the Greens never got closer the rest of the way.

### Key stat

Olympiacos did not shoot well from long range, making just 18.5% (5-for-27), but the Reds did convert 63.2% of their two-point shots. Georgios Printezis, Hassan Martin and Octavius Ellis combined to shoot 14-for-16 from close range.

### Vezenkov steps up

Sasha Vezenkov had an important role in the Olympiacos win as he finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds – including 4 offensive boards – and 2 steals in a strong performance.

### Reds enjoy derby edge

This was the seventh Olympiacos win in the last 10 Greek derbies, and the first road win in this rivalry since March 2018.

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Olympiacos Piraeus led from start to finish in downing its arch-rival Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 71-78 on the road in the Greek capital on Friday night.


Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v Olympiacos Piraeus (2020-10-09T18:00:00.000Z)

In a thriller that went down to the final minute, Zenit St Petersburg remained undefeated through two games by edging FC Barcelona 74-70 at Yubileyny Sports Palace on Friday. 

Zenit rallies past Barcelona

In a thriller that went down to the final minute, Zenit St Petersburg remained undefeated through two games by edging FC Barcelona 74-70 at Yubileyny Sports Palace on Friday. Zenit improved to 2-0 in the standings while Barcelona dropped to 1-1. Billy Baron and Alex Poythress led the winners with 16 points apiece. Kevin Pangos added 15, KC Rivers had 11 while Will Thomas got 10 for Zenit. Nikola Mirotic led Barcelona with 14 points while Alex Abrines had 11. Barcelona led 63-68 but Zenit improved its defense during crunch time, in which Pangos, Poythress and Rivers made the difference down the stretch.



Nick Calathes and Mirotic got Barcelona going with consecutive backdoor layups, then Cory Higgins and Abrines each struck from downtown for a 2-10 lead. Poythress and Pangos stepped up for Zenit and Baron buried a triple to make it 9-14. Victor Claver scored down low and Calathes added a three-pointer to give Barcelona a double-digit advantage, 9-19. Baron scored in penetration while Poythress dunked and Pangos buried one from the arc as Zenit stayed within 16-19 after 10 minutes. Brandon Davies took over with a layup-plus-free throw early in the second quarter for Barcelona, but Baron and Andrey Zubkov kept the hosts close at 20-22. Davies kept pacing Barcelona and Calathes scored around the basket for a 20-27 lead. Baron nailed a three-pointer and Pangos bettered Adam Hanga's put-back dunk with a three-point play to keep Zenit within 26-29. Leo Bolmaro responded with a driving layup for the visitors, but Poythress soon ignited the crowd with a one-handed alley-oop dunk and Pangos scored again. Nonetheless, Thomas Heurtel and Claver kept the guests ahead, 35-38, at halftime.

Poythress dunked again soon after the break before Abrines answered from downtown for a 37-41 Barcelona lead. Rivers beat the shot clock with a triple for Zenit and Baron added a driving layup but Mirotic and Higgins kept the guests in charge, 42-45. Abrines insisted from beyond the arc, getting help from Davies and Higgins to restore a 47-54 Barcelona lead. Poythress kept pacing Zenit and Baron hit a floater that brought Zenit as close as 54-55 after 30 minutes. A jumper by Mateusz Ponitka gave Zenit its first lead, 56-55, early in the fourth quarter. Mirotic banked in a close shot and fed Claver for a three-pointer that gave Barcelona fresh air at 56-60. Ponitka scored again and Thomas sank a triple, keeping the hosts as close as 63-64. Mirotic and Rolands Smits each scored around the basket but Zenit found a go-to guy in Rivers, who struck twice from beyond the arc in an 8-0 run that put the hosts ahead, 71-68, with over 3 minutes left. Mirotic scored down low but free throws by Pangos and Thomas sealed the outcome down the stretch.

### Pivotal performer

Poythress showed the entire competition what he is capable of, finishing the game with 16 points on 7-for-12 two-point shooting plus 2-for-2 free throws, adding 11 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks for a PIR of 22. Poythress was all over the place.

### Game-changing moment

Barcelona led 63-68 but Zenit was far from being done. Rivers buried a wild step-back three-pointer and, after Poythress scored around the basket, did it again to cap a 8-0 run, giving Zenit the lead for good, 71-68. Great defense allowed Zenit to finish the job.

### Stellar stat

Zenit outrebounded Barcelona by 33-25 and only allowed its opponents to pull down 5 offensive boards. Zenit did a bit better from downtown, hitting 8-of-21 three-point shots (38.1%) and limiting Barcelona to just 7-of-23 (30.4%).

### Did you know?

It was Davies's 100th EuroLeague career game. He finished it with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 fouls drawn. Davies, who never missed a game due to injury in his four seasons in the competition, now has a 61-39 career record, amassing 1,112 points and 429 rebounds.

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In a thriller that went down to the final minute, Zenit St Petersburg remained undefeated through two games by edging FC Barcelona 74-70 at Yubileyny Sports Palace on Friday.  


Zenit St Petersburg v FC Barcelona (2020-10-09T17:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade eased to its first victory of the season by blasting aside TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with a 90-73 home win. 

Loyd powers Zvezda past Baskonia

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade eased to its first victory of the season by blasting aside TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with a 90-73 home win. A hard-fought first half saw the host maintain a slender advantage through tough defense, but it soon became a different game as Zvezda scored the first 8 points of the second half to move into a double-digit lead. It was never close again and the result leaves both teams with a 1-1 record. Jordan Loyd led the way with a career-high 30 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, and Marko Simonovic added 4 triples in his total of 16 points. Langston Hall orchestrated the home team’s offense with 11 assists, and Ognjen Kuzmic approached a double-double with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Rokas Giedraitis shone for Baskonia with a personal best 26 points on 6-of-11 three-point shooting, Luca Vildoza added 13 and Achille Polonara scored 10.



Loyd’s deep strike and a driving layup from Simonovic opened the scoring, and Kuzmic kept Zvezda flowing. Baskonia’s first field goal finally came from Giedritis’s fastbreak layup, but Loyd’s mid-range jumper made it 9-4. Polonara struck from deep and then inside to briefly tie the game, before 4 straight points from Corey Walden and threeballs from Duop Reath and Ognjen Dobric moved Zvezda back in front, 19-11. Vildoza struck from deep and Pierria Henry scored off a steal, but Hall beat the first quarter buzzer to make it 23-16 after ten minutes. Giedraitis started the second quarter with a three-pointer but Kuzmic kept Zvezda moving. Three-pointers from Loyd and Walden kept Zvezda ahead despite a pair of baskets from Alec Peters, and Branko Lazic’s long two made it 33-25. Vildoza banked in a mid-range jumper and Tadas Sedekerskis added a tip-in, but Hall added a triple and it was 36-31 at the break.

Zvezda made a hot restart from the break through Kuzmic from inside and Loyd from deep. Further threes from Simonovic and Loyd made it 50-36, and red-hot Simonovic added another pair of triples as the Zvezda stayed comfortable. Giedraitis scored 5 fast points to keep Baskonia hoping, but Dejan Davidovac and Marko Jagodic-Kuridza scored inside to extend the lead to 60-43. Loyd’s layup-and-one protected the advantage, and Jagodic-Kuridza beat the third quarter buzzer for a 65-49 lead with ten minutes remaining. Giedraitis knocked down a couple of triples early in the fourth but Loyd, Kuzmic and Davidovac made sure there was no real threat of a fightback. Loyd added a smooth mid-range jumper and Simonovic’s fourth triple made it a 20-point game to seal the deal despite another late flurry from Giedraitis.

### Zvezda leads all the way

Zvezda scored the first two baskets for a 5-0 lead and was in front by more or less the same amount throughout the first half. Baskonia came back to tie the game for 20 seconds but was otherwise trailing by more than 2 but less than 8 until the break. The second half was a different story as Zvezda hit the accelerator and then cruised.

### Baskonia struggles from long range

Baskonia constantly looked to outside shooting in the opening minutes, attempting 6 three-point attempts in the opening 5 minutes. But only one of those was made – by Achille Polonara – and the visiting team continued to struggle from distance by making only 12 of 33 (36.4%) of three-point attempts despite Giedraitis shooting 6-of-11.

### Simonovic and Loyd light it up

In contrast to Baskonia’s long-range shooting difficulties, Zvezda took the game away from Baskonia early in the second half with a blistering run of 5 three-pointers in 4 minutes. Marko Simonovic made three of those, with Jordan Loyd adding the other two to put the game firmly under the home team’s control. Zvezda ended up making 13-of-25 three-pointers (52%).

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Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade eased to its first victory of the season by blasting aside TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz with a 90-73 home win.  


Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (2020-10-09T17:00:00.000Z)