Basketball-Red Star edge closer to playoffs as Barca sink CSKA

By Zoran Milosavljevic BELGRADE, March 11 (Reuters) - Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade closed in on a Euroleague playoff berth with a dramatic 69-67 win over Panathinaikos and Barcelona also boosted their hopes with a 100-98 overtime home defeat of CSKA Moscow on Friday. Holders Real Madrid stayed on course to reach the last eight after former Chicago Bulls forward Andres Nocioni helped them to a 90-75 win at Zalgiris Kaunas. Roared on by a frenetic 20,000 crowd in Belgrade's Kombank Arena, Red Star prevailed in a physical roller coaster as their American shooting guard Tarence Kinsey scored 19 points. His compatriot Quincy Miller added 16 and five rebounds, including a crucial late three-point play when he converted a free throw after he was fouled while nailing a slam-dunk. "They are a great team and didn't break under pressure but we kept fighting until the end and showed a lot of character," Miller told Reuters. "We have to take it one game at a time because the next game is always our biggest game." Red Star trailed by eight points in a low-scoring first period and then turned the match with a strong third quarter before Panathinaikos conjured a 13-0 run to tie the score at 55-55 with five minutes left. Kinsey, who had his ribcage bandaged in the second half after a collision with an opponent, sank a pair of jump-shots to restore Red Star's lead before Miller added the finishing touch. The result left Red Star third in their Top 16 section with a 6-4 record and a good chance of reaching the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition for the first time. Barcelona improved to 5-5 after American forward Justin Doellman scored five points in the last eight seconds of the game to stun CSKA and claw out a potentially priceless win for the Catalan side. Real, who are chasing a record-extending 10th title, made light work of 1999 champions Zalgiris after trailing 17-13 at the end of the first quarter. Argentine stalwart Nocioni led the champions with 22 points and seven rebounds. He was unstoppable from beyond the arc, nailing six three-pointers from as many attempts. The Top 16 features two pools of eight teams each, with the top four from each section advancing to the best-of-five quarter-final playoff series. The winners qualify for the May 13-15 Final Four in Berlin. (Editing by Ken Ferris/Andrew Both)