The games of the third round of the Turkish EuroLeague knock-out stage are over, and we have two teams who did their part and qualified to the Final Four which will be played in Istanbul.
CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce advanced after defeating their opponents, while Anadolu Efes is near that achievement, same as Real Madrid.
The team from Moscow again beat Baskonia tightly, but the win is a win, and the margin wasn't crucial in those games. The reigning European won 90-88, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, after almost the same game as the previous two played in Russia. They had the lead throughout the match, but eventually, in the finish, they got in the situation that Baskonia had a game-winning shot. Luckily for them, Shane Larkin missed from behind the three-point line, and we could say that the referees help the visiting team. During that shot, there was a clear foul on Larkin, but we didn't hear the whistle. Cory Higgins scored a team-high with 21 points while Nando De Colo had 15, and Milos Teodosic 13. Tornike Shengelia was the best player in the Spanish team with 19 points, but eventually, he couldn't prevent the sweeping of his team.
In the other sweeping, Fenerbahce demolished Panathinaikos 79-61 in the third game. This was supposed to be the most intriguing matchup of the knock-out stage, especially since the Greek team had a home court advantage. But that had no influence on Zeljko Obradovic's team. They were convincing in all three games and showed that at the moment, they are the biggest contenders for the EuroLeague title. The one thing that will have enormous significance is the fact that Final Four will be played in their town, in Istanbul.
Unlike the first two games in which Bogdan Bogdanovic was absolutely dominating, this game had no individual that stand above others. Boby Dixon had 13 points, James Nunnally had 12 while Datome, Kalinic, Udoh and Bogdanovic all had 10 points apiece.
K.C. Rivers scored 16 points for the visitors from Athens, while Singleton had 13.
Other two games played last night brought us much excitement. Anadolu Efes in near sensation, as they need only one win to eliminate Olympiacos, while Real, as expected, won in Istanbul against Darussafaka.
The red and white from Athens were on the verge of completely turning this game around after they entered the final quarter with 14 points minus, and when everyone thought that once again Spanulis and the guys are going to make another miracle, Efes stepped up and won 64-60.
Spanulis had a chance to even the game, but he missed the three-pointer.
There was no excitement in other game in Istanbul, as Real Madrid started pressuring Darussafaka right from the beginning, and the Madridians had 13 points advantage at the halftime.
Darussafaka tried to come back but everything that they managed is to cut the deficit down to 4 points, but Real responded well and won in the end 88-81.
The winner of this match will play against Fenerbache on the Final Four, while CSKA is going to play against the winner of the Efes - Olympiacos matchup.
