The first three tickets to the Quarterfinal Playoffs were handed out on Thursday as Top 16 Week 4 came to a close with four road winners. Real Madrid from Group G and the Group F duo of defending champion Regal FC Barcelona and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv celebrated road wins that ensured playoff spots, while several other teams enjoyed big wins or suffered tough losses that will greatly impact their seasons. In a Group E battle for first place,
Panathinaikos edged Caja Laboral 76-74 in a game that went to the final seconds. Mike Batiste put the hosts ahead for good from the line with 4.2 seconds left and Laboral’s Fernando San Emeterio missed a chance to tie with free throws with 0.2 seconds left. Antonis Fotsis posted 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Greens, who improved to 3-1 and could reach the playoffs next week.
Lietuvos Rytas bested Unicaja 70-65 behind 18 points from Khalid El-Amin. Rytas is now tied with Laboral at 2-2 for second place in the group. A Top 16 Week 6 showdown between them looms. In Group F, defending champion
Barcelona rallied past Lottomatica Roma 65-74 in the Italian capital. Barca trailed by as much as 13 in the third quarter before Ricky Rubio led a 14-28 fourth quarter charge. Top 16 leading scorer Juan Carlos Navarro netted 19 for the winners.
Maccabi blitzed Union Olimpija 65-83 at Stozice Arena, holding the hosts to 21 second-half points. The backcourt duo of Jeremy Pargo and Doron Perkins each had 16 points, 7 assists and 2 steals to fuel the winners. Maccabi hosts Barcelona next week in Tel Aviv in a showdown for first place in the group.
Real Madrid routed Efes Pilsen 60-77 to take control of Group G. Sergio Llull scored 17 points and dished 5 assists as the Whites stayed perfect in the Top 16. On Wednesday
Montepaschi Siena outlasted Partizan mt:s 77-74 as Rimas Kaukenas scored 11 of his 17 points in the final quarter. With the loss, Partizan was eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Montepaschi hosts Efes next week in Italy in a crucial showdown with a potential playoff ticket on the line. Group H got a jolt when
Zalgiris stopped Fenerbahce Ulker 85-84 after overtime behind 13 points each from Tomas Delininkaitis and Martynas Pocius. It was the first Top 16 victory for Zalgiris and the first loss for FB Ulker. In the Game of the Week,
Olympiacos edged Power Electronics Valencia 79-85 thanks to 18 points from Vassilis Spanoulis and the inside presence of Rasho Nesterovic. FB Ulker hosts the Reds next week with the winner assured a playoff berth. Top 16 Week 5 lurks as the most pivotal of the season for many teams, with as many as four of the remaining five playoffs spots possibly decided as well potentially first place in all four Top 16 groups. Don’t miss that drama.