EuroLeague Matchday 7: Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia Win on the Road; Baskonia Falls in Athens

The game of the week delivered as promised and shook up the EuroLeague standings. Fenerbahçe won at Olympiacos in a battle between two 5-1 teams and climbs level with Panathinaikos atop the table. Spain's three top teams playing away (Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia) all returned with victories, while only Baskonia, still in last place, fell in Athens.

Olympiacos 61-64 Fenerbahçe

Olympiacos led the scoreboard for nearly the entire game and built a 16-point lead (30-14), with suffocating defense that held Fenerbahçe to just 8 points in the first quarter. But Georgios Bartzokas' team, without Evan Fournier, Jean Montero, or Tyler Dorsey, ran out of gas down the stretch and failed to score in the final three minutes. Wade Baldwin tied the game at 38 seconds remaining (61-62), and Sasha Vezenkov's three-pointer to force overtime fell short. Shavon Shields led Šarūnas Jasikevičius' squad with 17 points, while Vezenkov added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Panathinaikos 85-79 Baskonia

The other co-leader also struggled. Dusko Perasovic's Baskonia, with very few players available, fell behind by ten in the third quarter (57-47), but tied it at 79 in the fourth with a 0-7 run. A three-pointer by Sylvain Francisco with 1:09 remaining and another by Guerschon Yabusele sealed the victory for the Greeks. Mathias Lessort scored 20 points and Matteo Spagnolo, with 16, led a Baskonia team that suffered its sixth loss.

Maccabi Tel Aviv 99-113 Real Madrid

In Belgrade, where Maccabi plays as the home team, Real Madrid erased a 15-point deficit (44-29) to win convincingly. A 13-4 run before halftime turned the game around (51-52), and in the second half the lead grew to 14. The key was the three-pointer: 21 made threes, a club record in a EuroLeague game. Facundo Campazzo scored 21 points, Andrés Feliz 18, and Alberto Abalde sealed it with two threes when Maccabi had cut it to six. Jimmy Clarke (20) and Bonzie Colson (19) led the Israelis.

Also read:

• Fenerbahçe stages comeback to beat Olympiacos (61-64)
• Real Madrid overcomes Maccabi with 21 three-pointers (99-113)
• Pajola delivers Belgrade derby to Partizan in overtime (85-82)

Olimpia Milano 81-89 Barcelona

Aleksander Sekulić's Barcelona won in Milan without ever trailing on the scoreboard and snapped its losing streak. Their 17 offensive rebounds and 19 turnovers forced on Olimpia allowed them to build a 14-point lead. Jason Burnell, with 15 points and 4-of-5 from three, kept the Italians in it, but Kevin Punter (17) and Umoja Gibson (13) closed out the game in the final stretch. Tyrese Martin added 14. Barcelona played without Darío Brizuela, Yoan Makoundou, or Abdu Kone.

Paris Basketball 93-104 Valencia Basket

Valencia Basket put a difficult week at the Roig Arena behind them with a dominant victory in Paris. TJ Shorts, returning to the city where he was twice MVP of the French league, posted 25 points and 8 assists. Paris cut it to one (63-64) after a 9-0 run in the third quarter, but Valencia responded with a 2-15 run, featuring two three-pointers from Armoni Brooks (22 points), and won by 20. Jared Rhoden, with 20, led Paris, which has now lost four straight.

Partizan 85-82 Crvena Zvezda (Overtime)

The matchup between Spanish head coaches went to Joan Peñarroya. His Partizan led by 18 (56-38) and entered the fourth quarter with a 15-point advantage, but Ibon Navarro's Crvena Zvezda mounted a 10-25 run to force overtime (75-75). In the extra period, a three-pointer by Alessandro Pajola gave Partizan the win. Carlik Jones scored 26 points, and Jordan Nwora added 16 points and 8 rebounds for Zvezda, which snaps a four-game winning streak.

Bayern Munich 91-107 Dubai Basketball

Xavi Pascual's Dubai settled their visit to Munich in the first half, which ended with a 27-point lead (36-63). Bayern won the second half, but never had a realistic chance to mount a comeback. Mfiondu Kabengele posted 24 points and 7 rebounds, and Elie Okobo 17 points and 9 assists. Duane Washington, with 17, led the Germans. Dubai notches its second straight road win and improves to 5-2.

Anadolu Efes 89-80 Besiktas

Pablo Laso's Anadolu Efes won the season's first Turkish derby after going into halftime with a 21-point lead (57-36). Besiktas responded with a 11-24 third quarter and cut it to seven, but Cam Payne, with 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, closed out the game. Santi Yusta scored 13 points, his best EuroLeague mark, and Eugene Omoruyi, with 16, led Besiktas.

Žalgiris Kaunas 105-85 ASVEL

Žalgiris snapped its losing streak with a dominant performance against ASVEL. Tomas Masiulis' team led from the first quarter (29-20), went into halftime with a 16-point advantage, and won by as much as 26 (89-63). They made 18 three-pointers, one short of the club record in EuroLeague play. Carsen Edwards scored 16 points and Jonas Valančiūnas, named Player of the Game, added 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Hapoel Tel Aviv 90-81 Virtus Bologna

On Wednesday, Hapoel Tel Aviv opened the matchday with a comeback against Àlex Mumbrú's Virtus. The Italians dominated the first half and led by 13 (38-51), but a 28-14 third quarter turned the game around. Zach LeDay, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, led Hapoel, which has now won three straight. "There were two games in one game," Mumbrú summarized.

EuroLeague Standings After Matchday 7