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Tau Ceramica becomes first playoff qualifier!
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 As expected, an already dramatic Top 16 saw the intensity rise for the start of its second half in Week 4, which was highlighted by a first team breaking down the door to the Quarterfinal Playoffs. That team was none other than Tau Ceramica, whose down-to-the-wire 87-84 win over visiting Lietuvos Rytas left it as the only undefeated team in the competition. Zoran Planinic played all 40 minutes for the winners, scoring 16 points to go with 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Not only is Tau the first playoff qualifier, but can also clinch first place in Group E - and home-court advantage for the best-of-three quarterfinals - with one more victory. The rest of Group E is unpredictable after previously winless Aris TT Bank staved off elimination by stopping host Fenerbahce Ulker 59-60 as Jeremiah Massey scored 18 points, including the game-winning free throw with 9 seconds left. Aris was one of four road winners in Week 4, among them a pair of favorites who took exclusive hold of first place in their groups. In Group F, Real Madrid beat Zalgiris 69-83 behind 18 points from Felipe Reyes and uncanny 5-for-6 three-point shooting, including two end-of-quarter buzzer beaters, by Kerem Tunceri. Madrid was still looking at a first-place tie, however, until Olympiacos rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to shock Maccabi Elite 82-87 in Tel Aviv. Lynn Greer scored 28 points for the Reds, who are now tied with Maccabi in second place. First place in Group G now belongs to CSKA, a blowout 54-82 winner at Roma as Ramunas Siskauskas had 25 points. CSKA led 6-26 and never looked back as Theo Papaloukas tied a Top 16 record with 12 assists. A second win in a row by Unicaja, which beat Barcelona 62-61 on a killer drive by Carlos Cabezas, his first points of the entire Top 16, left those two teams tied behind CSKA in Group G. Another two-game home win streak belongs to Group D's Partizan, which rallied late to beat previously undefeated Montepaschi 78-75, denying the visitors early qualification to the playoffs. Milt Palacio's 26 points were key for Partizan. Group D had another dramatic home comeback when defending champion Panathinaikos surged past Efes Pilsen 74-65 with a game-ending 20-8 run. Mike Batiste scored 20 points for the winners and teamed with Vassilis Spanoulis to take over the game in the last 5 minutes. With two games left in the Top 16, no team is eliminated yet, leaving 15 chasing the remaining seven playoff berths - all except the one already claimed by undefeated Tau Ceramica...MORE |
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Wednesday-Thursday, March 5-6
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GROUP D
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Partizan Igokea vs. Montepaschi
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Panathinaikos vs. Efes Pilsen
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GROUP E
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Fenerbahce Ulker vs. Aris TT Bank
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Tau Ceramica vs. Lietuvos Rytas
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GROUP F
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Zalgiris vs. Real Madrid
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Maccabi Elite vs. Olympiacos
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GROUP G
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STATS
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REPORT
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QUOTES
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PREVIEW
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WATCH
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Unicaja vs. AXA FC Barcelona
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Lottomatica vs. CSKA Moscow
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STANDINGS Top 16, GAME 4
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GROUP D
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W-L
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PTS
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Montepaschi Siena
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3-1
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+26
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Partizan Igokea
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2-2
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-3
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Panathinaikos
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2-2
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-8
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Efes Pilsen
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1-3
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-15
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GROUP F
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W-L
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PTS
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Real Madrid
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3-1
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+8
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Maccabi Elite
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2-2
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+3
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Olympiacos
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2-2
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-11
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Zalgiris
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1-3
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+0
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GROUP E
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W-L
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PTS
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*Tau Ceramica
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4-0
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+43
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Fenerbahce Ulker
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2-2
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-8
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Lietuvos Rytas
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1-3
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+5
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Aris TT Bank
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1-3
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-40
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GROUP G
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W-L
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PTS
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CSKA Moscow
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3-1
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+41
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AXA FC Barcelona
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2-2
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+13
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Unicaja
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2-2
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-4
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Lottomatica Roma
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1-3
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-50
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* Qualified to playoffs
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OTHER INFO
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Top 16
Game 4 MVP
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STATISTICAL LEADERS
(Week 4)
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Points
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Aver.
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Greer,
Olympiacos
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22.5
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Rebounds
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Aver.
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Morris,
Maccabi Elite
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10.3
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Assists
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Aver.
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Collins,
Zalgiris
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6.8
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Steals
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Aver.
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Jaaber,
Lottomatica
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3.5
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Blocks
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Aver.
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Asik,
Fenerbahce
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4.3
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