Initial Round 7 Euroleague Games Offer Shocks And Excitement

With 10 rounds of the group stage in the 2014/15 Euroleague season, we are getting very close to finding out which teams have made it through to the Top 16, and which teams need to regroup for the following season’s Euroleague campaign. Round 7 started on Thursday the 27^th of November, and there were a number of exciting games spread across the groups.

Real Madrid v Unics Kazan 75-85

In handing out Madrid’s first home loss this year, Unics Kazan also sent out a message to the entire Euroleague. The Spanish giants had a 21 game winning streak at home but this reversal sees Madrid slip to a 5-2 record while Unics move on to a 3-4 record. D’or Fischer played out of his skin against his former and with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, he led the way on the night. However, he was ably assisted by Curtis Jerrells who grabbed 23 points and also managed to provide 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the team. Keith Langford offered up 14 points and James White added 11 for the away side.

Sergio Rodriguez was the main scorer for the home side with 12 points, while Andres Nocioni offered up 11 points while Gustavo Ayon provided 10 points. The hosts held a lead at half-time, being up 46-42 but a strong third quarter turned the game and with Jerrells pushing the team on going into the final straight, Kazan ran out convincing winners in the end.

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv v CSKA Moscow 61-84

The Russian side moved onto a 7-0 record in Group B with a convincing win over the reigning Euroleague champions. Sonny Weems offered up 19 points but there were a total of five CSKA players in double figures when it comes to points. Sasha Kaun offered up 15 points, Nando De Colo and Andrey Vorontsevich both provided 13 points and Aaron Jackson served up 10 points. This match means that Maccabi have lost twice to CSKA and they move to a 4-3 record, even though Devin Smith was on good form with 14 points. Sylven Landsberg offered up 12 points and Marquez Haynes provided 11 points for the champions who now sit in third place in Group B.

Alba Berlin v Unicaja Malaga 79-78

If you were looking for last minute drama, Berlin was the place to be on Thursday night as the German side took it to the buzzer against Malaga. Reggie Redding delivered the winner in the last second, and this was the second game in a row that these teams were involved in a thriller. That time, Unicaja clinched a win with a three point buzzer beater but this time around, it was the German side that triumphed. Malaga were in control in to the final quarter but a strong 14-2 run put Alba ahead by five points. Malaga tied with 26 seconds on the clock and with 6 seconds left to play, they drew a foul that looked as though it would give them a win. The free throws were split though and Reggie Redding took that opportunity to seal the game.

Redding grabbed 17 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds in the course of the game while Jamel McLean and Alex Renfroe both offered up 12 points. Leon Radosevic managed to pick up 11 points as the German side moved on to a 3-4 record. Unicaja had Ryan Toolson and Kostas Vasileidis both on 15 points and the Spanish side moves to a 4-3 record.

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul v PGE Turow Zgorzelec 89-74

The Turkish side grabbed their third win in a row in a game that they led from start to finish. This moves them on to a 5-2 record in Group C while the losing side drops down to a 1-6 record. It was a strong start with Andrew Goudelock and Bogdan Bogdanovic scoring strongly early on and after this, the away team never got within 6 points of the winners. At one point in the fourth quarter, Fenerbahce led by twenty points and they cruised to win in the end.

Goudelock provided 21 points while Nemanja Bjelica served up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ricky Hickman offered up 11 points while Luka Zoric and Jan Vesely edged into double figures with 10 points each. Vlad Moldoveanu grabbed 16 points for the visitors, Nemanja Jaramaz offered up 15 while Chris Wright picked up 11. Before the Friday night games, the Turkish side were sitting in second place in their group and they will fancy their chances of progressing.

Crvena Zveda Telekom Belgrade v Neptunas Klaipeda 79-62

The home team moved to a 4-3 record in Group D, making it their third win in the Serbian capital while Neptunas drop to a 3-4 record. Boban Marjanovic was the top man for the home side, grabbing 24 points and 12 rebounds. Jaka Blazic managed to offer 19 points while Luka Mitrovic offered up 12 points. Neptunas were led by 19 points but they never really managed to get a foothold in the game which sees the Belgrade side ease into second place, albeit having played a game more than the team in third place, Galatasaray.

Laboral Kutxa Vitoria v Olympiacos Piraeus 89-70

The home side moved on to a 3-4 record in this season’s Euroleague but more importantly, they grabbed 25,000^th point in the Euroleague, a monumental feat that was well celebrated in the arena. Vassilis Spanoulis had his own moment of history when he became only the fourth Euroleague player to reach 2,500 points, and it was a strong start for the away side, even if they did fall away just before half-time. The hosts stepped it up a gear at the start of the second half and from then on, they held at least a 10 point lead throughout the rest of the game.

Thomas Heurtel offered up 18 points while David Bertans helped himself to 17 points. Spanoulis was the top player for the away team, grabbing 27 points while Bryant Dunston offered up 12 points, all in the opening half. It was the first loss of the Euroleague campaign for the Greek team but they are still clear at the top of Group D.