Holders Panathinaikos Athens suffered a second successive defeat when they were stunned 79-76 at German side Brose Baskets on Thursday while Partizan Belgrade overcame a 21-point deficit to win 69-65 at Emporio Armani Milan.
There were mixed fortunes for NBA players who have flocked to Europe’s premier club competition amid the lockout in North America which has left the entire season across the Atlantic hanging by a thread.
With players filing a lawsuit against the NBA in a bitter labor dispute, another two weeks of the regular season have been scrapped through to Dec. 15.
Most of the two dozen or so NBA players who joined European clubs after the lockout started on July 1 have enjoyed a good start but four household names endured their lowest scoring games of the season.
Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, who joined five-time Euroleague winners Maccabi Tel Aviv from the New Jersey Nets, scored just five points in a 69-59 win over Belgians Spirou Charleroi.
After netting an impressive total of 45 points in the previous two games against considerably more difficult opposition in Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Farmar hit just two of seven shots from the field against Spirou.
His former Lakers and Nets team mate Sasha Vujacic, one of the few players to make a permanent move after signing a one-year contract with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, was held to eight points in a a 104-84 defeat at Real Madrid.
Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who joined Lithuanians Zhalgiris Kaunas until the lockout is over, scored a mere four points in an 80-78 defeat by KK Zagreb.
Frenchman Nicolas Batum managed just nine points for Nancy in a 91-78 defeat by Olympiacos Piraeus.
Batum, who scored more than 20 points in each of the previous three games, made just three of eight field goals and only three of six shots from the foul line.
Brose Basket’s veteran Serbian forward Predrag Suput nailed 19 points in the upset of Panathinaikos, however.
“Something I have learned over the years is that every time we take the European title, the following year every team plays against us with a lot of motivation,” Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic told the Euroleague website.
Obradovic’s former club Partizan Belgrade, who won the 1992 title with him in charge, scored 50 points in the second half after winning the final quarter 30-9 to stun Milan and stay on course to reach the last 16.
Partizan’s fightback included a 19-1 rally late in the game as the visitors enjoyed their third win in a row after losing the opening two games.
“We played well for 35 minutes but in the game’s final stretch we made too many mistakes,” said Milan coach Sergio Scariolo, who guided Spain to successive European championship titles in 2009 and 2011.
