European domestic leagues review: May 14-20, 2012

The week after the Turkish Airlines Euroleague crowned a champion, European basketball’s focus turned to adding to the lists of champs throughout the domestic competitions. Euroleague runner-up CSKA Moscow reiterated its dominance at home in the Russian League on Saturday by sweeping to its 10th consecutive domestic title by blasting Eurocup champion Khimki Moscow Region 75-90. The road win game CSKA a 3-0 sweep in the best-of-five finals. CSKA benefitted from five double-figure scorers on Saturday and out-rebounded Khimki 31-22. Alexey Shved led the winners with 18 points, while Nenad Krstic added 17 and Viktor Khryapa posted 14, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. VEF Riga successfully defended its Latvian League crown Sunday with a 100-70 victory over BK Ventspils. Gatis Jahovics scored 18 to lead six Riga scorers in double figures as the team took the best-of-seven series 4-1. Meanwhile the French League regular season came to a close with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque atop the standings. The quarterfinals will pit Gravelines vs. Cholet; Chalon/Saone vs. Roanne; Orleans vs. Paris-Levallois; and Le Mans vs. Sluc Nancy. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: May 7-13, 2012

A new domestic European domestic competitions was crowned this weekend, as Zalgiris swept Lietuvos Rytas in the Lithuanian League finals to lift the trophy for the second consecutive season. Zalgiris edged L. Rytas 90-84 in Game 3 on Sunday in front of 15,266 fans. Marko Popovic led the winners with 20 points. Elsewhere in the continent, the Belgian League regular season came to an end. Telindus BC Oostende became the regular season champions by edging defending champion Belgacom Spirou Basket 63-68 behind 19 points from Kennedy Winston. Oostende and Port of Antwerp Giants have made it straight to the semifinals and a previous round awaits those teams ranked 3rd to 6th. Azovmash and BC Donetsk reached the Ukrainian League finals and will battle for the title in a seven-game series. Azovmash swept its series against Budivelnik. Donetsk downed Ferro-ZNTU 4-2, winning Game 6 73-75 with 19 points from Ramel Curry. Krka Movo Mesto and Union Olimpija made it to the Slovenian League finals, sweeping its respective series against Zlatorog and Helios Domzale. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 30 - May 6, 2012

European domestic competitions enter their final stages right before the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. The Spanish League regular season came to an end this weekend. Regal FC Barcelona finished it in style by edging Assignia Manresa 71-77 behind 17 points from Boni Ndong. Eurocup finalist Valencia Basket finished fourth due to a 76-59 home win against Blancos de Rueda Valladolid. The Italian League is also entering the playoffs. Montepaschi Siena thrashed Fabi Shoes Montegranaro 57-113 to finish the regular season with a league-best 24-8 record. Jonas Maciulis led 6 players in double digits with 20 points. Eurocup champion BC Khimki Moscow Region reached the Russian League finals by downing Triumph 82-87. Vitaly Fridzon and Zoran Planinic paced the winners with 21 points apiece. Zalgiris took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Lithuanian League finals by topping archrivals Lietuvos Rytas 71-56 in Kaunas on Sunday. Marko Popovic led the winners with 13 points. Asseco Prokom Gdynia advanced to the Polish League semifinals by topping Zastal Zielona Gora 94-90. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 23-29, 2012

It’s playoff time already for many of the top domestic leagues throughout Europe and one of them already crowned a champion this week! Zalgiris Kaunas won the Baltic League for the third straight year and fifth time overall Sunday be beating archrival Lietuvos Rytas 74-70 in the final in Siauliai. Mantas Kalnietis paced the winners with 19 points. Elswhere two different Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four teams won domestic playoff semifinals. CSKA Moscow secured its place in the Russian League finals by sweeping Lokomotiv Kuban 2-0 with a 74-78 win in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. Nenad Krstic scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for CSKA, which will await the outcome of the other series between BC Khimki and Triumph to learn its opponent in the finals. Olympiacos Piraeus blasted Panionios 66-87 on the road Saturday to sweep their best-of-five semifinals and make it to the Greek League finals for a seventh straight season. Giorgos Printezis paced the Reds with 17 points and Vassilis Spanoulis netted 16 points and dished 10 assists. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 16-22, 2012

It’s already playoff time in a number of domestic leagues throughout Europe. All four Greek League quarterfinals finished in 2-0 sweeps as Greece’s two Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four teams, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, as well as Kolossos Rhodes and Panionios advanced to the best-of-three semifinal series. Panathinaikos blasted Aris 65-88 in Thessaloniki led by David Logan’s 13 points. Olympiacos claimed a 61-68 victory over host PAOK. Vassilis Spanoulis led the way for the Reds with 15 points and 4 assists to become the leading passer in the history of HEBA championships, dating back to 1992. Rudupis Prienai and Siauliai sealed the final Lithuanian League semifinal berths with Game 3 victories in their best-of-three series. Rudupis routed Pieno Zvaigzdes 89-72 and Siauliai outgunned Neptunas Klaipeda 102-92. Nothing changed atop the Turkish League standings as the top four teams all recorded victories, including third-placed Anadolu Efes, which downed archrival Fenerbahce Ulker 69-67. Dusko Savanovic shined with 17 points and Esteban Batiste posted 15 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 9-15, 2012

The march towards the playoffs continues throughout Europe with battles for positions heating up all over. Asseco Prokom by tripped up its closest rival Trefl Sopot 73-77 in the final game of the regular season to improve to 8-2 and to clinch home-court advantage throughout the Polish League playoffs. Donatas Motiejunas notched a double-double to pace the winners with 23 points and 13 rebounds. There was a thriller in the German League, which saw FC Bayern Munchen top Brose Baskets Bamberg in double overtime 107-103. Jared Homan scored 21 points, Chevy Troutman added 20 points and 11 rebounds and Jonathan Wallace added 20 – including the points that forced both the first and second overtime sessions. Bayern improved to 20-12 and remained tied with s.Oliver Baskets for fifth place. Despite the loss, Bamberg has clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Earlier in the week, Generali Okapi Aalstar rode Kevin Kruger’s hot hand to win the Belgian Cup on Monday for the first time in club history. Kruger racked up 31 points as Aalstar bested Port of Antwerp Giants 96-89 in an overtime thriller. Kruger was named MVP after sinking 5 of 8 three-pointers and going 14 for 14 from the free throw line. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: April 2-8, 2012

It was a good weekend for the teams of the 2012 Turkish Airlines Final Four, who rolled to wins in their domestic competitions. With their games at home now serving as the prime tune-ups before the critical Euroleague games in Istanbul, every result is important. The giants of the Greek League, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, both won make-up games that had been postponed due to the Euroleague Playoffs. The Reds trashed 85-60 Kavala to stay in first place at 22-1, while Panathiniakos survived an 81-82 thriller on the road against Panionios to keep hold of second place, one victory behind their rivals. Kostas Papanikolaou amassed a double-double of 22 points and 10 boards to pace Olympiacos. Mike Batiste scored the game-winning layup with 3 seconds left on the game clock for Panathinaikos. In the Russian League, CSKA Moscow took a 78-88 road win over Eurocup semifinalist Spartak St. Petersburg to keep a hold of first place with a 14-1 record. The winners got an amazing performance from Andrei Kirilenko, who amassed an index rating of 41 based on 27 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. The regular season came to a close in the Czech League, with perennial champ CEZ Nymburk coasting into the quarterfinals from first place. Nymburk will meet Astrum Levice in the best-of-five quarterfinals. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 26- April 1, 2012

At the end of an intense week that featured seven of the eight semifinalists in both the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup become known, two of the squared off in domestic action! Final-Four bound FC Barcelona Regal maintained its lead in the Spanish League with a hard-fought victory over Eurocup Finals competitor Valencia Basket, 76-72. Barcelona lifted its record to 22-5 in a game that finished close after the hosts built up a 53-35 lead at the 24-minute mark. But after Valencia outscored Barcelona 14-22 in the third quarter and tied the game at 60-60 early in the fourth, Juan Carlos Navarro took the reins in hand and scored 5 straight to give the hosts a 75-68 lead that proved decisive. Navarro led the winners with 17 points. Meanwhile, Maccabi Electra took a break between Games 4 and 5 of the thrilling Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs series against Panathinaikos of Greece to attend to business sin the Israeli League, where Coach David Blatts’s men downed BC Habikaa 88-76 on Saturday night. Lior Eliyahu led four Maccabi scorers in double figures with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Alas in the Lithuanian League, Zalgiris remained undefeated, while second-place and Eurocup semifinalist Lietuvos Rytas split a pair of games for an 18-3 record. Rytas bounced back from a narrow loss to Kedainiai by beating third-placed Rudupis 81-68 as Mindaugas Katelynas led the way with 18 points and Renaldas Seibutis added 17. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 19-25, 2012

Even though the weekend of domestic competitions was light on the best teams – since many of the eight quarterfinalists in both the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocups rescheduled domestic games to focus on their European campaigns – there was still plenty of excitement to go around. Brose Baskets Bamberg became the German Cup winner for the third year running after beating Telekom Bonn 73-82 in the final on Sunday. Marcus Slaughter posted 17 points and 9 rebounds for the winners and was named MVP. P.J. Tucker scored 5 points in a 2-11 first quarter run as Bamberg grabbed control and never looked back. The Israeli League regular season ended with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv comfortably in first place. The defending champs routed Bnei Hasharon/Herzliya behind 19 points from Lior Eliyahu, while Hapoel Jerusalem secured a ticket to the upper half of the table with a big win over BC Habikaa. The top six teams will continue to play to determine the teams of the final four in May. Asseco Prokom Gdynia pounded Trefl Sopot 81-61 to take over first place in the Polish League for the first time this season. Prokom took a 24-14 lead after 10 minutes and put the game away early with a 27-12 third quarter. Donatas Motiejunas paced Prokom with 24 points. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 12-18, 2012

With the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs and the Eurocup Quarterfinals both set to begin this week, it serves as an ideal time to highlight some of the best playoff races ongoing in Europe’s top domestic leagues. Anadolu Efes moved back into a tie for first place in the Turkish League after beating Tofas 70-58, while Galatasaray Medical Park slipped at home against Antalya Bsb. Efes dominated the second half to notch the win and to lift its record to 19-4. Kerem Tunceri paced Efes with 20 points and 6 assists, while Dusko Savanovic added 16 points. Antalya stunned Galatasaray 82-92 as Scotty Reynolds netted 30 and Anthony Fisher had 25 points and 7 assists. The Belgian League also features a tie at the top with Belgacom Spirou Basket and Telenet BC Oostende both with 15-6 record, while Port of Antwerp Giants are just one win back. Spirou crushed Verviers-Pepinster 78-48 Saturday as Amaury Jadin led five scorers in double figures for Spirou with 14 points. Oostende downed Belgacom Liege Basket 69-78 behind a big fourth quarter and 15 points from Dusan Djordjevic. Rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are knotted for first in the Spanish League at 20-5. Barcelona snapped a two-game losing streak by downing Blusens Monbus 71-58, but Real Madrid brushed aside CAI Zaragoza 85-71. Boniface Ndong paced Barca with 21 points, while Juan Carlos Navarro posted 16. Madrid got a stellar performance by Jaycee Carroll, who scored 36 points, including 5 of 7 from downtown. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: March 5-11, 2012

With both the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup on breaks, it was a busy week of basketball in European domestic leagues. The headline event was in Greece, where in a head-to-head clash of Euroleague quarterfinalists, Panathinaikos edged archival Olympiacos 71-70 at Hellinikon Olympic court to win the Greek Cup for the 13th time. The Greens reclaimed the cup after a two-year reign for the Reds, who lost a 45-58 lead to an epic come back by the defending Euroleague champions. Sarunas Jasikevicius was named the MVP of the final after recording 10 points and 3 assists. Eurocup quarterfinalist Buducnost Voli also made headlines by clinching an Adriatic League final four berth. Buducnost, which hammered Hemofarm Stada 84-65 for its 16th win, will be joined by Euroleague quarterfinalist Maccabi Electra, Cedevita Zagreb and Partizan mts in the semifinals and final next month in Tel Aviv. Marko Popovic led the way for Buducnost with 16 points and Cedomir Vitkovac added 14 in the win. Meanwhile the Baltic League regular season came to a close with Siauliai in first place. The quarterfinal pairings are Siauliai vs. Triumph Lyubertsy; Zalgiris vs. Rudupis; VEF Riga vs. Kalev/Cramo; and Lietuvos Rytas vs. Ventspils. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 27- March 4, 2012

The four teams that won their Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 groups and head into the playoffs with home-court advantage kept their positive momentum going over the weekend with big win in domestic action. Group F winner Montepaschi Siena outlasted rival EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 77-68 to maintain sole possession of first place in the Italian League with a 16-6 record. Siena asserted itself early, took an 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, and kept Milan at arm’s length the rest of the way. Nikos Zisis and David Andersen paced a balanced Siena attack with 13 points apiece. Defending Euroleague champion Panathinaikos, which was first in Top 16 Group G, improved to 18-2 in the Greek League after a comfortable win, 85-65, over PAOK. Kostas Kaimakoglou netted 18 points for the Greens, who sit in second place with one win less than fellow Euroleague quarterfinalist Olympiacos. Group E winner CSKA Moscow dominated Enisey 91-64 to remain atop the Russian League with a three-win margin. CSKA always seemed in control as it scored in the 20s in each quarter, while always keeping the visitors in the teens. Sammy Mejia paced a balanced CSKA attack with 12 points, while Jamont Gordon, Darjus Lavrinovic and Andrey Vorontsevich added 11 apiece for the defending champs as they improved to 11-1. And in the Spanish League, a head-to-head duel between Euroleague quarterfinalists saw Group H champ FC Barcelona Regal beat Gescrap BB on the road 65-72 to keep its hold on to first with a 19-3 record. Barcelona got the jump on a sluggish Gescrap with a 6-23 first quarter and maintained a comfortable 44-61 lead after 30 minutes. Erazem Lorbek led the visitors with 15 points, while Fran Vazquez netted 12. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 13-19, 2012

A quarter of the teams in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 used their week off from continental action to pick up important pieces of silverware in domestic competition. Two of them even needed to square off against other Euroleague teams in the finals! One of the most impressive accomplishments came from Real Madrid, which thoroughly outplayed FC Barcelona Regal 74-91 in Barcelona to win the Spanish King’s Cup for the first time in 19 years. Madrid grabbed the early lead and never relinquished it, playing with an up-tempo attack that had Barcelona on its heels throughout most of the game. Sergio Llull was named tournament MVP after scoring 23 points, while backcourt mate Jaycee Carroll added 22 as the two combined for 8-of-10 shooting from downtown. David Andersen was named Italian Final Eight MVP after scoring 23 points on excellent shooting to lead Montepaschi Siena to the Italian Cup title for the fourth straight year. Montepaschi bested fellow Euroleague side Bennet Cantu 88-71 in the title game Sunday in Torino. The day before, Zalgiris Kaunas coasted to its second consecutive Lithuanian Cup title and fourth in six seasons by blowing away Pasvalio Pieno Zvaigzdes by 99-62. Team captain Paulius Jankunas made 7 of 7 two-point shots on the way to a team-high 14 points. And Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv routed Maccabi Rishon 82-69 to lift the Israeli Cup for the third season in a row and the 39th time in club history. Keith Langford scored 12 first quarter points to stake Maccabi to a double-digit lead and the yellow-and-blue coasted the rest of the way. Langford finished with 23 points and was named tourney MVP. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: February 6-12, 2012

The highlight of the domestic calendar in Greece did not disappoint as Olympiacos and Panathinaikos needed a little more than 40 minutes before victory in the great Athens derby was awarded to the Reds. Olympiacos edged defending champ Panathinaikos 78-77 only after referees used instant replay to decide that Mike Batiste had a foot over the three-point line on his jumper at the buzzer that otherwise would have tied the game and forced overtime. Instead Olympiacos won and now leads the Greek League with a 16-1 record, while Panathinaikos is next at 14-2. Giorgos Printezis paced the Reds with 13 points. A depleted Adriatic League weekend due to weather also featured a rivalry match as Krka Novo Mesto edged Union Olimpija in overtime 79-81 in a clash of Slovenian powers. Olimpija scored the last 7 points of regulation to force overtime at 66-66 and after Afik Nissim put the visitors up 3 in the closing seconds, Sasu Salin was unable to tie it for the home team. Smiljan Pavic paced Krka with 22 points. Defending champion Brose Baskets asserted its domination in the German League by spanking second place ratiopharm Ulm 74-102 to open up a two-win cushion atop the standings. Casey Jacobsen scored 21 points on perfect shooting and Brian Roberts added 20 points and 7 assists for the winners, who improved to 19-2. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 30- February 5, 2012

A rarity took place this week when a pair of Turkish Airlines Euroleague foes clashed in domestic competition just four days after meeting under the bright lights of the Top 16. Such was the case in the Spanish League, where Gescrap BB avenged a loss to Real Madrid in Top 16, Group F with a tough 90-93 road win. Aaron Jackson shined with 21 points and 7 assists as the men in black handed Real Madrid its first regular season home loss in 20 months. The two have a third clash coming up this week in Top 16, Week 4. Madrid’s loss also knocked it from a tie with FC Barcelona Regal for first place in Spain. Barcelona outscored Asefa 27-48 in the first and fourth quarters as it beat Asefa Estudiantes 65-80 to secure a 16-3 record. Juan Carlos Navarro and Chuck Eidson each netted 15 points apiece for the winners. Meanwhile the first phase of the Czech League regular season came to a close with defending champ CEZ Nymburk in first place with a 25-1 record. The top six teams will now play a 10-game round-robin group lasting into April before the playoffs start. Another league to keep an eye on is the Belgian League, where Telenet Oostende bested Belgacom Spirou 81-70 in a showdown, which allowed Generali Okapi Aalstar to catch Spirou for first place at 11-5 with Oostende just one win back. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 23-29, 2012

With the last games in January behind us, it is a perfect time to salute the teams with the best records in their respective domestic competitions in Europe. You won’t find any team with a better record than Turkish Airlines Euroleague side Zalgiris Kaunas, which leads the Lithuanian League with a perfect 11-0 record. On Sunday head coach Aleksandar Trifunovic’s men were made to sweat in a 76-74 victory over third-placed Rudupis, one day after coasting to a 97-71 rout of Sakalai. Mantas Kalnietis dished 9 assists in the first win and scored 14 points and blocked a shot at the buzzer to preserve the second win. The Latvian League also boasts an undefeated team. BK Ventspils is 9-0 after trouncing Latvijas Universitate 108-71. Steven Gray scored 27 points and Martiņs Meiers posted 22 points and 10 rebounds to pace the winners. CSKA Moscow, which is the only undefeated team in the Euroleague, is among a handful of teams with just one loss this season in domestic competitions. CSKA Moscow crushed Lokomotiv Kuban on the road 58-91 to maintain first place in the Russian League with an 8-1 record. CSKA was led by Alexey Shved, who downed 15 points, while Viktor Khryapa and Sasha Kaun added 12 apiece. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos posted comfortable victories over Ikaros Kallitheas and Rethimno respectively, and improved their records to 14-1 to remain atop the Greek League standings. The Greens overwhelmed Ikaros 66-95 on the road as Kostas Kaimakoglou and Mike Batiste posted 15 points apiece. The Reds beat Rethimno 97-82 on Sunday behind 14 points from Martynas Gecevicius. Meanwhile Eurocup side CEZ Nymburk took a slim 77-84 away win over USK Prague to stay atop the Czech League table with 24-1 record. Ladislav Sokolovsky led the winners with 23 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 16-22, 2012

Days before Group H favorites FC Barcelona Regal and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv meet up in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Game of the Week, both teams registered important victories in respective domestic leagues. Maccabi pulled off another marquee win, which combined with second-placed Cedevita Zagreb’s loss took the Israeli champs’ lead in the Adriatic League to three wins. Maccabi downed Partizan 78-84 on the road in Belgrade to improve to 16-1. Tal Burstein scored 18 points and Sofoklis Schortsanitis added 12 in as many minutes to lead a balanced Maccabi lineup. Barcelona welcomed back Juan Carlos Navarro from injury as it won to remain tied with Real Madrid both atop the Spanish League with 14-3 records. Barca was pushed to the brink by CAI Zaragoza, but pulled out the victory at home 71-68, thanks to clutch free throws by Navarro, who shot 12 for 12 from the foul line en route to a game-high 17 points. Meanwhile one of the top Eurocup teams, CEZ Nymburk, continued its dominance in the Czech League with its 22nd consecutive victory. Nymburk overwhelmed third placed BK Pardubice on the road 63-85 led by Drew Naymick with 19 points and AJ Abrams with 18. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 9-15, 2012

With the return of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 coming up in less than a week, many teams used their last domestic games as full dress rehearsals and proved to be in great shape for the critical games. In fact, all the teams in Top 16 Groups E and F marched to impressive wins. In fact, the four Group E teams won their games by an average margin of victory of 23 points! CSKA raised its record to 7-1 and stays atop the Russian League table after downing Eurocup Last 16 side Spartak St. Petersburg 91-79 behind 23 points and 10 rebounds from Andrei Kirilenko. Viktor Khryapa added 20 points for the winners. Greek League co-leader Olympiacos overwhelmed PAOK 90-60 behind 19 points from Giorgios Printezis in only 17 minutes of play. Pero Antic added 17 points and 7 rebounds for the Reds.And Top 16, Week 1 foes Anadolu Efes and GS Medical Park remained first and second, respectively, in the Turkish League. Efes routed Mersin BSB. 104-72 as Sasha Vujacic scored 18 and Dusko Savanovic 17 to lead six Efes scorers in double figures. And Galatasaray took down Aliaga Petkim 90-72 as Luksa Andric starred with 26 points. Group F’s Montepaschi Siena added to its lead in the Italian League by taking out Fabi Shoes Montegranaro 96-84 behind a game-leading 24 points from David Andersen, while Bootsy Thornton tallied 22. And the three Spanish League teams in the group also won. Real Madrid narrowly escaped with a thrilling victory against Lucentum Alicante 86-92 led by Niloka Mirotic’s 16 points and Ante Tomic’s 14. Unicaja sits in third place after outlasting UCAM Murcia at home 87-79 led by Hrvoje Peric with 18 points. And Gescrap BB outscored Blancos de Rueda Valladolid 24-44 in the second half to prevail on the road 73-81 as Alex Mumbru scored a game-high 26 points. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: January 2-8, 2012

The first full week of 2012 featured some of the most hotly contested rivalries in European basketball taking center stage. The two big dogs of Lithuanian basketball squared off on Saturday and after an exciting 40 minutes, Zalgiris remained unbeaten in the Lithuanian League by beating arch rival Lietuvos Rytas 72-82 on the road. Paulius Jankunas scored 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the defending champs, who improved to 9-0 this season. Anadolu Efes held on to beat arch rival Fenerbahce Ulker 83-90 to solidify its grip on first place in the Turkish League. Kerem Tunceri scored 19 points and dished 6 assists for the visitors, who improved to 12-2 and dropped the defending champs to 10-4. Also in Turkey, Galatasaray Medical Park won on the road to stay in second place at 11-3. Brose Baskets Bamberg remained in control in the German League after seeing off up-and-coming FC Bayern Munich 89-77 on Saturday. P.J. Tucker scored 23 and Casey Jacobsen added 18 points and 6 assists for the defending champs, who improved to 15-2 with the win. Earlier in the week, the Spanish League super classic saw Real Madrid down FC Barcelona Regal 78-74 in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night to set up a five-way tie for first place in the league. By the end of the weekend games, Barcelona, Madrid and Caja Laboral were still tied for first with 12-3 records. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: Dec. 26, 2011- Jan. 1, 2012

The end of 2012 and beginning of 2012 is a perfect time to review the standings in Europe’s top domestic leagues, upon which one will discover breathtaking races for the top spots far and wide. For instance, the Greek League features a three-way tie for first place between giants Panathinaikos and Olympiacos and upstart Κolossos VAP, which all have 8-1 records. Wednesday’s games saw road wins for Panathinaikos and Κolossos help them catch idle Olympiacos in the standings. The French League has four teams within one victory of each other for first place. On Tuesday, co-leaders BCM Gravelines and Chalon/Saone and the clubs directly behind them, Le Mans and SLUC Nancy, all won. In the Polish League, three teams are even on wins atop the table. In a top-of-the-table clash, Trefl Sopot edged Energa Czarni Slupsk 89-84 Friday to climb above it into first place with a 12-4 record. Idle PGE Turow Zgorzelec is also at 12-4, while Czarni is now 12-5. One win separates the top three dogs in the Ukrainian League after Budivelnik and Azovmash Mariupol both won and BC Donetsk lost in Wednesday games. One victory now separates the top five teams in the Turkish League after both Anadolu Efes and Galatasaray Medical Park lost over the weekend. Besiktas topped Efes 83-76, though head coach Ufuk Sarica's side remains in first place with a 10-2 record. Defending champ Fenerbahce Ulker edged Galatasaray 80-79, which tied those teams along with Banvit and Besiktas for second place with 9-3 records. And FC Barcelona Regal regained sole possession of first place in the Spanish League after beating visiting Assignia Manresa 74-61, while in neighboring Badalona, FIATC Mutua Joventut edged Real Madrid 78-75. The end result left Barca in first place with an 11-3 record, while Madrid is tied with Unicaja, Caja Laboral and Lucentum Alicante for second with 10-3 records. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 19-25, 2011

Decisive games in both the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup as well as the start of the winter break in certain leagues around Europe saw a somewhat deluded domestic schedule last week, but there was still plenty of excitement in the games that were played. The Turkish League featured great drama as Eurocup side Banvit BK edged defending champ Fenerbahce Ulker 70-66. Chuck Davis and Lance Williams combined for 30 points and Baris Ermis dished 11 assists for Banvit, which moved into a three-way tie for third place along with FB Ulker. Euroleague Top 16 teams Anadolu Efes and Galatasaray Medical Park both won and hold first and second place, respectively. Elsewhere, PGE Turow Zgorzelec climbed into a tie for first place in the Polish League by downing Zastal Zielona Gora 74-65 on Friday. Daniel Kickert had 18 points and Aaron Cel 14 as Turow improved to 12-4 to match Energa Czarni Slupsk for the top spot. Spartak St. Petersburg grabbed a 71-77 away win over Nizhniy Novgorod on Friday night to climb to third place in the Russian League with a 4-2 record. Loukas Mavrokefalides led the way for the winners with 22 points. Spartak St. Petersburg grabbed a 71-77 away win over Nizhniy Novgorod on Friday night to climb to third place in the Russian League with a 4-2 record. Loukas Mavrokefalides led the way for the winners with 22 points. . Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 12-18, 2011

Several showdowns between Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup sides produced great excitement in domestic action in the middle of December. It was the Euroleague side that had the upper hand in the Belgian League where defending champion  Belgacom Spirou Charleroi edged Dexia Mons-Hainaut 76-72 to remain atop the table with an 8-2 record. Demond Mallet led the way with 23 points plus 4 assists and 2 steals and Caleb Green added 15 points. The two competitions shared bragging rights after a pair of duels in the Adriatic League.  KK Cedevita is in second place at 10-2 after a 75-57 win over Partizan mt:s. Cedevita opened with a 21-12 lead and controlled the game throughout, as Dontaye Draper poured in 17 points and nabbed 4 steals and Chris Owens added 13 points. But KK Zagreb continued its march up the table by beating Cibona at home 82-77 behind Krunsolav Simon, who bagged 29 points. The Eurocup got a chance to shine in the Lithuanian League, where BC Rudupis took a thrilling 90-88 win over Lietuvos rytas on Saturday, handing the former Eurocup champions their first loss of the season in the competition. Dainius Salenga was the hero for the winners with 27 points and a perfect 5 for 5 from beyond the arc. And in the German League, the four Euroleague and Eurocup clubs were all winners. Brose Baskets remained tied atop the German League standings after pounding Eisbaren Bremerhaven 90-58 behind Marcus Slaughter and PJ Tucker. Alba Berlin routed BBC Bayreuth 92-53, Bayern Munich topped TBB Trier 76-70 and Fraport Skyliners registered a 70-77 road win at New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: December 5-11, 2011

Duels pitting Turkish Airlines Euroleague sides against one another provided the highlights in two of the more competitive domestic competitions in Europe this week. In fact the Adriatic League boasted two such encounters over the weekend. KK Zagreb CO handed league leader Maccabi Electra its first loss of the season Saturday night in the Croatian capital 81-74. Zagreb used a 23-17 fourth quarter and superior three-point shooting to secure the win. Krunoslav Simon led the winners with 26 points. ThenPartizan mt:s pounded Olimpija at home Sunday night 93-69, dominating the inside game with a 41-23 rebound differential. Dragan Milosavljevic led the winners with 16 points. FC Barcelona Regal now stands alone atop the Spanish League with a 10-1 record after downing Unicaja 72-62 at home. Barca improved to 10-1, while longstanding co-leader Real Madrid fell to crosstown rival Asefa Estudiantes on the road 90-85. Barca outgunned Unicaja 52-19 for the winners. Gescrap Bizkaia and Caja Laboral also won in Spain. A Euroleague team showed its dominance over a Eurocup rival in the Greek League, where Panathinaikos downed PAOK 60-77 on the road behind 18 points and 5 assists from Dimitris Diamantidis. The Greens improved to 6-1 with the victory. The Russian League featured a Eurocup team getting the best of a Euroleague rival when BC Khimki downed previously undefeated CSKA Moscow 75-65 on Saturday to become the exclusive leader of the league with a 5-1 record. Sergey Monya led the winners with 19 points and 8 rebounds against his former team. Follow the 2011-12 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 28 - December 4, 2011

The final month of 2012 struck with more pivotal clashes between Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup clubs highlighting domestic calendars. However it was an All-Euroleague showdown that took center stage in the Italian League on Sunday. Defending champion Montepaschi Siena survived to beat Bennet Cantu 73-64 to maintain possession of the top spot in the League. Siena held Cantu to just 8 second-quarter points in building a 40-24 halftime advantage and held on the rest of the way. David Andersen led the champs with 23 points of 12-for-12 free-throw shooting as Montepaschi improved to 7-2. In the Spanish League, Euroleague powers FC Barcelona Regal and Real Madrid kept pace with each other atop the Spanish League as both teams advanced to 9-1 with wins over Eurocup challengers. Barcelona took care of Gran Canaria 65-49 at home on Sunday afternoon in a game it led from start to finish as Juan Carlos Navarro scored 12 points and Marcelo Huertas 11. Madrid took care of Valencia 81-64 behind 17 points from Rudy Fernandez. SLUC Nancy and BCM Gravelines stayed tied in first place in the French League with 8-1 records. Nancy edged Le Havre 74-72, while Gravelines downed fellow Eurocup side Le Mans 94-76. Elsewhere, CEZ Nymburk blasted BK Decin 75-47 for its 12th straight Czech League victory. Lamayne Wilson scored 19 as Nymburk improved to 14-1 and remained one win ahead of its closest challengers. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 21-27, 2011

A pair of all-Turkish Airlines Euroleague clashes provided highlights in domestic action over the weekend. CSKA Moscow outlasted 78-67 Unics Kazan in the Russian League to remain undefeated with a 4-0 record. Milos Teodosic led the winners with 19 points and 6 assists and Andrey Vorontsevich added 15 points and 5 rebounds. The game was tied at 52-52 after three quarters, but a triple by Teodosic and a pair of mid-range jumpers by Vorontsevich gave a 71-60 margin to CSKA with 2:41 left in the game and Unics was unable to rally. There were no changes at the top of the Spanish League as FC Barcelona Regal got by Blusens Monbus on the road 83-89 and Real Madrid scored a road victory over CAI Zaragoza 67-84 to remain tied for first at 8-1. Unicaja stayed one win behind the leaders by taking out Caja Laboral 79-66 at home on Saturday night, as it outrebounded the visitors 45-32 to secure the win. Luka Zoric buried 17 points to lead the winners, who also got 14 points and 7 assists from Kristaps Valters. CSKA is not the only Euroleague team that will enter December with a perfect record in its local league. Anadolu Efes bested Pinar Karsiyaka 79-74 to improve to 7-0 in the Turkish League. Dusko Savanovic posted 15 points and 7 rebounds and Ersan Ilyasova added 12 points and 8 boards for Efes. And Maccabi Electra maintained control of first place in the Adriatic League after outgunning Cedevita 96-89 at home on Saturday night to remain unbeaten at 8-0. Maccabi dominated the second quarter 33-18 for a 54-44 halftime lead that Cedevita would cut to 74-72, but never overcame. Guy Pnini paced the winners with 26 points on 5-of-6 shooting from downtown, while Jordan Farmer distributed a game-leading 13 assists. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 14-20, 2011

It was rivalry weekend on the Mediterranean with big games in Greece and Israel featuring Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup teams sharing the spotlight. Panathinaikos was the winner of the Greek League showdown against archival Olympiacos, 74-70, on Sunday at OAKA to remain perfect at 4-0. Dimitris Diamantidis paced the defending Euroleague champions with 15 points and 8 assists. In the Israeli League, Hapoel Jerusalem beat Maccabi Electra on the road for the first time in 21 years, 78-64, In Tel Aviv. Yuval Naimy scored 23 and Brian Randle posted 16 points to lead the Eurocup side. The weekend also saw matchups between Euroleague and Eurocup sides in Germany and Belgium. In a rematch of last season’s German League finals, Alba Berlin used a brilliant fourth quarter to come from behind and hand Brose Baskets Bamberg its first loss of the season on Sunday. With the win, Alba improved to 6-2 and climbed within one win of Bamberg, 7-1, in the standings. Derrick Allen finished with 20 points for Berlin and DaShaun Wood tallied 17 points and 8 assists. On Saturday, Belgacom Spirou Charleroi downed Telenet Oostende 80-75 to stay atop the Belgian League table with a 6-1 record. Demond Mallet was the main man for the hosts with 24 points. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: November 7-13, 2011

There were some exciting Turkish Airlines Euroleague duels on the weekend for a change as three of Europe’s best domestic leagues featured matchups of Euroleague participants. Anadolu Efes defeated Galatasaray Medical Park 61-69 in a top-of-the-table clash in the Turkish League at Abdi Ipekci on Sunday. With the win, Efes joined Besiktas Milangaz as the lone undefeated teams through five games, while Galatasaray slipped into a third place tie with Turk Telekom. Stanko Barac scored 14, Kerem Tunceri tallied 13 points and 6 assists and Ersan Ilyasova added 10 points and 7 rebounds to lead Efes. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona Regal are alone atop the Spanish League standings at 6-1 after big wins. Jaycee Carroll and Rudy Fernandez scored 18 apiece on a combined 7 of 14 from downtown and Sergio Rodriguez dished 7 assists as Madrid torched Unicaja on the road 80-96. And Barca upended Eurocup side Valencia Basket 68-72 led by Juan Carlos Navarro, who had 14 points and 7 assists, and Chuck Eidson, who scored 12 points, including crucial free throws down the stretch. In the Italian League, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano moved into sole possession of first place by downing defending champion Montepaschi Siena 63-56. Danilo Gallinari scored 15 points off the bench and Stefano Mancinelli added 14 to lead Milano, which is now 5-1. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 31 - November 6, 2011

Some key matchups in domestic action this week pitted Turkish Airlines Euroleague clubs against Eurocup competiton and it was the former that displayed its dominance. In the French League the trio of Nicolas Batum, Victor Samnick and Pape Philippe Amagou each scored at least 20 points as SLUC Nancy remained undefeated with a 77-92 road win at Asvel Basket. The visitors led the entire game with a cushion generally in the 7-10 points range. A Batum triple with two minutes remaining helped seal the win. In a Turkish League feature, Anadolu Efes outdueled Banvit 84-76 as Eran Ilyasova netted 21 points and Tarence Kinsey added 15. It was a 2-point game entering the fourth quarter, but Efes took charge when it mattered most. Defending German League champ Brose Baskets improved to 6-0 after delivering a 97-63 smackdown to Fraport Skyliners. Julius Jenkins paced the winners with 20 points. Partizan improved to 5-1 in the Adriatic League by downing archrival Cibona 91-67 behind 14 points off the bench from Danilo Andjusic. Partizan led 43-26 at the half, boosted its margin to 62-44 after 30 minutes and never looked back. The lone holdout for the Eurocupers came in the Italian League, where Benetton Treviso upended Bennet Cantu 72-55. Jeff Adrien scored 7 in a 17-2 run that bridged the second and third quarters to give the hosts a commanding 45-27 league, which set the stage for a big win. Adrien finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 24-30, 2011

As the month of October draws to a close, the competitive nature of the top domestic competitions in Europe starts to shine through with teams from the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup facing stiff challenges… Often from each other! Such was the case Sunday in the Spanish League, where Valencia Basket upended previously undefeated Unicaja 75-62 behind 22 points from Nando De Colo. That result left four teams tied for first place at 4-1: FC Barcelona Regal, Real Madrid, Unicaja and Lucentum Alicante. In addition to Madrid and Barca, Spain’s other two Euroleague clubs, Caja Laboral and Bizkaia Bilbao, also chalked up victories respectively led by Mirza Teletovic and Aaron Jackson. A busy weekend in the Adriatic League saw one all-Euroleague showdown and another pitting a Euroleague foe against a Eurocup side. In the former, two days after they met in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv repeated the outcome with a 78-67 victory over Partizan mt:s Belgrade. Jordan Farmar led a balanced Maccabi attack with 14 points and 7 assists. And Cedevita dominated Zagreb 97-51 as Chris Warren and Ivan Opacak led Cedevita with 17 points each. Maccabi and Union Olimpija lead the Adriatic League at 5-0. Meanwhile the first two teams to two wins in the Russian League were CSKA Moscow and BC Khimki Moscow Region. CSKA rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Triumph Lyubertsy 68-73 on the road on Saturday. Alexey Shved led the winners with 16 points. Khimki beat Nizhny Novgorod 86-78 behind 19 points from Vitaly Fridzon. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 17-23, 2011

The victories continued to roll in for Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams in their respective domestic competitions across the continent over the weekend. Defending champion Brose Baskets Bamberg remained undefeated after another exciting weekend in the German League. Bamberg smacked down New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig 95-57 to improve to 5-0 in the standings. Tibor Pleiss shined with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the way. All three Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams in the Turkish League pulled out wins in the second game of that league’s season, joining three other teams at the top of the standings with two victories apiece. Fenerbahce Ulker won a tough game on the road against Antalya Bsb. Basketball as Oguz Savas scored 15 points, Galatasaray Medical Park took out Eurocup competitor Banvit 84-73 by Josh Shipp’s 22 points and Andalou Efes had an easier time of it, rolling past Allaga Petkim 80-65, as Ersan Ilyasova and Stanko Barac had 16 points apiece. Union Olimpija, Partizan mt:s and Maccabi Electra remain undefeated through four weeks in the Adriatic League. Olimpija needed overtime to see off KK Zagreb CO 91-90 in an all-Turkish Airlines Euroleague affair. Damir Markota was Olimpija’s big gun with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Partizan topped Krka Novo Mesto 68-63 in a game the visitors led midway through the fourth quarter. Marko Cakarevic had 11 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Maccabi routed Siroki WWin 60-84 on Saturday behind 19 points from Lior Eliyahu. SLUC Nancy is the only team in the French League that is undefeated through three rounds of action. The defending champs improved to 3-0 by routing Nanterre 64-85 on Saturday behind 19 points from Adrien Moerman and an Akin Akingbala double-double. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!

European domestic leagues review: October 2 - 8, 2011

The first week of October marked the first full week of action for most Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup clubs in their domestic competitions. As a whole it was a great opening week for most. No competiton boasts more combined Euroleague and Eurocup teams than the Adriatic League with four of each. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv raced to the top of the Adriatic League standings with a 3-0 record thanks to wins over Krka Novo Mesto, Zlatorog Lasko and Cibona in games that were moved up on its schedule. All-Euroleague center Sofoklis Schortsanitis averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and a block in the wins. The first all-Turkish Airlines Euroleague clash of the season went to Partizan, which bested KK Zagreb 65-93 on the road as Nikola Pekovic controlled the paint with 17 points plus 9 rebounds. The Spanish League boasts more Euroleague sides than any other league with five. Four of them – defending champion FC Barcelona Regal, Caja Laboral, Real Madrid and Unicaja – won their openers by healthy margins. Two time All-Euroleague big man Erazem Lorbek scored 14 to lead Barcelona over Murcia on the road 54-62. In the Belgian League, Euroleague Qualifying Rounds winner Belgacom Spirou started its Belgian League season in style with a 60-87 road win at Belgacom Liege Basket as Demond Mallet scored 18 and Tornike Shengelia roared for 16 points and 12 rebounds. And the big dogs dominated the start of the Lithuanian League, where Euroleague side Zalgiris and Eurocup competitors Lietuvos Rytas and Rudupis are all 2-0. Follow the 2010-11 European domestic competitions all year round on Euroleague.net and Eurocupbasketball.com!