The midweek cycle in the Euroleague that opened the second round started today (Tuesday) with no less than six games. In the spotlight, Monaco defeated Olympiakos 60:64 in the battle of the summit, with Real Madrid also remaining with the best balance in the league after a 59:79 victory over Red Star in Belgrade.
Monaco (6:12) – Olympiakos (7:11) 60:64
The two top teams came to the game with the best balance in the factory alongside three other teams and fought with all their might for the possibility of remaining with the best balance. The first quarter of the Greeks was great as they went up to 14 more during it and ended it at 8:20 one-sided.
In the second quarter, Mike James and his friends managed to get back into contention on the way to a low-scoring second half and a tough game. Unlike the previous game, where Monaco fell apart in money time against Partizan, this time the team from the principalities managed to do the right things towards the end and with important baskets by James they closed the story.
The star finished with 19 points on a bad shooting night (7/19 from the field), along with 7 turnovers. Alfa Diallo added 16 points. On the other side, Alec Peters was the leading scorer with only 12 points, with Kostas Slokas contributing 10 of his own.
Red Star (9:9) – Real Madrid (6:12) 79:59
Despite playing without Luca Valdosa and Pacondo Campasu and after a poor start, the Serbian side managed to stay in the game for three quarters, so the powerful Blancos pressed the pedal on the way to a great escape, which left them with the best record in the Euroleague alongside Monaco (as of the end of the game).
Dejanan Moussa continued his great form with 19 points, while Walter Tavares provided a tremendous night of 17 points, 12 rebounds (7 offensive), 4 blocks and a 35 rating. The losers were led by Nemanija Nedovic and Filip Petrushev with 18 and 17 points respectively.