Hapoel Tel Aviv beats Olimpia Milano in EuroLeague basketball

JERUSALEM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv ended a five-game EuroLeague losing streak with a 92-86 home win over Olimpia Milano in Round 29 on Thursday night.

The win lifted Hapoel from eighth to fifth in the standings with a 17-11 win-loss record, while Milano fell to 14-15.

Hapoel took an early control, opening a 29-19 lead in the first quarter. The highlight of the first period came when Collin Malcolm, attempting a long pass from behind midcourt, accidentally saw the ball drop into the basket.

Vasilije Micic pushed the lead to 39-24 in the second quarter, but Milano responded through Zach LeDay and Armoni Brooks to cut the deficit to 49-47 at halftime.

Elijah Bryant led the charge in the second half, combining scoring and playmaking to help Hapoel take a 73-64 advantage into the final quarter.

Milano stayed within reach, but clutch baskets from Bryant secured the win.

Bryant finished with 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Micic added 18 points, while Daniel Oturu scored 16. LeDay led Milano with 22 points, and Josh Nebo added 18.

Elsewhere, Valencia climbed to second place with a 19-10 record after an impressive 108-79 road victory over Baskonia. Fourth-place Real Madrid (18-11) secured a comfortable 93-70 home win against Bayern Munich.

Also on Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv earned a 91-86 away win over Monaco, Dubai defeated Lyon-Villeurbanne 96-85 at home, and Panathinaikos surprisingly lost to Paris 104-99 in Greece.

On Wednesday, Fenerbahce strengthened its grip on first place, improving to 21-7 with a narrow 81-78 home win over Partizan Belgrade.

Olympiacos fell 99-94 to Zalgiris at Kaunas in overtime, dropping to 18-10 and slipping from second to third place following Valencia's win.

In other Wednesday results, Red Star Belgrade defeated Anadolu Efes 91-81 at home, while Virtus Bologna edged Barcelona 85-80 in Italy. ■