By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Caja Laboral turned the switch for good after a big win in Tel Aviv, Khimki continues to proves that this season is different, Real Madrid reacted after its defeat in Liga Endesa against Barcelona and Anadolu Efes took advantage of Diamantidis’ absence. Here’s what happened in the four games of Top16’s 2nd week in Thursday.
- Forget everything you think you knew about Caja Laboral in the regular season. The Basques got the 71-70 win in Tel Aviv against Maccabi thanks to a crucial shot by Fernando San Emetario. Yogev Ohayon had the chance to win the game for the home team, but he blew it. It’s the fifth straight Euroleague win for Caja which has the momentum and a mature Nemanja Bjelica who scored 17 points in one of the most hostile environments for any guest in Euroleague. Maccabi used Shawn James who was said to be injured and he finished the game as the top rebounder (10 r.) from the hosts, so it’s more than evident that the team of coach Blatt has its issues.
- The absence of Juan Carlos Navarro did hurt Barcelona’s offense and Khimki didn’t do the Catalans any favors. The Russians got the 78-65 win and Zoran Planinic (photo) was once more their true leader. Even with just 5/17 shots he was the top scorer for the winners with 16 points and had also 6 assists in 31 minutes of action. Barcelona after its triumph against Real Madrid in Liga Endesa wasn’t mentally ready for this game and it can be said that it did underestimate its opponents. It was a big win for the unbeatable in Top16 Khimki and the 13 points difference can play a big role in the final standings of the group.
- The visit of Panathinaikos to Istanbul without Dimitris Diamantidis turn out to be an easy night for Anadolu Efes. The hosts had a balanced offense and worked in defense in order to get their first Top16 win by 78-64. Mike Bramos with 16 points did the best he could for the Greens but nothing else really worked for the guests. The final 14 points difference is a nice bonus for the Turks who got a good all around game by Jamon Lucas Gordon (12 p., 5 as., 4 st., 3 r.).
- Thanks to a stellar game by Nikola Mirotic (19 p., 8 r.) Real Madrid got the road win against Brose Baskets. The hosts tried to stay in the game until the end, but with a 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the last quarter the Spaniards prevailed by 82-67. This was mentally the flip side of Barcelona’s game, as Real wanted to rebound after its first defeat in Liga Endesa this season and the Germans, despite the valiant effort of Boki Nachbar (19 p.), Anton Gavel (17 p.) and A.J. Ogilvy (15 p.) didn’t had any other weapons.