Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv secured at least a top-four finish in Group A of the BTK EuroCup with a game to spare and hence home-court advantage in the playoffs after a vital 85-91 win at Joventut Badalona.

Hapoel overpowers Joventut, 85-91, to clinch top-four finish

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv secured at least a top-four finish in Group A of the BTK EuroCup with a game to spare and hence home-court advantage in the playoffs after a vital 85-91 win at Joventut Badalona.

Hapoel will also be assured of the group’s runners-up spot, which would give the team a bye in the first knockout round of the competition and send it through to the quarterfinals, if the London Lions lose at Cedevita Olimpija on Wednesday.

If the Lions beat the group’s bottom team, they will be level with Hapoel on a 12-5 record and the tussle for second place will go down to the wire, with Hapoel facing Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 18 while the Lions are at home to Wolves Vilnius.

Game Videos

In Badalona, Will Cummings led a balanced Hapoel effort with 19 points, followed by Xavier Munford who netted 16. Desmine Wells and J’Covan Brown chipped in with 12 each and Jaylen Hoard added 11 for the visitors, who never looked back after they overturned an early 6-2 Joventut lead.

At the other end, Andres Feliz paced Joventut with 19 points, Shannon Evans scored 10, while Michael Ruzic and Tyler Calvin-Cook amassed 11 apiece for the hosts, who committed 21 turnovers against an aggressive Hapoel defense.

Game News

Powered by Cummings and thriving from quick movement of the ball on the offensive end, Hapoel fired on all cylinders in the first half as it carved out a 25-45 lead midway through the second quarter on the back of a 15-1 streak. The visitors shot 16-of-24 from two-point range and 5-of-8 from downtown in the opening two periods, having also come up with 6 steals while Joventut committed 12 turnovers.

The home team slashed its deficit to 42-57 at halftime but Hapoel again found another gear after the beak, pulling away to 58-80 early in the fourth quarter as Hoard and Brown took over from Cummings and Munford.

Joventut launched a comeback in the home stretch but Hapoel ultimately held on comfortably to complete the regular-season double over the Spanish side, having beaten them 103-99 at home in the reverse fixture.

The Israeli side is also on the cusp of a direct quarterfinal berth after an impressive display in Spain.

Joventut Badalona v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2024-01-30T19:30:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball thrashed Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul 72-95 in Group A in Round 17 on Tuesday. By doing so, Paris mathematically gained the home-court advantage in each playoff game or series it should take part in. 


Paris rounds perfect Regular Season 

Paris Basketball thrashed Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul 72-95 in Group A in Round 17 on Tuesday. By doing so, Paris clinched home-court advantage for every playoff series it takes part in. 

By beating Besiktas, Paris reached another goal that may have appeared unthinkable at the start of the season: beating each and every opponent in Group A. Besiktas was been the only team to beat Paris in the EuroCup this season, registering a 63-68 road victory in Round 8.

Its current 16-1 record allows Coach Tuomas Iisalo's team to play at home for the foreseeable future. Paris already clinched first place in Group A, getting the bye in the eighthfinals round and earning the right to wait for almost two months until its next big game, the single-game quarterfinals on March 26.

"We played a very solid 40 minutes. We had one tough stretch after a great start but we played physical, were disciplined and most of all, we were very solid," Coach Iisalo said after the game. "Lately, we have been up and down and it was great to see us have 40 minutes of consistent performance."

T.J. Shorts had 23 points and 6 assists in Paris Basketball's road victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul.

Shorts leads Paris past Besiktas

Once again, playmaker T.J. Shorts displayed his credentials as a candidate to become the 2023-24 EuroCup MVP, leading his team with 23 points on red-hot shooting (75% 2FG, 75% 3FG, 100% FT), 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 34, earning a chance to challenge for this fourth MVP of the Round honor this season. He has scored 20 points or more seven times this season.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, Besiktas is a really good team and they've got a great fan base here. I am just proud that everybody stepped up and contributed to the win. It was a solid performance from us. There are still things that we can improve," Shorts said. "We know that going into the playoffs, there is a single-game elimination that we have to prepare for. There are a lot of things that we still need to clean up but I think that today, we took a step in the right direction. We will go back, look at the film and get ready for the next one."

Paris made 34 of 46 two-point shots. Its 73.9% two-point shooting percentage is the seventh-best mark in the EuroCup this season. Paris shot over 70.0% inside the arc for the fifth time this season. All other 19 EuroCup teams combined for seven times over 70.0%. Coach Iisalo and Shorts are taking their free-flowing, fun-to-watch offense to the EuroCup Playoffs!

Coach Tuomas Iisalo's team clinched the best record in the competition with its Round 17 win. 

Paris reigns as regular season's best team 

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v Paris Basketball (2024-01-30T17:00:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice rallied from 13 points down to defeat Prometey Slobozhanske 108-92 thanks to a massive turnaround in the third quarter. 

Reyer rallies from 13 down to blow out Prometey in final home game 

Umana Reyer Venice rallied from 13 points down to defeat Prometey Slobozhanske 108-92 thanks to a massive turnaround in the third quarter. Despite being already eliminated from playoff contention, Reyer took the third quarter 38-14 to improve to 7-10 in Group A. The third-period tally was the most Reyer ever scored in a single quarter and the 108 marked a club record for an entire game.

Kyle Wiltjer was Reyer’s leading scorer with 25 points, Rayjon Tucker had 19 points, Amedeo Tessitori collected 18 points and 12 rebounds and Max Heidegger chipped in 18 points. Prometey had won three of the last games but lost to fall to 9-8 and missed a chance to jump to fifth place in the group. Ondrej Balvin poured in 15 points and Gian Clavell had 14 points in a losing effort.

Reyer led 5-2 and 7-5 before Tai Odiase scored 4 points in a 0-8 run as Prometey went ahead 7-13. Oleksandr Lypovyy and Issuf Sanon both hit three-pointers as the cushion grew to 16-28. The score was 18-28 after 10 minutes.

Jeff Brooks converted a three-point play and Wiltjer added a three-pointer to cut the game to 24-30. Brooks drained a three-pointer and the hosts were down just 29-33. Three Andrea De Nicolao free throws had the gap at 32-35. Odiase added 4 more points in a 0-8 surge as Prometey went ahead 32-43. Clavell free throws extended the cushion to 34-47. Illia Sydorov added 4 points for the guests down the stretch and Prometey led 45-57 at the intermission.

Reyer was down 50-61 when Tucker scored 9 points and Wiltjer had 7 points in a 25-7 run to lead 75-68. Lypovyy stopped the rot with a three-pointer but Tucker added 3 free throws and the cushion grew to 83-71 after 30 minutes.

Prometey cut the gap to 85-77, but Heidegger hit a three-pointer and delivered a great assist in pushing the margin to 94-81 with 5 minutes to go. Prometey could not get enough stops and Tessitori knocked down a three-pointer and Tucker converted a three-point play down the stretch.

The team from Venice set a club scoring record along the way. 

Umana Reyer Venice v Prometey Slobozhanske (2024-01-30T19:00:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius cruised to a 94-84 home win over Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup regular season after overcoming energetic starts by the visitors through the opening three quarters.

Wolves cruise to comfortable home win over Hamburg, 94-84

Wolves Vilnius cruised to a 94-84 home win over Veolia Towers Hamburg in Round 17 of the BKT EuroCup regular season after overcoming energetic starts by the visitors through the opening three quarters.

Jeffery Taylor paced Wolves with 20 points, Tre’Shawn Thomas added 19 and Kristupas Zemaitis chipped in with 10 points to go with 7 assists for the home team, which improved to 7-10 on the season. At the other end, Vincent King led Hamburg with a game-high 21 points, Mark Hughes scored 17 and Aleksander Dziewa added 16 for the visitors, who fell to 2-15.

 

Hamburg raced to an 8-16 lead early on, only for Wolves to hit back with a 14-2 run, having shored up the defensive leaks quickly as they outrebounded the visitors 12-5 in the opening 10 minutes.

The German side then nosed back in front, 26-28, before Wolves replied with a staggering 21-2 streak powered by former Real Madrid forward Jeffery Taylor and Tre’Shawn Thurman. The home side led 56-41 at halftime, with Taylor and Thurman netting 13 points each. Vilnius stayed firmly in control of the boards (18-8), having also engineered more assists and committed fewer turnovers.

Hamburg started the third quarter with a 9-0 run to slash the deficit to 56-50 before Wolves roared back again with a 10-0 steak to stay in the driving seat and never looked back. Hamburg tried as hard as it can to stay in touch but the hosts kept their feet on the gas to end their home campaign on a high note.

Wolves will close out the regular season campaign with next week’s visit to London Lions. Hamburg, which is winless at home all season having celebrated both its victories on the road, has a final chance to give its fans something to cheer about when it hosts Umana Reyer Venice in Round 18.

The Lithuanian side fended off strong starts by Hamburg in each of the opening three quarters.

Wolves Vilnius v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2024-01-30T17:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys did its part to keep its season alive by defeating Slask Wroclaw 91-75 to snap a four-game losing streak in Group B. 

Lietkabelis sees off Slask 91-75 to snap losing skid

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys did its part to keep its season alive by defeating Slask Wroclaw 91-75 to snap a four-game losing streak in Group B. Lietkabelis improved to 6-11 but will be eliminated if any one of Aris Midea Thessaloniki, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica or Turk Telekom Ankara wins on Wednesday.

Deividas Sirvydis paced Lietkabelis with 21 points, Dovis Bickauskis tallied 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists and Gabrielius Maldunas contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds. Slask is guaranteed to finish last in the group and fell to 2-15. Hassani Gravett scored 21 points and Dusan Miletic added 16 points in the loss.

Three lead changes early on were followed by a Gravett triple to put the guests up 6-10. Lietkabelis reclaimed the lead only to have another Gravett three make it 11-15. Gravett added a layup and the gap grew to 13-19. Lietkabelis pulled within 20-22 after 10 minutes.

Lietkabelis had an 8-2 run to move back ahead 28-27. Gediminas Orelik and Sirvydis both hit three-pointers as Lietkabelis went up 37-33. Sirvydis added 4 more points and the home side led 45-38. The score was 48-41 at the break.

Lietkabelis went up 50-43 early in the second half but then went more than 3 minutes without a score and Slask trimmed the deficit to 50-47. The home side moved back up by 5 points but Gravett hit 2 more three-pointers to even the game 57-57. Lietkabelis scored the final 4 points of the quarter and led 63-59.

Mateusz Zebski drained a three-pointer for the guests to bring the score to 63-62. But Liutauras Lelevicius knocked down two three-pointers and Bickauskis added a triple as the lead grew to 72-62. Slask managed 5 straight points to bring the margin to 75-70 only to be punched back by five points from Sirvydis and a three-pointer by Orelik and the advantage was 10 points again 83-73. Slask ended up scoring just 2 points in the finals 4:24 minutes.

The win kept the home team's slim playoff hopes alive.

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Slask Wroclaw (2024-01-30T17:00:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball mathematically became the top-seeded team in the upcoming 2024 BKY EuroCup playoffs by downing Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul 72-95 in Group A on the road on Tuesday. Paris improved to 15-1 and has already qualified to the quarterfinals while Besiktas dropped to 9-8. 

Top-seeded Paris beats Besiktas, 72-95! 

Paris Basketball guaranteed the best record in the BKT EuroCup Regular Season and thus the top-seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by defeating Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul 72-95 in Group A on the road on Tuesday. Paris improved to 15-1 and has already qualified to the quarterfinals while Besiktas dropped to 9-8. 

T.J. Shorts paced the winners with 23 points and 6 assists. Collin Malcolm added 15 points, Leon Kratzer had 14 while Nadir Hifi got 11 for Paris. Jonah Mathews led Besiktas with 22 points. Derek Needham added 12 while Matthew Mitchell had 10 for the hosts.

### A back-and-forth battle!

Kratzer got Paris rolling with an alley-oop slam, a tip-in and consecutive layups, prompting Besiktas to call timeout at 4-11. Berkan Durmaz stepped up with a put-back slam, Mathews struck from downtown, then Mitchell followed a three-pointer with a jumper as a 12-0 run saw Besiktas take a 16-11 lead. Shorts rescued Paris with a couple of three-pointers, before getting help from Mikael Jantunen to help Paris regain a 20-23 edge after 10 minutes.

### Shorts kept Paris in charge

Shorts insisted from beyond the arc early in the second quarter. Kratzer added a layup for a 21-28 Paris lead. Mathews hit a jump hook and Angel Delgado added a floater to bring Besiktas within 25-28. Hifi and Enzo Shahrvin rescued Paris, then Justin Simon's fastbreak slam gave the guests a 28-35 lead. Shahrvin stunned the crowd with an alley-oop dunk before an unstoppable Shorts added a couple of jumpers and a driving layup to keep Paris ahead, 37-42, at halftime.

### Malcolm boosted Paris's margin

Kratzer dunked right after the break and Malcolm matched Mathews's jumper with a power layup. Durmaz struck from downtown and Mathews's floater gave Besiktas hope at 44-47. Malcolm kept pacing Paris and his first three-pointer made it a double-digit game, 47-58. Needham and Mathews each struck om beyond the arc but Malcolm kept the guests in charge, 54-64. Shorts and Shahrvin allowed Paris to boost its margin to 58-73 after 30 minutes. 

### Paris clinched top-seeded status

Delgado tried to ignite Besiktas's comeback with a layup and Mathews buried a couple of three-pointer to give the hosts hope, 67-77, with over 6 minutes left. Jantunen answered from downtown and Hifi added a fast break layup that broke the game open, 67-82. Hifi hit a jumper and Malcolm's three-point play allowed Paris to seal the win in style. 

Top-seeded Paris beats Besiktas, 72-95

From now until the end of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season, every night could see shifts in the standings as teams jostle for playoff spots. Here is what could happen in Round 17.

EuroCup Playoff possibilities for Round 17

#### Group A

[Paris Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/paris-basketball/roster/prs/?season=2023-24) (15-1) has clinched first place in the group. With a victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul – or should Group B leader Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse lose – Paris will secure the best regular-season record and therefore host every playoff series it plays.

[Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/roster/hta/?season=2023-24) (11-5) can clinch second place, advancing directly to the quarterfinals, with a victory at Joventut Badalona, but only if London loses at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana the next night.

Hapoel will clinch a top-four finish with a victory or if both Besiktas and Prometey Slobozhanske lose.

[London Lions](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/london-lions/roster/lli/?season=2023-24) (11-5) has clinched a top-four finish; it cannot clinch second place in Round 17.

[Joventut Badalona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/roster/jov/?season=2023-24) (10-6) can clinch a top-four finish with a victory over Hapoel if both Besiktas and Prometey lose.

Joventut can clinch a top-four finish if it wins by at least 2 points in regulation time and Prometey loses at Umana Reyer Venica.

#### Group B

[Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse/roster/bou/?season=2023-24) (13-3) can clinch first place with a win if Gran Canaria loses at home to Cluj.

Bourg can clinch a top-two spot, and a place in the quarterfinals, with a win.

Bourg can clinch a top-two spot if Cluj loses.

[Dreamland Gran Canaria](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/dreamland-gran-canaria/roster/can/?season=2023-24) (12-4) can clinch a top-two spot, and a place in the quarterfinals, with a win vs. Cluj.

[U-BT Cluj-Napoca](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/u-bt-cluj-napoca/roster/clu/?season=2023-24) (12-4) can clinch a top-two spot, and a place in the quarterfinals, with a win by more than 22 points if Bourg also wins at Turk Telekom.

[ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/roster/ulm/?season=2023-24) (9-7) can clinch a top-four finish with a win.

[Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/aris-thessaloniki/roster/ari/?season=2023-24) (7-9) qualifies for the playoffs if it wins and both Turk Telekom and Buducnost lose.

[Dolomiti Energia Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/dolomiti-energia-trento/roster/trn/?season=2023-24) (7-9) qualifies for the playoffs if it wins and both Aris and Turk Telekom lose.

[Turk Telekom Ankara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/turk-telekom-ankara/roster/ttk/?season=2023-24) (7-9) qualifies for the playoffs if it wins and both Aris and Trento lose.

[Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/roster/bud/?season=2023-24) (6-10) is eliminated if it loses.

Buducnost is eliminated if it wins by fewer than 3 points in regulation and both Aris and Turk Telekom win.

[7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/lietkabelis-panevezys/roster/lkb/?season=2023-24) (5-11) is eliminated if it loses or any one of Aris, Buducnost or Turk Telekom wins.

Playoff possibilities for Round 17

ratiopharm Ulm v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024-01-31T18:30:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2024-01-31T19:00:00.000Z)

Dreamland Gran Canaria v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2024-01-31T20:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2024-01-31T17:00:00.000Z)

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v London Lions (2024-01-31T17:30:00.000Z)

The team captain reflects on the season to this point, the club’s goals in these last two regular-season games and what playing in the playoffs represents.

Blog, Patrick Richard, Cluj: 'May the best team win!'

First things first, we made it to the BKT EuroCup Playoffs – everybody at U-BT Cluj-Napoca is buzzing! We’re all pretty excited right now, but we’re not satisfied just yet. Obviously we reached the playoffs – that was our goal since the start of the season – but now the closest thing possible is trying to get one of those top two spots and see if we can get the bye to the quarterfinals. We have to keep going what we did until now, taking it one game at a time and just continue to try to improve and try to play our best basketball at the best time, which is at the end of the season going into the playoffs.

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margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2eoPR1tEI1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">Una publicación compartida de U-BT Cluj-Napoca (@ubancatransilvania)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Coach Mihai Silvasan and I have been here for five years and the winning mentality has been there. It has always been about just trying to win, albeit at a different level now than five years ago. This is the first time that we have been at this level but the mentality is the same. We want to become winners and keep improving. And now that we are on this level, we never thought that we couldn't keep it going. It's just about getting the right personnel and getting the right players to combine together and then seeing the results. But we literally have taken it one game at a time all season. Literally even now, with us winning the last three or four games, we’re just thinking about the next game. Obviously it's a big one against Dreamland Gran Canaria, but it's just the next one. That's how we look at it.

"It has always been about just trying to win, albeit at a different level now than five years ago."

We were excited to face Dolomiti Energia Trento last week. They are fighting to get into the playoffs, but we are fighting to go straight to the quarterfinals, plus it was our last home game of the regular season and we wanted to try to give our fans the best show possible. We knew it was going to be a tough game after getting an easy win in Trento. We saw them win some tough games, like on the road against Gran Canaria, and also at home against different teams. So they were playing well and we just tried to go in there with confidence that we can win. We knew we were down a man as well – we were without D.J. Seeley – so we had a lot of factors going in to that one. But we were definitely focused on just trying to get the win and we knew that it would come, but we were ready.

And now, it is a big battle for second place against Gran Canaria. It is definitely unique to face them, especially going over there. It's a tough trip and those guys are a very experienced team. They have been together for a while and were the champions last season, so until somebody knocks them off and knocks them out, they're still the team to beat. And of course, if you want to be the team, you have to beat that team, so we are looking forward to it. We are excited about it. We just want to go there and just play our brand of basketball and definitely play better than we did the first time we played against then. They came to our home and kind of kicked us out, but they were pretty good, especially in that fourth quarter. They ran away from us in the game, but we are just going to go there and give our best and try to play Cluj basketball and then just see where the chips fall from there. It's a long trip but we are looking forward to that good weather, because over here it's just been constant snow and rain every day. 

Patrick Richard has helped U-BT Cluj-Napoca reach the 2024 BKT EuroCup Playoffs.

Patrick Richard highlights: 2023-24 EuroCup

One of the reasons why we are doing so well this season is that our two centers, Andrija Stipanovic and Emanuel Cate, are playing really well. They are two completely different players but also different guys. Stipanovic has a family, a wife and two kids, so he is more a father whenever we are outside of basketball. Our kids actually go to school together, they are in the same class, so we have been here together for years. We have a pretty good relationship – our wives are also friends and we get together sometimes. Cate is more of younger guy who is finally back in Romania after being in Spain since he was 14. It definitely was a different thing for him last year. But now, being his second year here, I think he's a little more comfortable, a little more used to the city, and just being back at home in Romania. Emi is from Bucharest so it's easy for him to see his family more. After being on his own in Madrid and other places in Spain since he was 14, I guess he's probably more comfortable being back in this country. They are both great guys and completely different types of personalities, but they definitely both help us a lot, for sure. On the court, they hold down the paint as good as possible for us because they are our two main bigs.

We are already taking a look at potential opponents. It's human nature, of course – you are going to look. I keep saying that we’re taking it one game at a time. Of course we are going to do that from our end but also, even last week, I was watching all the games from our group and the other group because of the possible matchups and different teams that we could possibly play. So yes, I am definitely looking at all the games but focusing on us; we are the main focus, for sure. I feel like if we play our brand of basketball and be the best that we can possibly be, we could play with anyone. So I think we’ve got the team for it. I think we’ve got the players, the experience, so we will see. There are two regular-season games left. We will focus on these last two, then go to the playoffs and may the best team win.

"If we play our brand of basketball and be the best that we can possibly be, we could play with anyone."

One thing is for sure: we earned the right to play at least one playoff game at home. It is amazing. You have to know where the club has come from, and then in the last four or five years, what it took us for us to host a home playoff game in the EuroCup. There are some things that you can't explain. It's definitely something we are looking forward to after these two games, of course, but it will be amazing to sell out, get 10,000 fans in there and just continue to show Europe what Cluj is about: the project, the club, the history and trajectory that the club is going in. It's just about trying to keep moving up each year and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Patrick Richard, Cluj: 'May the best team win!'

Javier Gancedo is here to help you make wise choices for Round 17 of the EuroCup Fantasy Challenge. Here are five players he recommends. 

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge tips, Round 17: Good decisions are critical!

With two games left in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season, 10 teams have qualified for the playoffs and Paris Basketball has already punched its ticket for the quarterfinals. The competition enters its most decisive stages, and so does the [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home). A good trading week can make a difference in private leagues as well as the overall standings. To help you choose wisely ahead of Round 17, Javier Gancedo recommends five players to target this week:

[Dovis Bickauskis, 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (7.8 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/dovis-bickauskis/009898/)

Lietkabelis still has a mathematical chance to reach the playoffs and will play its last two games at home. That makes for a good chance for Bickauskis to prove he is in great shape. In his four games in the competition, Bickauskis has averaged 9.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 13.2. A solid option at guard at a good price.

[Nico Brussino, Dreamland Gran Canaria (12.5 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/nicolas-brussino/008121/)

Gran Canaria hosts Cluj-Napoca in a direct fight to lock up second place and to keep open the chance to finish first in Group B. Brussino has been leading Granca over the last four games, averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 assists for a PIR of 18.3. He's had a PIR of 16 or higher in all those games. Brussino is ready to keep rolling in a very critical game.

Ronald March, Shannon Evans, Nico Brussino, Yigitcan Saybir and Dovis Bickauskis are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy tips: Round 17

[Shannon Evans, Joventut Badalona (12.0 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/shannon-evans/010677/)

Joventut is still fighting for second place in Group A, which would allow the team to avoid the eighthfinals. Andrew Andrews is sidelined, so Evans has a golden chance to shine as an all-around scoring guard. He had 17 points against Paris in Round 16. Expect him to keep filling the baskets everywhere from now on.

[Ronald March, Prometey Slobozhanske (12.7 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ronald-march/012600/)

March comes off a strong performance in his team's victory over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv last week with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 fouls drawn for a PIR of 29. Prometey punched its playoff ticket in that game and wants to keep fighting for the home-court advantage in the playoffs. It needs March to keep doing a little bit of everything.

[Yigitcan Saybir, Turk Telekom Ankara (8.3 credits)](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/yigitcan-saybir/006693/)

Turk Telekom started the season with a 1-8 record and is 6-1 since then to rank fifth overall in Group B. Saybir has brought out his best version in the last three games, averaging 17.7 points on 13-of-17 two-point shooting and 7.7 rebounds for a PIR of 21.0. At just 8.3 credits, Saybir is a big bargain.