Cedevita Zagreb held off already-eliminated Belgacom Spirou Basket 64-72 to pick up its fourth consecutive win on Tuesday night. Victory improved Cedevita to 5-2, securing it at least a share of the first place in Group B, while Spirou remains winless after 7 games. Cedevita led for most of the encounter, but let its lead slip in the fourth quarter as the hosts went up 60-56. But Nolan Smith scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the final 7 minutes of the game, and Cedevita finished it with a 0-7 run to seal the deal. Ivan Ramljak added 16 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 13 in victory. Devin Green amassed 13 points plus 13 rebounds for Spirou, and Mohamed Abukar also scored 13. Joseph Trapani had 12, and Demond Mallet 10 in defeat.

In the early going, Darryl Watkins hit couple of shots, while Abukar and Wen Boss Mukubu hit triples for 13-8. But with couple of quick layups from Smith, and a triple from Nurkic, Cedevita tied it 17-17 after 10 minutes. Nurkic started the second quarter with a basket-plus-foul, and with a help from two Ramljak jumpers and Miro Bilan’s dunk, the visitors went in front 20-28. Ante Delas and Nurkic kept the margin safe, as Cedevita held 29-35 at halftime, before a pair of layups from Smith, and one from Ramljak made it the largest lead of the game, 29-41, early in the third. Abukar got the hosts going in the third quarter, and Mallet’s jumper and Trapani’s layup helped cut it to 40-47. The visitors scored only one field goal in almost 6 minutes, while put-back from Devin Green and a three-pointer from Mallet got Belgacom Spirou to 49-51 in the final minute of the period. At the start of the fourth quarter, Smith and Mallet traded triples, before baskets from Trapani gave the hosts 60-56. But Smith had basket-plus-foul, and Ramljak had couple of layups to put the visitors back in front, 61-63. Mallet’s layup tied it, but another layup from Ramljak but Cedevita up for good. Smith’s triple made it 64-68, and the visitors sealed it from the foul line.