Two sets of in-form teams come head-to-head
On Tuesday night in the 7DAYS EuroCup, four teams with a 4-1 record in the competition face off. First, Promitheas Patras hosts Turk Telekom Ankara at 18:30 CET in Group B, and then at 20:15 CET in Group A, Joventut Badalona welcomes Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse to Palau Olimpic de Badalona. Victory for either team in each of the two games would make them the outright leader at the top of the standings; only Gran Canaria could usurp either Promitheas or Turk Telekom with a sizeable victory over Dolomiti Energia Trento on Wednesday night.
Promitheas managed to steal 76-78 a victory on the road at Slask Wroclaw in Round 5 after Anthony Cowan saw his contested three-pointer drop with 1.2 seconds remaining. It had not been the best of games for Promitheas, having only led for a total of one minute and 22 seconds prior to Cowan's successful triple, but that win meant that it advanced to 4-1 and moved to the top of Group B. A very different game is in store for Promitheas in Round 6, though, as Turk Telekom has gone on a four-game winning run after stumbling in its season opener against Paris Basketball. Turk Telekom head coach Erdem Can has got his players playing with a lot of confidence right now, which could spell bad news for Promitheas. In Round 5, Turk Telekom enjoyed a fairly comfortable 81-66 triumph at home to Trento. During that victory, three of the team's key players – Axel Bouteille, Jerian Grant and Tony Taylor – all came to the fore, and they will need to do so again up against Promitheas in this top-of-the-standings meeting at Dimitris Tofalos Arena.
Switching across to Group A, Joventut put the clamps on ratiopharm Ulm in its 54-68 win in Germany last week. After halftime, with Ulm leading 35-30 at the break, the visitors allowed the hosts to score just 6 points over the next 14 minutes of play. That level of execution on the defensive end is what allowed Joventut to take control of the game. Simon Birgander was the player who stepped up most for Joventut in Round 5, recording an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double while also finishing with 5 blocks. For Bourg, it is coming off its first defeat of the season after falling 80-89 at home to Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Bourg had been one of the biggest surprises in the 2022-23 EuroCup, being the only team to race out to a 4-0 record, but now it will need to respond after being met with adversity for the first time this season. James Palmer, Pierre Pelos and Jordan Floyd all scored a double-digit number of points for Bourg in its defeat to Bursaspor, but Isiaha Mike – one of the team's stars to this point – had a quiet night by his standards. Going to Palau Olimpic de Badalona is always a tricky proposition for any team, but Bourg will hope to respond in positive way against Joventut.
An Italian derby
In the late tipoff on Tuesday night, two of the three Italian teams in the EuroCup will go out to battle when Germani Brescia comes up against Umana Reyer Venice at PalaLeonessa A2A at 20:30 CET. The form book indicates that Reyer is the favorite after winning its last three games, having begun the season with back-to-back defeats, while Brescia started off 2-1 in its first three fixtures but has since gone on a two-game losing run. It should be a fascinating encounter between two of Italy's best teams, as Brescia has the EuroCup's seventh-best offense with an average of 84.0 points per game, whereas Reyer has the third-best defense, giving up an average of 75.8 points per night.
Can Cedevita get back on track?
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana came into the season as one of the early favorites to go far in this year's EuroCup, but after five games, it currently has a record of 0-5. It has been a tricky start to the campaign for Cedevita, having already played some of the competition's powerhouses in Bursaspor, Joventut and Reyer, but losses to U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Prometey Slobozhanske were not part of the script. The big problem for Cedevita is that it is struggling on both ends of the floor, as it has the second-worst offensive numbers in the EuroCup, averaging 76.8 points per game, and also the worst defensive rating, giving up 89.0 points per night; without a significant improvement in these two areas, it is hard to see the team coming close to reaching its potential. In Round 6, Cedevita travels to Lithuania to take on the 2-5 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, and anything but a win could see the team's playoff chances take a serious hit.