ANKARA
Fenerbahce Beko beat Barcelona 88-74 in a Wednesday Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season game to increase their playoff chances.
Fourth-place Fenerbahce dominated the whole game in Istanbul. The victors’ American-Turkish playmaker guard Scottie Wilbekin scored 18 points.
The hosts’ four players Nigel Hayes-Davis, Tarik Biberovic, Marko Guduric and Nick Calathes scored at least 12 points against Barcelona.
The Turkish club’s venue Ulker Sports And Event Hall has become a fortress this season as Fenerbahce earned their 14th home win in 15 games.
Dario Brizuela led Barcelona with 18 points, and Nicolas Laprovittola added 11 points for the guests. Brizuela and Laprovittola were the only Barca players to score double digits in a Round 30 match in Istanbul.
Fenerbahce Beko improved to 19-11, but second-place Barcelona dropped to 20-10 after the loss.
In their next fixture, Fenerbahce Beko will visit 12th-place EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Italy on Friday.
Barcelona will meet Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in a critical game in Greece on Friday. Panathinaikos are third as they have a 19-11 win/loss record.
The EuroLeague regular season will end on April 12 with Round 34 games.
The best six clubs in the standings will qualify for the playoffs.
The clubs ranked seventh through 10th will advance to the play-in, a knockout phase before the playoffs, after the regular season.
Leaders Real Madrid, who have 24 wins in 30 rounds, have a guaranteed spot in the EuroLeague playoffs.
Wednesday’s results:
Fenerbahce Beko – Barcelona: 88-74
Monaco – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan: 80-98
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade – Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens: 76-89
Valencia Basket – Bayern Munich: 70-68
