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With one game to go, four teams are through and 10 still hunting!
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 The passion and drama of Euroleague Basketball was at the forefront in Top 16 Week 5 when with teams battling to clinch spots in the Quarterfinal Playoffs, five games were decided by 5 points or fewer. The end result was two teams clinching first place in their groups, two more advancing to the best-of-three quarterfinals and many others staying alive to set up a potentially even more exciting Week 6 with do-or-die battles at nearly every corner as 10 teams fight for the last four spots. The only remaining undefeated team was also the first to win its group and clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs. Tau Ceramica scored a 90-74 victory over Aris TT Bank to win Group E as Tiago Splitter came through with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Tau needed no help, but could still influence the second-place qualifier from Group E after Lietuvos Rytas rallied from double-digit fourth-quarter deficits to defeat Fenerbahce Ulker 87-84 in a thriller as Hollis Price scored 22. Fenerbahce, L. Rtyas and Aris all have qualifying chances in Week 6 for Group E's second place. In Group D, Panathinaikos edged Montepaschi Siena 77-76 at the end of a back-and-forth battle that put the losers in the quarterfinals and kept the winners alive. Mike Batiste scored 18 points to lead the Greens. Another big night from Nikola Pekovic helped Partizan beat Efes Pilsen 79-83 for its third straight victory. Pekovic finished with 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting. The Week 6 winner when Partizan hosts Panathinaikos will take Group D's second playoff spot, while Montepaschi can secure first place by beating Efes Pilsen at home. In a throwback to their storied battles over the decades, Maccabi Elite defeated Real Madrid 100-103 in overtime to grab Group F's first qualifying spot. Terence Morris starred again with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, while he and Yotam Halperin nailed crucial triples to overcome a 13-point second-half deficit and force OT, where Derrick Sharp's free throws proved crucial. Meanwhile, Olympiacos outlasted Zalgiris 52-61 on the road to keep its own playoff hopes alive as Top 16 leading scorer Lynn Greer scored 14 points. In Week 6, the Reds and Real Madrid will go head-to-head in Athens for Group F's other playoffs spot, while Maccabi can clinch first place with by beating Zalgiris at home. In Group G, CSKA Moscow overwhelmed visiting Unicaja 93-70 to seize a playoff spot as Marcus Goree had 16 points and Matjaz Smodis 14. CSKA was subsequently assured first place and home-court advantage in the playoffs when Lottomatica Roma outlasted visiting Barcelona 68-63 as Erazem Lorbek scored 16 points and Roko-Leni Ukic downed a game-breaking layup. Group G's second spot will be decided next week when Barcelona hosts CSKA needing a victory to advance, or else the winner of Unicaja-Roma will do so. MORE
The Quarterfinal Playoffs picture is now as follows:
Group D
- Montepaschi is qualified for the playoffs and can clinch first place by beating Efes Pilsen at home next week.
- Panathinaikos will qualify for the playoffs if it beats Partizan in Week 6. Panathinaikos will win the group if it wins and AND Montepaschi loses to Efes.
- Partizan will qualify for the playoffs if it beats Panathinaikos in Week 6. Partizan will win the group if it wins and AND Montepaschi loses to Efes.
- Efes has been eliminated from quarterfinal contention.
Group E
- Tau Ceramica qualified for the playoffs in Week 4 and clinched first place in Week 5.
- Fenerbahce can qualify in Week 6 with a home win against Tau OR if Aris defeats L. Rytas by between 6 and 30 points.
- Lietuvos Rytas can qualify in Week 6 it if wins at Aris AND Tau beats Fenerbahce OR if it loses by 5 or fewer points while Tau defeats Fenerbahce.
- Aris can qualify if it defeats L. Rytas by 31 points or more AND if Tau defeats Fenerbahce.
Group F
- Maccabi qualified for the playoffs and will clinch first place if it beats Zalgiris at home next week.
- Real Madrid will qualify for the playoffs if it beats Olympiacos in Week 6. Madrid will win the group if it wins and AND Maccabi loses to Zalgiris.
- Olympiacos will qualify for the playoffs if it beats Real Madrid in Week 6. Olympiacos will win the group if it wins and AND Maccabi loses to Zalgiris.
- Zalgiris has been eliminated from quarterfinal contention.
Group G
- CSKA Moscow qualified for playoffs and clinched first place in Week 5.
- Barcelona can qualify for the playoffs if it defeats CSKA at home in Week 6.
- Unicaja can qualify for the playoffs in Week 6 if it wins at home against Roma AND CSKA defeats Barcelona.
- Roma can qualify for the playoffs in Week 6 if it wins on the road at Unicaja AND CSKA defeats Barcelona
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Wednesday-Thursday, March 12-13
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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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Efes Pilsen vs. Partizan Igokea
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Panathinaikos vs. Montepaschi
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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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Lietuvos Rytas vs. Fenerbahce Ulker
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Tau Ceramica vs. Aris TT Bank
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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. Olympiacos
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Real Madrid vs. Maccabi Elite
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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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CSKA Moscow vs. Unicaja
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Lottomatica vs. AXA FC Barcelona
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STANDINGS Top 16, GAME 5
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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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3-2
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+25
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Partizan Igokea
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3-2
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+1
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Panathinaikos
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3-2
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-7
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Efes Pilsen
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1-4
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-19
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GROUP F
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W-L
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PTS
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Maccabi Elite*
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3-2
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+6
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Real Madrid
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3-2
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+5
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Olympiacos
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3-2
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-2
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Zalgiris
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1-4
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-9
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GROUP E
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W-L
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PTS
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1-Tau Ceramica*
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5-0
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+59
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Fenerbahce Ulker
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2-3
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-11
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Lietuvos Rytas
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2-3
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+8
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Aris TT Bank
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1-4
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-56
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GROUP G
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W-L
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PTS
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1-CSKA Moscow*
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4-1
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+64
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AXA FC Barcelona
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2-3
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+8
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Unicaja
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2-3
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-27
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Lottomatica Roma
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2-3
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-45
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* Qualified to playoffs 1- Clinched first place 2- Clinched second place
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OTHER INFO
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Top 16
Game 5 co-MVP
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STATISTICAL LEADERS
(Week 5)
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Points
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Aver.
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Greer,
Olympiacos
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20.8
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Rebounds
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Aver.
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Morris,
Maccabi Elite
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10.8
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Assists
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Aver.
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Papaloukas,
CSKA
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6.4
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Steals
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Aver.
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