Bursa Nilüfer Belediyespor — Beşiktaş: 36:36, Superlig

Bursaspor and Beşiktaş shared the points in a 36-36 draw in the Superlig on Sunday. The result kept both sides at the top of the table, if only temporarily. To be fair, neither side had much reason to complain about the outcome.

Beşiktaş arrived with a perfect three wins from three. Bursaspor had two victories and a draw. The visitors had beaten their opponents 30-27 in April, so expectations were clear. And here's the thing — the home side refused to fold.

Bursaspor had dropped a point against Trabzonspor last week, going down 34-33 away. They had lost to Michalichikspor 27-29 before that. But this time they found an answer. The match swung back and forth, and by then it was already a battle.

Beşiktaş had beaten Güneyso 45-31 and Spor Toto 36-27 in their recent run. They had even lost 32-33 to Nehé earlier in the season. But you cannot read form on paper. Bursaspor pressed high up the pitch and held a high line. The visitors found no answer.

Our prediction had backed the guests at 61 per cent confidence. We were wrong. The match did not go to plan because Bursaspor had nothing to lose and everything to prove. They ended a barren spell of results against the big clubs. The draw let the tie slip, but it was earned.

Both sides remain in contention. Beşiktaş leads on six points, Bursaspor sits on four. One game separates them, and neither side has lost yet. The table tells you nothing about what happened on the court today.