FIBA Basketball
ISR - Maccabi, Pana suffer losses on wild night
MADRID (Euroleague) - Real Madrid knocked off two-time defending champions Maccabi Tel Aviv and Cibona Zagreb upset Panathinaikos on a wild second night of Euroleague Top 16 action.Igor Rakocevic, who sparked Madrid in a come-from-behind triumph over Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey last weekend, came up big again with 18 points as the Spanish giants beat Maccabi 90-75
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MADRID (Euroleague) - Real Madrid knocked off two-time defending champions Maccabi Tel Aviv and Cibona Zagreb upset Panathinaikos on a wild second night of Euroleague Top 16 action.
Igor Rakocevic, who sparked Madrid in a come-from-behind triumph over Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey last weekend, came up big again with 18 points as the Spanish giants beat Maccabi 90-75.
Also in Group E, rising Italian star Marco Belinelli scored 16 points to pace Climamio Fortitudo Bologa in an 87-69 home win over Ulker Istanbul.
Scoonie Penn poured in 23 points as Cibona won 72-70 over Pana, who had made a late run to take the lead. Greek international Nikos Chatzivrettas had accounted for eight points in 12-0 surge which gave the Athens team the lead but Penn made a three-point play to pull Cibona level at 70-70.
Davor Kus and Davor Marcelic each made one of two from the stripe for a two-point advantage with five seconds remaining - enough time for Slovenian international Jaka Lakovic to win the Group G game - but he was unable to get off a shot off at the end.
Juan Carlos Navarro is up to his old tricks again for Barcelona. Just as he carried Spain at last year's EuroBasket and was voted to the all-tournament team, he had a scoring explosion at Zalgiris Kaunas. Navarro poured in 32 points as the Catalans won 86-85 in Group D.
Zalgiris' Reggie Freeman made a three-pointer at the buzzer and attempted to draw contact on the shot to have a chance for a four-point play but no foul was called as the Catalan team escaped with a one-point triumph.
Tau Ceramica, whom Maccabi beat in last year's final, had their hands full in a Group F showdown at Bamberg in Germany but they finally prevailed 77-72.
Bamberg held a nine-point advantage just over three minutes into the second half but were unable to protect their lead.
Tau would not move in front for good, though, until less than two minutes were left. A three-pointer from Travis Hansen gave them a 68-65 lead and they stayed in front for the rest of the contest.
Tau's Luis Scola, the Argentinian superstar who many believe is the best player in the world never to compete in the NBA, had his best-ever scoring performances in the Euroleague with 36 points.
PA Sport
MADRID (Euroleague) - Real Madrid knocked off two-time defending champions Maccabi Tel Aviv and Cibona Zagreb upset Panathinaikos on a wild second night of Euroleague Top 16 action.
Igor Rakocevic, who sparked Madrid in a come-from-behind triumph over Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey last weekend, came up big again with 18 points as the Spanish giants beat Maccabi 90-75.
Also in Group E, rising Italian star Marco Belinelli scored 16 points to pace Climamio Fortitudo Bologa in an 87-69 home win over Ulker Istanbul.
Scoonie Penn poured in 23 points as Cibona won 72-70 over Pana, who had made a late run to take the lead. Greek international Nikos Chatzivrettas had accounted for eight points in 12-0 surge which gave the Athens team the lead but Penn made a three-point play to pull Cibona level at 70-70.
Davor Kus and Davor Marcelic each made one of two from the stripe for a two-point advantage with five seconds remaining - enough time for Slovenian international Jaka Lakovic to win the Group G game - but he was unable to get off a shot off at the end.
Juan Carlos Navarro is up to his old tricks again for Barcelona. Just as he carried Spain at last year's EuroBasket and was voted to the all-tournament team, he had a scoring explosion at Zalgiris Kaunas. Navarro poured in 32 points as the Catalans won 86-85 in Group D.
Zalgiris' Reggie Freeman made a three-pointer at the buzzer and attempted to draw contact on the shot to have a chance for a four-point play but no foul was called as the Catalan team escaped with a one-point triumph.
Tau Ceramica, whom Maccabi beat in last year's final, had their hands full in a Group F showdown at Bamberg in Germany but they finally prevailed 77-72.
Bamberg held a nine-point advantage just over three minutes into the second half but were unable to protect their lead.
Tau would not move in front for good, though, until less than two minutes were left. A three-pointer from Travis Hansen gave them a 68-65 lead and they stayed in front for the rest of the contest.
Tau's Luis Scola, the Argentinian superstar who many believe is the best player in the world never to compete in the NBA, had his best-ever scoring performances in the Euroleague with 36 points.
PA Sport