Bold predictions for Round 22

Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 22 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Efes will build on its momentum

by Geoff Gillingham

This season hasn't exactly gone to plan for Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which has been one of the worst-hit teams from an injury standpoint, although some players have returned and the picture is starting to look a little better. Head coach Erdem Can's side ended a seven-game losing streak last week by shocking Virtus Segafredo Bologna 99-75, and I think Efes will make it back-to-back victories by downing FC Barcelona in Round 22. Darius Thompson had his best game of the season against Virtus, scoring 26 points and recording 5 steals, so his return to form should spell bad news for Barca. I also expect Shane Larkin to make his presence felt once more, despite a relatively quiet outing in Round 21, as he often loves to shine when Barca comes to town. The play of Elijah Bryant has been a big positive for Coach Can, too, while Will Clyburn is listed as questionable after having not played since Round 11. Perhaps a win against Barca could be another boost for an 8-13 Efes side dreaming of getting itself in playoff contention.

Barcelona will inch closer to Real

by Igor Petrinovic

FC Barcelona is the only undefeated team in January and, contrary to my colleague Geoff's opinion, I believe the team stays unbeaten when it visits Efes in Istanbul. Efes is getting healthier, and has every right to believe it can build on last week's victory, which snapped its seven-game losing streak, but I think Barcelona will keep rolling with in-form Jabari Parker and Nikola Kalinic, and consistent contributions from one or both Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez. In addition, I think Monaco will use home floor to get better of Walter Tavares-less Real Madrid, which would get Barcelona within three victories of the first place in the standings.

ASVEL will play the spoiler in Bologna

by Frank Lawlor

This may be third-place vs. last, but it's a short road trip for an LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne team that is determined to leave an imprint on its EuroLeague season and show signs of future growth under new head coach Pierric Poupet. When these team's played back in late October, it took a masterful game from Tornike Shengelia for Virtus Segafredo Bologna to escape Villeurbanne with an 84-87 win. Shengelia is listed as unavailable for this rematch, and without him, ASVEL matches up well with the hosts. Big man Youssoupha Fall has shown stretched of dominance lately, and has dominated Virtus center Jordan Mickey in their last three meetings, including a 79-84 win in Bologna last season. If veterans David Lighty and Charles Kahudi were really resting over the weekend in the French League, they are solid choices to defend Marco Belinelli and Isaia Cordinier. And point guard Paris Lee is looking very comfortable as a EuroLeague floor leader lately. With extra scorer Deshaun Thomas on hand to help, ASVEL should have the firepower to compete against Virtus. Its motivation should be clear: pride.

Maccabi will bounce back in Piraeus

by Frankie Sachs

The last time Maccabi won at Peace and Friendship Stadium was in 2019. That changes on Thursday. Both teams are coming off losses; the Reds have lost their last two and the Israeli champs have dropped two of their last three. And they will both look a little different than they did when they met in Round 8. Maccabi was without All-EuroLeague guard Wade Baldwin, while Olympiacos has since added Filip Petrusev and Naz Mitrou-Long, while welcoming back Shaq McKissic and Nikola Milutinov back from injury, although center Moustapha Fall is now sidelined for three weeks.

While those changes could mean this game has a different feel, no one player will have a bigger expected impact than Baldwin. Only once this season has Maccabi lost back-to-back games and that happened when Baldwin struggled in his season debut in Round 6. The dynamic guard has averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 assists over his last two games and even if Olympiacos uses its polished defenders to contain him, the rest of the Maccabi attack can take advantage of that to lift the team to victory.

Zalgiris stops Fenerbahce's streak

by Javier Gancedo

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has been unstoppable since head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius joined the team, winning seven of its last eight games. This winning streak should stop at Zalgirio Arena for many different reasons. First, Fenerbahce is without star forward and former Zalgiris player Nigel Hayes-Davis. Zalgiris has two experienced players at forwards, Edgaras Ulanovas and Rolands Smits, who may find extra advantages on offense without Hayes-Davis around. Barely three weeks, ago, Zalgiris had a double-digit halftime lead against Fenerbahce in Istanbul but could not return home with a victory. That game will be in the back of every Zalgiris player's minds. Of course, the home-court advantage should help, as a sellout crowd in guaranteed in each and every Zalgiris game, especially if local hero "Saras" is back in town to coach Fenerbahce. It is Zalgiris's first Euroleague home game in 2024, so the atmosphere should be just spectacular. Fenerbahce has six more wins in the standings but this time, Zalgiris will grab a much-needed home victory.