Real deny Maccabi last-eight spot

JayceeCarroll - Cropped

Reigning Euroleague champions Maccabi Electra lost a rematch of last season's final to Real Madrid, handing Barcelona home advantage in the quarter-finals.

Real set up their 86-75 win in the first and third quarters, storming to a 27-13 lead in the opening term, while they outscored their Israeli visitors 20 points to 14 in the third stanza.

Jaycee Carroll top-scored for the Group E leaders with 18 points as Real surged to a 10-2 win-loss record in the Top 16 stage, while Felipe Reyes (16) provided crucial support.

Brian Randle (17) was Maccabi's leading scorer, with Jeremy Pargo (14) also producing a strong performance.

The result left the Israeli club with a 7-5 record as they dropped to fourth behind Panathinaikos in Group E, while Barcelona (9-3) are second and certain of home-court advantage in the last eight.

Maccabi could still miss out on the quarter-finals with fifth-placed Alba Berlin (6-6) close behind.

Panathinaikos moved above Maccabi with a breathtaking 86-84 win over Galatasaray Liv Hospital.

The match in Turkey was level at 59-59 with a quarter to play but Panathinaikos surged to an 11-point lead with four minutes remaining, only for Galatasaray to respond.

The Turkish hosts got within one point of Panathinaikos twice in the final minute but James Gist's late free-throw ensured a two-point victory for the visitors.

Galatasaray (2-10) remain bottom in Group E's standings.

In Friday's other game, CSKA Moscow triumphed 86-82 in an all-Russian encounter against Nizhny Novgorod.

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