After a pulsating first week of the regular season, expect more thrills and spills in Round 2. Here's your guide to the eight games on Thursday and Friday.
Six tantalizing home openers highlight Round 2
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Thursday, October 12
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Real Madrid
In a modern EuroLeague classic, Efes (0-1) will look to bounce back from last week's loss in Barcelona when it hosts a Real (1-0) team eager to add to its hard-earned win at Baskonia. It's a high-profile home EuroLeague debut for Efes boss Erdem Can, who will hope to see more versatility from an offense which relied too heavily on Shane Larkin (16 points, 12 assists) last week. Conversely, Real successfully spread the points around in Vitoria, adapting to the needs of the game – and the absence of injured big man Walter Tavares – by knocking down 15 three-pointers. That kind of offensive flexibility could prove valuable again on Thursday in Istanbul.
ALBA Berlin vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Two opening-round derby losers will look to bounce back as ALBA (0-1) welcomes Baskonia (0-1) to the German capital. ALBA suffered the worst rebounding deficit in EuroLeague history, minus-32, in losing at Bayern, while its offense also went missing in the second half, something that new signings Sterling Brown (8 points), Matteo Spagnolo (6) and Justin Bean (6) can help rectify in the team's home opener. Baskonia certainly won't lack for inspiration from dynamic forward Chima Moneke after his strong debut (13 points, 10 rebounds) in the season opener, but Markus Howard's missed game-winner against Real underscored the explosive guard's struggle for efficiency last week. The visitors will need him, too.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Two more opening-round losers will look to set the record straight when ASVEL (0-1) hosts Partizan (0-1). The priority for both teams is clear: defensive improvement, after ASVEL shipped 94 points to Crvena Zvezda in losing by 21 and Partizan allowed Maccabi to blast 96 points in losing by 15. ASVEL coach T.J. Parker also needs to see his team compete better on the boards and take better care of the basketball, after being outrebounded 40-31 and committing 16 turnovers last week. Indeed, Partizan boss Zeljko Obradovic has exactly the same concerns after his team claimed just 26 rebounds and also committed 16 turnovers in Tel Aviv, meaning both those teams have clear room for quick improvement.
Panathinaikos Athens vs. FC Bayern Munich
Familiar coaching foes in new environments will meet in Athens as Ergin Ataman leads Panathinaikos (0-1) into battle with Pablo Laso's Bayern (1-0). The Greens are looking for their first win of the season after being edged out by Olympiacos in overtime last week, but there were positives from that game with double-doubles for new signings Mathias Lessort (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Juancho Hernangomez (13 points, 10 rebounds). Their presence could persuade Ataman to focus on winning the physical battle against Laso's men, who also boast plenty of rebounding strength through Isaac Bonga and Serge Ibaka. They combined for 10 offensive rebounds to help power last week's win over ALBA.
Friday, October 13
AS Monaco vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Another pair of Round 1's defeated teams meet to ensure that either Monaco (0-1) or Virtus (0-1) will claim their first win of the season. Monaco's dangerous combination of backcourt stars didn't really get going as the team put just 65 points on the board against Valencia. The men from the principality will expect a sharp upturn in offensive efficiency at home after making just 45.3% of two-pointers, 33.3% of triples and posting more turnovers (16) than assists (13) in Round 1. Virtus let a series of strong leads slip in losing to Zalgiris after a poor fourth quarter (14-24), so the Italian team will be eager to compete for the full 40 minutes this time around.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
Two unbeaten teams will battle to extend that record on Friday with Zalgiris (1-0) enjoying its first home game with a visit from Zvezda (1-0). The local fans will be particularly pleased to see playmaker Keenan Evans, who returned from long-term injury last week and delivered a superb performance – 25 points on 9-of-15 field goal shooting – to secure an impressive comeback win at Virtus. Zvezda will hope that new signings Shabazz Napier (21 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting) and Rokas Giedraitis (20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) can continue their stellar form after excelling in last week's demolition of ASVEL, which saw the team knock down a club-record 17 three-pointers with a 50% conversion rate.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. FC Barcelona
After starting the Roger Grimau coaching era with an impressive home win over Efes last week, now Barcelona (1-0) faces an even bigger task with a trip to last season's runner-up, Olympiacos (1-0). The Reds have high confidence after a morale-boosting overtime derby victory against Panathinaikos as Alec Peters became the hero with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). Barca will look for new signing Willy Hernangomez and Jan Vesely to provide the same kind of inside dominance that allowed the Blaugrana to record an outstanding 76.2% from two-point range against Efes. The backcourt battle will also be key, with Reds creators Thomas Walkup and Nigel Williams-Goss going up against Barca duo Tomas Satoransky and Nico Laprovittola.
Valencia Basket vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
100% records will be on the line as Round 2 concludes with a showdown between Valencia (1-0) and Fenerbahce (1-0). Fenerbahce relied on an all-round team performance to overcome Milan in its season opener, with five different players scoring in double digits. Dimitris Itoudis's men will need a similarly strong collective effort against a Valencia team which relied on a stellar defensive effort – and 19 points from Semi Ojeleye – to down Monaco last week. The Spanish side will probably need more offensive production to overcome Fenerbahce, and will look to recent signing Brandon Davies to stand strong against the Turkish team's dangerous collection of big men.