This is the final double-round week before the holidays
At a glance: Saras returns to Barcelona and a red-hot Milan takes on the champ

The final double round week of 2024 tips off on Tuesday, with Round 16 delivering another thrilling set of games, including an iconic coach returning to face his former club. Here’s your full guide to the action.
Tuesday, December 17
AS Monaco vs. FC Bayern Munich (19:00 CET)
A pair of high-fliers full of confidence and currently tied for second place go head to head as Monaco (10-5) hosts Bayern (10-5). An exciting duel between two of the competition’s hottest guards will see Mike James (13.8 points and 5.8 assists per game) take on Carsen Edwards (20.7 points per night, first in the league), both of whom played vital roles in their teams’ respective wins last week over Fenerbahce and Maccabi. Another key figure in the backcourt is Bayern’s Nick Weiler-Babb, who leads the league in steals (1.6 per game, including 4 last week against Maccabi) and will try to disrupt the home team’s rhythm. In the paint, Devin Booker will power Bayern (16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game), but Monaco is bolstered by the return of Mam Jaiteh from injury.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:05 CET)
Two struggling teams looking to get back on track will collide, with Maccabi (4-11) welcoming Baskonia (6-9). The hosts, on a three-game losing streak, have EuroLeague rookie Jaylen Hoard in great form with an average of 19.2 points over the last six games, but they need to fix a leaky defense which has allowed 88.1 points per game – second-most in the competition. Baskonia has dropped two straight and needs to recover mentally from the blow of last week’s last-second home loss to Virtus. A bright spot from that game was 19 points from Greek sharpshooter Niko Rogkavopoulos, who is shooting at 45.1% from three-point range this season and has multiple triples in the last four games.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:15 CET)
Reigning champ Panathinaikos (8-7) needs to bounce back from last week’s 26-point thrashing at Efes with a visit from the hottest team in the competition, Milan (9-6). The Greens have lost four of the last five, but will be pleased to welcome back leading scorer Kendrick Nunn after a one-game ban. Milan has won six games in a row, most recently underlining its title credentials by cruising past Barcelona on the road behind 33 points from last week’s MVP, Zach LeDay. Panathinaikos needs a big improvement defensively after allowing at least 89 points in the last four games, while the Italian team is firing on all cylinders offensively with 90+ points in five consecutive games. The question of whether Ergin Ataman’s defense can slow down Ettore Messina’s smoothly functioning machine could well decide the outcome.
FC Barcelona vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
Two powerhouses who are struggling for form go head to head as Barcelona (8-7) welcome former coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and his Fenerbahce (10-5) side. Barca has lost five of the last six due to a dodgy defense which has allowed at least 90 points in each of those losses, while the Turkish team has dropped three of the last four with an injury-plagued backcourt failing to fuel offensive efficiency. Fener can at least rely upon former Barca star Nigel Hayes-Davis, who scored 28 points in last week’s embarrassing mauling by Monaco but only converted 1-of-9 three-point attempts. The home team will try to answer his threat through Jabari Parker, who is also looking for a return to form from deep after only making 4 of his last 24 attempts from three-point range.
Paris Basketball vs. Real Madrid (20:30 CET)
After seeing its 10-game winning run ended by the French derby loss at ASVEL, league leader Paris (11-4) will aim to start another run against a Real (6-9) way below its best form. The Spanish giant has lost three straight with an uncharacteristically inconsistent offense, partly due to a league-low 9.1 offensive rebounds per night. Two undersized but explosive guards will deliver a spectacle, with TJ Shorts (19.3 points and 7.9 assists per game, both second in the league) confronting Facu Campazzo (12.9 points and 7.7 assists, third in the league). Real will look to league-leading rebounder (8.1 rpg) and shot-blocker Walter Tavares (1.5 bpg) to control the paint, but Kevarrius Hayes (7.1 points and 4.7 boards per night) is among a group of Paris big men fighting hard for another home win.
ALBA Berlin vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:45 CET)
Playoff-chasing Zalgiris (9-6) will look to make it three wins straight with a trip to lowly ALBA (3-12). It’s a meeting between the league worst and best defense, with ALBA allowing 91.9 points per game while the visitor has restricted opponents to just 75.4 points. Zalgiris will attempt to exploit that home weakness by delivering the same kind of offensive fluidity seen in last week’s big win in Madrid, and the red-hot Lonnie Walker (16.9 points per game) will look to remain the competition’s most prolific three-point shooter (2.8 per night). Last week saw ALBA’s recent signing David McCormack continue a strong start to his EuroLeague career with 16 points in the narrow defeat against Partizan. This week he needs to contain Alen Smailagic, who has grabbed 7 offensive boards in the last two games.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:45 CET)
Two ambitious teams high in confidence meet in Belgrade with Partizan (7-8) welcoming ASVEL (6-9). The Serbian team is looking for a sixth straight win, and has Sterling Brown in strong form with 15.3 points over the last three games. ASVEL has won three of the last four, but all of those successes came at home so now Pierric Poupet’s men need to build on last week’s thrilling victory over Paris by gaining its first road win of the season. To achieve that, big man Neal Sako (6.1 rebounds per game) will look to win his personal battle with Tyrique Jones (6.2 rpg), while the explosive Theo Maledon (18.7 points per night) faces a mouthwatering matchup with another red-hot guard, Carlik Jones (14.5 points and 4.9 assists per game).
Wednesday, December 18
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (18:30 CET)
Two of last week’s most impressive winners go head-to-head, with Efes (8-7) welcoming Zvezda (8-7) to break their tie for eighth place. The return of Shane Larkin helped propel Efes to a remarkable 26-point triumph over Panathinaikos, as Darius Thompson delivered a backcourt clinic with 7 points, 9 assists and 3 steals. He faces a good battle with Codi Miller-McIntyre, who helped Zvezda – which has won three out of four – deliver an equally strong Round 15 performance with 12 points and 9 assists in the win over Olympiacos. Efes converted a remarkable 70.7% of its two-point shots in the win over Panathinaikos, including Dan Oturu making all 6 of his shots, so Zvezda will need strong interior defense from the likes of Nikola Kalinic, who made 7 of his 8 field-goal attempts last week.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:15 CET)
Olympiacos (9-6) will attempt to emerge from a surprising two-game losing slump by overcoming a Virtus team (3-12) hoping to get on a roll after last week’s improbable win at Baskonia. The author of that triumph was Will Clyburn, whose four-point game winner at the final buzzer continued a hot streak which has seen him record a PIR of 20+ in four consecutive games. A key battle will be Clyburn’s matchup with former EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov, whose 19 points and 10 rebounds were a rare bright spot in last week’s loss at Zvezda. That game saw Olympiacos convert just 6 three-pointers, so the Greek team will need the likes of Evan Fournier to find his usual range after missing all 7 deep strikes last time out.