Check out these bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 11 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Bold predictions for Round 11
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5 Mins read
John Brown strikes again
by Frankie Sachs
It's the year of the power forward: the top four players in average PIR this season play the "four" position. One of them, Baskonia’s Chima Moneke, comes off his worst game this season, and among the reasons why was the crafty and tenacious defense of AS Monaco's John Brown. From week to week, opposing power forward have seen a dip in production against Monaco and Brown. This week Monaco will renew its rivalry with Olympiacos, which boasts one of the hottest power forwards in the league. Alec Peters ranks eighth in PIR (19.0 per game) and over his last five games has been worth 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds for a PIR of 23.4. Don't expect him to sniff those numbers against Monaco and Brown on Thursday.
Lessort will make Partizan fans feel – sad
by Igor Petrinovic
Mathias Lessort and Partizan fans have a special connection. During the last season and a half, Lessort left a huge mark among the black-and-white family in Belgrade, especially last season when he was voted to the All-EuroLeague First Team as he helped Partizan reach the EuroLeague Playoffs and later re-claim the Adriatic League crown. Not only was Lessort leading post-game celebrations with fans after every victory, but he was so popular that he was a best man in a local wedding during the season, too. On Thursday night, Lessort returns to Stark Arena, but this time in the jersey of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, for a highly-anticipated game. Emotions will be high and all eyes will certainly be on Lessort the entire night. He will surely have mixed emotions, but I expect the big man to deliver, leave Stark Arena with his third double-double of the season, and help the Greens to their fifth straight win.
Maccabi will bounce back strong
by Frank Lawlor
Having lost three of its last four since moving its home games to Belgrade and playing there without fans, Maccabi has dropped below the fixed top-six playoff spots, but this team is ripe for a rebound and has the right opponent, last-place ALBA Berlin, against whom to revive its game. With Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin having been together for two games in a row, I expect their partnership to start thriving as we saw last season when Maccabi came within a win of reaching the Final Four. The frontcourt of Josh Nebo, Bonzie Colson, Jasiel Rivero and Romain Sorkin is deep enough to deal with ALBA's center duo of Johannes Thiemann and Khalifa Koumadje. Brown, Baldwin and former ALBA guard Tamir Blatt will handle the rest, especially with the German club facing some injury issues in the backcourt. Chalk this up as a win for Maccabi
Valencia gets back on track against Baskonia
by Geoff Gillingham
After opening the season with three straight wins, Valencia Basket has found itself on a four-game EuroLeague skid. When Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz comes to La Fonteta in Round 11, I expect head coach Alex Mumbru's side to get back to winning ways. Semi Ojeleye bounced back last week against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens with a 16-point night, albeit in defeat, while Jared Harper made his return to action at OAKA after missing two games with an injury. What's more, I think star players Chris Jones and Brandon Davies are ready to step up their performances again and will cause headaches for a Baskonia side that has won four of its five games under Dusko Ivanovic. Valencia's quartet of Ojeleye, Harper, Jones and Brandon Davies should be too much for Baskonia to handle.
Injury-plagued Efes wins in Belgrade
by Javier Gancedo
Anadolu Efes Istanbul faces severe injury problems this week after losing big men Derek Willis and Ante Zizic for several weeks. Still, Efes has enough versatility and depth to challenge Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on the road. First, Will Clyburn has proven over and over that he can be very effective as a power forward, using his one-on-one and ballhandling skills to beat just about any defender. Second, Efes signed and registered solid forward Mike Daum, who has been waiting for such an opportunity. Third, center Tyrique Jones should have a physicality advantage against Zvezda's Joel Bolomboy. And fourth, Efes leader Shane Larkin is in top shape and hurt Zvezda rival Partizan with his all-around game in an MVP performance last week. I expect Efes to overcome injuries and get a difficult win Belgrade.