The second half of the double-round week features several mouth-watering fixtures
At a glance: The drama shows no sign of slowing down
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The action keeps on coming as Round 14 delivers some spectacular matchups, including the league leader travelling to its closest rival in the standings. Here’s your guide to Thursday’s games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Thursday, December 5
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (19:00 CET)
After putting 101 points on the board to overcome Bayern on Tuesday, Efes (7-6) will look to complete a perfect week by giving more misery to a Zalgiris team (7-6) which has lost five of the last six. Efes was propelled last time out by 19 points and 6 assists from Darius Thompson, who will again look for help from big man Dan Oturu (14 points, 6 rebounds on Tuesday) in the quest to secure a league-best sixth road win. The Lithuanian team only converted 10 two-point shots in Tuesday's defeat at Partizan, so needs more inside presence from the likes of Laurynas Birutis and former Efes man Bryant Dunston in this key contest between two teams currently tied for seventh place.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. FC Barcelona (20:05 CET)
Barcelona (7-6) will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak with a trip to equally struggling Maccabi (4-9). Maccabi will crash the boards to gain extra possessions after averaging 12.5 offensive rebounds, led by Jasiel Rivero with 2.4 per game. The visitors will look to counter that with the physicality of Justin Anderson, who averages 4.5 boards in the last four games. Barca’s defense couldn’t withstand the pressure in Tuesday’s morale-sapping loss at Panathinaikos, but there was a positive with the continuing emergence of point guard Juan Nunez (19 points on 7-of-7 two-point shooting). This time around he faces a good battle with the man he replaced at Palau Blaugrana, former Barca playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis (11.5 points and 5.6 assists per game).
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:30 CET)
In a game certain to be played in an electric atmosphere, fast-rising Partizan (5-8) will aim for a fourth straight victory with a visit from reigning champ Panathinaikos (8-5). Carlik Jones has been outstanding during the Serbian team's winning run but he faces his toughest matchup yet against a Panathinaikos backcourt powered by the irrepressible Kendrick Nunn, who blasted 29 points in the thrilling Round 13 win over Barcelona and has now made at least six field goals in six straight games. In the paint, expect maximum intensity and highlight reel plays from the battle between Tyrique Jones, who had 15 points and 9 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Zalgiris, and Panathinaikos showstopper Mathias Lessort, who paired 16 points with 8 boards against Barca.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CET)
Improving Baskonia (6-7) will look for a third consecutive win by becoming the first road team to prevail at Bayern (8-5). Expect a battle for long-range shooting supremacy between single game three-point record holder Andreas Obst and visiting Markus Howard, who bounced back to form with 5 triples in his team’s victory over Fenerbahce two days ago. Donta Hall continued to perform at a high level with 14 points and 9 rebounds in that triumph, and he faces a big battle against Bayern big man Devin Booker, who powered 27 points on 12-of-15 two-point shooting in Tuesday’s loss at Efes. The German team has allowed 101 points in each of its last two games, so defensive improvement will be the priority as Bayern looks to stay perfect at home.
Real Madrid vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:45 CET)
Two major rivals go head-to-head with the aim of bouncing back as Real (6-7) receives a visit from second-placed Fenerbahce (9-4). Both teams lost on Tuesday, with the hosts suffering a last-second loss at ASVEL while Fenerbahce was well beaten at Baskonia for a second straight loss. Gabriel Deck had his best game of the season with 17 points in the loss in France, and he will attempt to give Real control of the paint against visiting big man Khem Birch, who helped his team with 4 offensive boards at Baskonia on Tuesday. Fenerbahce has the second-best perimeter defense in the league, allowing opponents to convert just 29.9% of three-point attempts, so Real snipers Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja will have to be at their best to make an impact.
Friday, December 6
AS Monaco vs. ALBA Berlin (19:00 CET)
Monaco (8-5) will look to bounce back from the disappointment of suffering its first defeat under new coach Vassilis Spanoulis by downing an ALBA team (3-10) looking for a second road win of the week. The home team was outlasted by Olympiacos on Wednesday despite Mike James leading the offense to the tune of 12 assists, and all-action forward Alpha Diallo continuing his hot streak with 21 points on 9-of-11 field goal attempts. ALBA prevailed in a tight overtime battle with fellow basement dwellers Virtus in Round 13, with recent signing David McCormack showing his worth with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals in only his second game for the team, helping to end a three game losing streak.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Paris Basketball (20:15 CET)
Red-hot league leader Paris (10-3) will look for a ninth straight win with the massive task of becoming the first team to upset joint second Olympiacos (9-4) in Piraeus. Both teams have confidence high after wins earlier this week, with Olympiacos using the energy of Shaq McKissic (18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) to win at Monaco, and will hope the outstanding defense of Thomas Walkup can finally slow down phenomenal November MVP TJ Shorts. If Paris needs other scoring solutions, it could be the long-range shooting of Nadir Hifi, who hit 15 points in Tuesday’s win at Maccabi and has multiple three-pointers in six consecutive games. Olympiacos will hope that scoring star Sasha Vezenkov can perform at his best after suffering an eye injury at Monaco earlier this week.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Virtus (2-11) will attempt to climb away from last place with a visit from Zvezda (6-6), which has lost three of the last four. The Serbian team needs much improved defense after already suffering one defeat in Italy this week, allowing 101 points in Milan on Wednesday. Yago dos Santos had a return to form in that game, pairing 17 points with 6 assists, and Zvezda will also look to keep on pounding the boards after Luka Mitrovic and Filip Petrusev combined for 10 offensive rebounds. Virtus failed in overtime despite a fourth-quarter comeback against ALBA last time out, and big man Ante Zizic needs to counter the visiting team’s power by delivering another strong performance after scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 two-point attempts on Wednesday.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:45 CET)
Two much-improved teams with hopes of storming up the standings meet as Milan (7-6) welcomes ASVEL (5-8). The Italian team notched its fourth straight win by comfortably brushing aside Zvezda on Wednesday, with veteran Fabien Causeur draining 20 points on perfect 6-of-6 three-point shooting. ASVEL is also on a roll, winning three of its last four and claiming the major scalp of Real Madrid on Tuesday thanks to a last-second winner from fit-again Paris Lee. That game also saw another spectacular show from Theo Maledon, with 23 points and 7 assists, and stopping him will be a major focus for the hosts. At the other end, Nico Mannion will look to keep orchestrating for Milan as he did on Wednesday, pairing 20 points with 5 assists against Zvezda.