By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Euroleague season officially started on Wednesday night with Brose Baskets beating at home Strasbourg and Galatasaray prevailing on the road over Siena. Both winners had a relatively easy task and the games were decided on the first half.
In Bamberg, the final score was 84-70 for the hosts as American guard Jamar Smith scored 19 points on less than 14 minutes of action and changed the game in the second and third quarter. However, Bamberg had a solid team effort against the French runner ups who started the game by getting the ball to former NBAer Alexis Ajinca on the post, but in the end didn’t have any other solid option. It’s still too early, but the 14 points difference may even play a role on which team will get the ticket to Top16 in the case of a tie in the standings.
In Florence, where Siena will play this season its home games, Galatasaray just couldn’t miss a three pointer in the first half and the final 84-75 in favor of the guests was the natural conclusion of the game. Veteran point guard Carlos Arroyo had 21 points for the winners and Serbian forward Zoran Erceg added 15. Daniel Hackett did his best for the hosts with 26 points.