Andy West previews the second half of this double-round week
At a glance: Action continues with five clashes Thursday
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The latest double round week concludes with another ten-pack of exciting action all across the continent. Here's your guide to regular season Round 27.
Thursday, February 5
Dubai Basketball vs. Real Madrid (17:00 CET)
Dubai (12-14) will look to take a second high-profile scalp in three days with a visit from Real (16-10). The host must dig deep for extra reserves of energy after Tuesday's overtime victory over Olympiacos, and will hope that center Mfiondu Kabengele can again stand strong after powering that win with a colossal 21 points and 14 rebounds. Real is looking to bounce back from a loss at Panathinaikos where Alex Len had his best performance of the season with 18 points, but Los Blancos need to improve their outside shooting after going 9-of-32 from three-point range (28%). The Spanish side has lost four of its last five on the road, so Dubai – featuring fit-again former Real star Dzanan Musa – will be confident of further improving its excellent 9-3 home record.
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Valencia Basket (20:00 CET)
A battle of surprise high-fliers targeting a top four finish will see Hapoel (16-9) host Valencia (16-10). The host is undergoing its toughest stretch of the season with Tuesday's loss at Zvezda making it three straight defeats, and Valencia also needs an immediate response from a shock setback at lowly Efes. Hapoel – which won at Valencia, 93-100, earlier in the season – will focus on improving its inside game after only making 13 two-pointers on Tuesday, and centers Johnathan Motley and Tai Odiase will be particularly determined to improve their combined total of 7 points. The visitor will hope Nate Reuvers can keep firing from deep following his 6 triples in the loss at Efes, but needs much better collective defense after allowing 107 points in that game.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CET)
Top four aspirant Panathinaikos (16-10) is targeting a perfect week as it travels to Belgrade to face Partizan (8-18). Both teams were in one-possession thrillers earlier this week as the Greens edged out Real, whereas Partizan will look to work off the frustration of a last-second defeat to Maccabi. Jerian Grant was game-winning hero for Panathinaikos on Tuesday, and his backcourt combination with Kostas Sloukas will continue to be crucial after they combined for 41 points. Partizan could strengthen its backcourt with the return of Duane Washington from injury, and the host will look for more three-point shooting from Dylan Osetkowski after netting 8-of-11 triples in the last two games. He faces a good matchup with Dinos Mitoglou, who is fit again after injury.
FC Bayern Munich vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CET)
Fast-rising Bayern (11-15) provides the latest challenge to a Monaco team (15-11) which is starting to look in danger of falling out of the playoffs places. Bayern made it three straight wins by overcoming Paris on Tuesday, with the usual long-range shooting heroics from Andreas Obst supported by the inside dominance of Wenyen Gabriel (14 points, 8 rebounds). Gabriel will attempt to exploit a Monaco frontcourt weakened by the injury absence of Kevarrius Hayes, and the visitor also needs to drastically improve from long-range after only making 6 three-pointers in Tuesday’s heavy loss at Zalgiris – a fourth straight setback for Vassilis Spanoulis’s team. Another heroic performance from Mike James – 19 points and 10 assists – was a rare bright light on another tough evening for the Roca Team, which must dig deep to turn back Bayern’s momentum.
Paris Basketball vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:45 CET)
Rampant reigning champ Fenerbahce (18-7) is seeking a fifth consecutive win with a trip to struggling Paris (8-17). The Turkish team has taken a two-game lead in first place with a five-game winning run, but still has room for improvement after nearly letting a big lead slip at Barcelona on Tuesday. The shooting of Tarik Biberovic was key to that victory with 19 points, and the sharpshooter has found his best form of the season with four straight double-digit scoring nights. He will look to punish a Paris defense which allowed 29 fourth-quarter points in Tuesday’s defeat at Bayern, when the French team also contributed to its own downfall by committing 17 turnovers. That game saw forward Derek Willis return to action following injury, and his rebounding power will be needed against Fener’s fierce physicality.
Friday, February 6
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (18:30 CET)
Two of Tuesday's big winners will look to build more momentum as Efes (7-19) welcomes Zalgiris (15-11). Both teams scored in triple digits last time out, with Efes ending a nine-game losing streak by thrashing Valencia. A major plus for the Turkish team was a breakout performance by big man Kai Jones, who controlled the paint – with the support of Ercan Osmani – by combining 15 points and 7 rebounds. Zalgiris will have revenge on its mind after suffering a huge home loss, 64-87, against Efes earlier in the season, and Azoulas Tubelis will be ready to battle with Jones and Osmani after powering Tuesday’s win over Monaco with 26 points and 7 boards. That game also saw Nigel Williams-Goss return to action, while Efes also has a backcourt reinforcement with the return of Jordan Loyd.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:00 CET)
Playoff hopeful Milan (13-13) has its sights set on a third straight victory with a short journey to face ASVEL (7-19). The host will be high on confidence after ending a six-game losing streak, and grabbing its first road win of the season, by downing Virtus on Wednesday behind 19 points from Glynn Watson. But Milan is also feeling good about its progress after back-to-back wins, and will look for more of the defensive discipline which propelled Tuesday’s easy victory over Baskonia by allowing just 33 second half points. That game saw Devin Booker compensate for the injury absence of Josh Nebo by draining 21 points, and he faces a big battle with ASVEL’s in-form big man Mbaye Ndiaye, who had 16 points and 8 boards in Wednesday’s road win.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (20:00 CET)
Red-hot Zvezda (16-10) is aiming for a sixth straight victory against a Maccabi side (11-15) also targeting a second win of the week. The visitor will try to slow down the scoring of Jordan Nwora, who averages 19.8 points in the last five games. Maccabi also has to protect its backboard against an opponent that grabbed 20 offensive rebounds last time out, and all-action Chima Moneke will look to profit from the absence of visiting rebounding ace TJ Leaf. Zvezda shooting star Jared Butler has found his most consistent form with 16, 16 and 17 points in the last three games, and he’ll be ready for an exciting matchup with Maccabi’s Jimmy Clark, who had a career-high 21 points in Tuesday’s win over Partizan including a thrilling walk-off game-winner.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Virtus Bologna (20:15 CET)
Olympiacos (16-9) will look to get back on track with a visit from mid-table Virtus (12-14). The Greek team suffered an overtime loss at Dubai on Tuesday partly due to poor long-range shooting, making just 8 triples despite a trifecta from Evan Fournier. The Reds will look for guidance from Thomas Walkup, who directed the offense with 7 assists, against a Virtus team which is also reeling from a setback after Wednesday’s home loss to ASVEL. The Italian team has been weakened in the backcourt by injuries to Matt Morgan and Alessandro Pajola, and needs a big performance in the paint from fit-again Alen Smailagic against league leading rebounder Nikola Milutinov. The Reds will pay particular attention to stopping Carsen Edwards, who averages 23.2 points in his last five games.
Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)
The week concludes with an all-Spanish affair as Baskonia (9-17) looks to stay strong at home against Barcelona (16-10). December’s meeting between the teams was a genuine classic, won by Barca in triple overtime after Kevin Punter (43 points) outshot Markus Howard (33) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (26). This could be a cagier affair because both teams need to shake off bad nights earlier this week, with Barca's attempted comeback against Fenerbahce falling short while Baskonia displayed its usual defensive problems to suffer a second half capitulation in Milan. Former Baskonia star Toko Shengelia will look to bounce back from a rare bad performance – 1-of-6 from the field and no rebounds – while shot-blocking specialist Mamadi Diakite has the same motivation for the host after failing to score on Tuesday night.