Iverson back on track

At the end of 2010, Besiktas star Allen Iverson played his best two games so far in his European career. Iverson scored 20 points (5-for-11 from the floor) and dished out 3 assists as Besiktas defeated Pinar Karsiyaka by a final of 89-65 in the Turkish league. Tofas edged Besiktas in the next match 72-94, while Iverson had 26 points (9-for-16 from the field), 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 assists.

Besiktas currently stand at 7-4, good for sixth place in the Turkish league.

Lietuvos Rytas grabs last ticket to Top 16

NBA prospect Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, but Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius beat Cibona Zagreb by a final of 94-77 in a do-or-die type of game and made it to the Top 16. Lietuvos Rytas needed a victory over the Croatians, who finished its Euroleague season without a win, and a Cholet Basket loss to Fenerbahce Ulker to advance to the next stage.

Kenan Bajramovic led the winners with 22 points and 9 rebounds, while former UConn star Khalid El-Amin added 20. Cibona’s Bogdanovic scored 28 points (8-for-15 from the floor), dished out 4 assists and had 4 steals.

Langford's 35 points push Khimki past worn-down Zalgiris

Former Kansas University guard Keith Langford made a buzzer-beater and lifted Khimki to the overtime, where they won over struggling Zalgiris Kaunas 93-89. It was the fourth Khimki’s win in Euroleague this season, but that wasn’t enough to qualify for the Top 16.

Langford had the best game of his career, scoring 35 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists and ended the game with 42 RKG. Mantas Kalnietis scored 24 points for Zalgiris and former Duke guard Martynas Pocius had 13.

Rubio layup sends Regal Barcelona past Montepaschi

A layup by Ricky Rubio with five seconds to play lifted Regal Barcelona to a 73-72 victory over Euroleague group C leader Montepaschi Siena. Despite this loss, Montepaschi finished the regular season in first place in group C, while Regal Barcelona was third.

Rubio scored eight points, grabbed three boards, dished out three assists and committed five turnovers in 20 minutes of action. Fran Vazquez led the winners with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Bo McCalebb scored 20 points for Montepaschi.

Diamantidis earned Euroleague player of the month honors

Panathinaikos Athens guard Dimitris Diamantidis was named Euroleague player of the month for December. Diamantidis averaged 14.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds in the four December games he played, leading Panathinaikos to a 3-1 record.

Khimki fired Scariolo

Khimki Moscow Region responded to their bad performance in the Euroleague and decided to terminate the contract of head coach Sergio Scariolo after Khimki lost its chance to make it to the Top 16.  Both sides reached a mutual agreement. Khimki was 3-6 under Scariolo.

Giricek signed with Cibona

Former NBA player Gordan Giricek signed a new contract with Cibona Zagreb of his native country of Croatia. Giricek will play for Cibona until the end of the 10-11 season. The 33-year-old guard played for Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul last season, where he averaged 8.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in the Euroleague.

Taurasi suspended in Turkey

Fenerbahce Istanbul and Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in Turkey for Fenerbahce and has been suspended. According to Turkish media, the banned substance was modafinil. The positive test came from an "A" sample, and the same testing had been requested on a second "B" sample.

Taurasi is the best EuroLeague Women scorer this season, averaging 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Taurasi also led Fenerbahce to an 8-0 record in the EuroLeague Women regular season.

Will Langford play for Bosnia and Herzegovina national team?

According to the media of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Keith Langford could join Bosnian’s national team. Langford, who averaged 18.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in the Euroleague this season, wants to get a Bosnian passport and play in EuroBasket 2011.

Giddens has left Poland

Asseco Prokom Gdynia club, which lost their last three Euroleague games and missed the Top 16, announced that the team has parted ways with 25-year-old guard J.R. Giddens.  The former member of Boston Celtics and New York Knicks averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 minutes in the Euroleague tournament.