Intro:

Two-time defending Euroleague champions Olympiacos Piraeus have improved to 7-6 in Top 16 Group E.

They defeated Anadolu Efes Istanbul 78-83 in Turkey.

Script:

Olympiacos had already qualified for the playoffs before this game, but the pressure is never off when a Greek team meets a Turkish one.

The second quarter of this Group E match proved crucial - the visitors outscoring Anadolu Efes Istanbul by ten points and enjoying a 43-32 advantage at the interval.

Euroleague MVP Vassilis Spanoulis led Olympiacos with 17 points.

Bryant Dunston and Matt Lojeski each added 13.

Kostas Vasileiadis and Jamon Gordon each scored 16 - but could not prevent Istanbul from sinking to their eighth consecutive defeat.

83-78 the outcome in Olympiacos' favour.

In Group F, another Istanbul side was facing a tough test - this time Galatasary Liv Hospital Istanbul against the team with the best record in the Top 16, CSKA Moscow.

It was 38-38 after 20 minutes - 67-67 at the end of regulation.

Sonny Weems scored all 12 of his points in the extra session as CSKA outlasted their visitors 86-85.

That was the Russians' eighth straight home win - they improve to 11-2 - Galatasaray dropped to 6-7, but enter a decisive home game against Partizan Belgrade next week with a chance to reach the playoffs.

Plenty at stake in Madrid as far as the playoff situation was concerned, when Real hosted Kuban Krasnodar.

Yet this game fell well short of expectations.

The Spaniards were 46-24 up at the interval and pushed on to an 81-55 success.

Madrid remain tied with CSKA.

Partizan NIS Belgrade led from start to finish in downing Zalgiris Kaunas 77-67.

The Serbian side improved to 4-9 in Group F, while Zalgiris dropped to 1-12.