Round 29 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is headlined by a mouthwatering Greek derby and the reigning champ aiming to halt a slump. Here is your overview of the upcoming action.
This Week: Greek Derby opens a slate of pivotal clashes
Thursday, March 14
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Panathinaikos Aktor Athens
The most important Greek derby in years will see Panathinaikos (18-10) attempt to keep hold of third place by winning at Olympiacos (17-11). Both teams are in great form, with the Reds winning five in a row while Ergin Ataman's team has triumphed in three straight. The opening-week meeting between the teams saw Olympiacos win 78-88, powered by 17 points and 10 rebounds from Alec Peters, meaning Georgios Bartzokas's team has now won five derbies in a row. But Panathinaikos could not be more motivated to end that slide and will look to feed off the energy provided by Mathias Lessort, who has a PIR of at least 20 in five consecutive games. Two of the league's best defenders will also battle for backcourt dominance as Thomas Walkup takes on Jerian Grant.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Valencia Basket
Fresh from last week's statement-making win in Madrid, Fenerbahce (17-11) will look to keep pushing for the top four against a Valencia team (13-15) battling to stay in the top ten. The visitor will look to the dynamic Semi Ojeleye to match the hustle of Fenerbahce's do-it-all Nigel Hayes-Davis, who powered the road win against Real Madrid with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and can take the confidence of knowing it has already beaten the Turkish team once this season with a 77-74 victory in Round 2. Brandon Davies top scored on that occasion with 18 points, and he has a key role in the paint against Fener center Johnathan Motley, who has posted double-digit scoring in eight consecutive games.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Faltering Zvezda (10-18) will look to get back on track against a Maccabi (15-13) team aiming for a third straight win. Zvezda has lost four in a row to drop away from playoff contention, and knows it can't afford many more missed chances. Maccabi backcourt dynamo Wade Baldwin will take some stopping after scoring at least 16 points in nine consecutive games. The Serbian team could look to slow the pace by controlling the game through its frontcourt, where Luka Mitrovic had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in last week's loss at Monaco. Earlier this season, currently injured Milos Teodosic stunned Maccabi with 27 points and 14 assists to power a 92-98 road win, and Zvezda needs similar inspiration this time around.
Unstoppable Monaco (18-10) will look to make it eight straight wins with a trip to face rock-bottom ALBA, which has lost five in a row. Although Mike James grabbed all the attention after becoming the competition's all-time leading scorer during last week's win over Zvezda, Elie Okobo showed he is also a shining talent in the Monaco backcourt with 14 points and 7 assists. Big man Donatas Motiejunas is also in good form with double-digit scoring in three of the last four games. James, though, remains the key man and he led the way, scoring 17 points, in his team's 86-75 victory over ALBA earlier in the season. Matt Thomas led the German team with 17 points on that occasion, and he always provides a deep threat with multiple triples in four straight games.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
A key battle between direct rivals will see Baskonia (15-13) host a Milan (12-16) team boosted by a dramatic win over Partizan last time out. Shabazz Napier was Milan's game-winning hero in that game, and he faces a tough task in containing the influence of Codi Miller-McIntyre, who has registered PIRs of at least 20 in three consecutive games. Baskonia has won three in a row at home, scoring 92, 94 and 88 points, so the visiting team will need the same kind of defensive excellence that earned a 76-67 win over the Spanish side in December. Milan's frontcourt also stood out to gain that victory, with Nicolo Melli scoring 21 points and Johannes Voigtmann grabbing 12 rebounds. They face a compelling battle with the Baskonia duo of Tadas Sedekerskis and Chima Moneke.
FC Barcelona vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Barcelona (19-9) will attempt to protect second place with a visit from a Partizan team (13-15) looking to end a run of eight straight road losses to the hosts. Former Partizan hero Jan Vesely has been unstoppable for Barca recently, averaging 16.8 points in the last four games and making 29 of his 34 two-point attempts in the process. The task of containing him will fall to Frank Kaminsky and Bruno Caboclo, who had 13 points and 5 rebounds in last week's painful loss at Milan. In the backcourt, Aleksa Avramovic has emerged as Partizan's leader with at least 16 points in three of the last four games, while the Serbian team will be more than familiar with threat of Nico Laprovittola after he netted 20 points on 6-for-10 three-point shooting when Barca won 83-92 in Belgrade in October.
Friday, March 15
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul
After blasting 105 and 109 points in its last two home games, Efes (12-16) will attempt to keep alive its fragile postseason hopes by ending a seven-game losing run on the road and overcoming ASVEL (6-22). October's meeting between the teams saw Efes prevail 89-84 in Istanbul behind 19 points from Will Clyburn, who looks to be recovering his best form after scoring 17 and 21 points in the last two games. ASVEL has been boosted by the return from injury of Nando De Colo, who has scored 15 and 13 points in his two games back from injury. The French legend now needs a PIR of 19 to become the first in competition history to reach a career total of 5,000, and his backcourt battle with fellow scoring ace Shane Larkin could be crucial.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Two direct rivals aiming to climb closer to the top 10 go head to head for a vital meeting as Andrea Trinchieri takes Zalgiris (11-17) to face his former team, Bayern (12-16). The German team will be looking for a defensive improvement after allowing 109 points in last week's loss against Efes, which also saw veteran leader Vladimir Lucic make 5 of 5 triples in his best game since returning from injury. November's meeting between the teams was a thriller, edged 74-73 by Zalgiris with a game-winning basket from team leader Keenan Evans, who has scored at least 18 points in each of the last four games. Slowing down Evans will be the focus of Pablo Laso's defensive preparations.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Real Madrid
League-leading Real (22-26) faces the tough task of ending its surprising three-game losing streak with a trip to dangerous Virtus (17-11), one of three teams currently tied for fifth place. The Italian team has lost four of its last six games, all against fellow candidates for a top-four finish, and will again look to Toko Shengelia for leadership after he scored 15 points in last week's narrow loss at Olympiacos. Real's offensive power was too much for Virtus to handle when the teams met in November, with 18 points and 11 assists from Facu Campazzo masterminding a convincing 100-74 home victory. But he has been subdued in the three-game losing run, failing to reach double digits in scoring, and savvy Virtus veteran Daniel Hackett will look to make his life difficult again this week.