Round 4 Is Over In The 2014/15 Euroleague

There is still a long way to go in the Top 16, there are 14 rounds in total, but at the end of Round 4, things are starting to take shape. Friday the 23^rd of January saw the end of the fourth round of matches and once again in the Euroleague, it was a record breaking style of night.

Group E

Zalgiris Kaunas 66 – Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 73

This was game that took a number of twists and by the time the game ended, Maccabi Electra had the all-important lead. This away win takes the reigning champions to a 3-1 record as they sit in second place in Group E. The home defeat sees Zalgiris dropping down to a 1-3 record in the group, and they now face an uphill challenge to push on to progress in this season’s tournament.

Sylven Landesburg was the top man for the winners, grabbing 20 points, the second highest total in his three years in the Euroleague. Jeremy Pargo managed to grab 12 points, which also offering 8 assists and Alex Tyus provided 12 points for the winners, while Devin Smith provided 10 points.

The home side were boosted by a double-double from Paulius Jankunas, who grabbed 18 points and 13 rebounds. James Anderson provided 17 points and Arturas Milaknis provided 14 points for the home side.

Barcelona 92 – Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 77

Barcelona returned to winning ways, and moved onto a 2-2 record in Group E, while the side from Belgrade slipped to a 0-4 record. It was looking like a close game but a 12-0 run just before half-time ensured that the Catalan club held a 49-38 lead at half-time. Alex Abrines offered 15 points, Ante Tomic provided 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double and Mario Hezonja provided 12 points. Marcelino Huertas offered 11 points and 7 assists while Justin Doellman also provided 11 points for the winners. Jaka Blazic was the top scorer for the Belgrade side with 13 points, Boban Marjanovic provided 12 points, Marcus Williams offered 11 points while Stefan Jovic was a busy player with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists in the away-day defeat.

Nizhny Novgorod 109 – Anadolu Efes Istanbul 90

This was a historic win in a match that the home side were dominant from start to finish. It was a tremendous night for Art Parakhouski, with the player grabbing 27 points, a career high. Taylor Rochestie was another record breaker on the night, with his 15 assists setting a record in the Top 16. There was also a big night for Trey Thompkins who managed to notch a double-double as Nizhny moved on to a 2-2 record in Group F. This means that Nizhny now stand alongside Anadolu on a 2-2 record.

Nizhny were flying from the start, picking up 65 points in the first half, which was the second most points picked up in a first half in the Euroleague since the beginning of this century. It was Thompkins who had the pleasure of taking the home team over the 100 points, and he eventually finished up on 21 points while also offering 10 rebounds. Rochestie provided 19 points and only had the one turnover in the game. Other big scorers for Novgorod were Tarence Kinsey, with 16 points, Dimitriy Khvostov, who offered 12 points, and Semen Antonov who grabbed 10 points.

Miko Bjelica was the top scorer for Efes, with 15 points while both Stephane Lasme and Nenad Krstic grabbed 13 points for the losing team.

Olympiacos Piraeus 76 – Laboral Kuxta Vitoria 64

Laboral may have been 11 points ahead in the third quarter but a strong rally from Olympiacos ensured that the home side moved to a 4-0 record in Group F. Spanoulis offered 27 points, including 8 points late on while Othello Hunter also provided 14 points for the winners. This result saw Olympiacos grab their 11^th home win in a row in the Euroleague. The away side slumped to a 1-3 record while the form of Darius Adams, grabbing 12 points and 5 assists, and Toko Shengelia, grabbing 10 points game the away team some hope.