BELGRADE, April 1 (Reuters) - Panathinaikos, Red Star Belgrade and Laboral Kutxa Vitoria advanced to the Euroleague playoffs with a match to spare, while holders Real Madrid were staring at an early exit after some exciting action on Friday.
The trio have joined Fenerbahce Istanbul and Russians CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv Krasnodar, who had already booked their last-eight tickets, with two more quarter-final berths up for grabs in next week's final round of the second group stage.
Six-time winners Panathinaikos knew they had qualified before their 76-60 home win over Cedevita Zagreb, as they were sent through by Fenerbahce Istanbul's 90-86 home victory over city rivals Anadolu Efes.