Eurloleague basketball: Playoffs Game 3

MVP's:Ramunas Siskauskas, Matjaz Smodis of CSKADefending champion CSKA Moscow became the first team to make it to the 2009 Final Four and did so in style on Tuesday, sweeping its best-of-five Quarterfinal Playoff series against Partizan with a 56-67 road win before 21,352 fans in Belgrade. A pair of CSKA's signature superstars, Ramunas Siskauskas and Matjaz Smodis, rose to the occasion and shared co-MVP honors for Game 3 of the playoffs with performance index ratings of 30 each. Siskauskas, last season's MVP, blasted a way for 20 points on Tuesday by making 5 out of 6 two-point shot attempts and going 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Siskauksas added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 7 fouls drawn for a total index rating of 30. Meanwhile, in the CSKA frontcourt, Smodis piled up 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 7 fouls drawn to match Siskauskas with a 30 rating, too. They were followed by Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid, who led his team to a 71-63 do-or-die home win that meant the Whites stay alive in their playoff series against Olympiacos. Reyes had 19 points, making 9 of 11 free throws, to go with 9 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists and 8 fouls drawn for a 29 index rating. In losing efforts, Novica Velickovic of Partizan, with a 23 index rating, and Jaka Lakovic of Regal FC Barcelona, with 20, completed the top individual performances in Quarterfinal Playoffs Game 3. 

Individual highs: Novica Velickovic, Partizan Belgrade, 26 points 

Even when Partizan suffered a bitter end to an otherwise fantastic Euroleague season, Velickovic went out strong, as Game 3's top scorer with 26 points against CSKA. Terrell McIntyre of Montepaschi Siena is still the top scorer of the playoffs at 21.3 points per game. Ioannis Bourousis of Olympiacos and Kostas Tsartsaris of Panathinaikos each pulled down 10 boards in Game 3, while three players - Reyes, his teammate Axel Hervelle and Ersan Ilyasova of Barcelona - tie for the playoffs lead with 8.3 rebounds per game. Theo Papaloukas of Olympiacos and Pablo Prigioni of Tau each dished 6 assists in Game 3. Papaloukas, with 7.7 on average, also leads the playoffs in that category. Reyes and teammate Alex Mumbru each collected 5 steals in Game 3 and tie as playoff leaders with 2.33 per game. Benjamin Eze of Montepaschi Siena and Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos had 2 blocks apiece. Antonis Fotsis of Panathinaikos averages that many, making him the blocks leader in the playoffs. Bourousis, who had 17 points to go with his 10 rebounds, was the only player on all eight playoff teams to earn a double-double in Game 3.

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