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Fenerbahce Beko claimed the top position in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at the conclusion of Week 25, rising to first place despite having one game in hand.
The Istanbul-based club’s strong run of form in recent weeks has been reflected in the standings of the 20-team competition.
Fenerbahce extended their winning streak to four games and recorded their 14th victory in the last 16 matches, improving their overall record to 17 wins from 24 games.
Coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius, the yellow-and-navy side secured a decisive 79–62 victory over Anadolu Efes in a Turkish derby.
The result, combined with Hapoel’s defeat away to Bayern Munich, allowed Fenerbahce to regain the league lead for the first time since the opening week of the season.
Fenerbahce’s ascent has been driven largely by the performances of American guards Talen Horton-Tucker and Wade Baldwin.
Playing his first EuroLeague season, Horton-Tucker has reached double figures in each of his last 11 appearances, including six games with 20 or more points.
He currently leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game.
Baldwin, a key contributor to last season’s championship campaign, has maintained his consistency, scoring in double figures in 20 of 23 games this season and averaging 14.3 points.
Two-time EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes were unable to halt their decline, suffering their ninth consecutive defeat in the loss to Fenerbahce.
Under head coach Pablo Laso, the Istanbul club remains near the bottom of the table, standing 19th with a 6–19 record.
Panathinaikos, coached by Ergin Ataman, recorded its 15th win of the season in Week 25. The Greek side, featuring Turkish internationals Cedi Osman and Omer Faruk Yurtseven, edged LDLC ASVEL 79–78 on the road.
Panathinaikos is currently eighth, holding a play-in position after an inconsistent campaign following two consecutive Final Four appearances and one EuroLeague title in the past two seasons.
Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas was named the EuroLeague Most Valuable Player of Week 25.
Sloukas posted 26 points and nine assists in the win over ASVEL, finishing the game with a performance index rating of 36.
The EuroLeague will continue with a double-game week. League leaders Fenerbahce Beko will face consecutive road fixtures against Barcelona on Tuesday, Feb. 3 and Paris Basketball on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Anadolu Efes will play both of its games at home, hosting Valencia on Tuesday and Zalgiris on Friday at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center.
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