Just two contests follow on Wednesday night
Game Center: Bayern leading Madrid late; a thriller brewing in Athens; Zalgiris, Zvezda roll
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Tuesday, October 28
Zalgiris Kaunas 86-65 Virtus Bologna
Zalgiris held off a late charge from Virtus on Tuesday evening to grab an 86-65 win at Zalgirio Arena, with Sylvain Francisco running the show for the Lithuanian side. After getting off to a red-hot start, Zalgiris cooled off in the second and third quarters, which allowed Virtus to enter the final frame trailing by single digits.
Two Matt Morgan scores pulled Virtus within 4 points in the fourth, but Francisco stepped up once more by netting 13 fourth-quarter points and dishing 4 more assists to make things comfortable once again for Zalgiris, which won its second straight game. Tomas Masiulis’s men are now 5-2, while Dusko Ivanovic’s Virtus saw its three-game winning streak come to an end as it fell to 4-3.
Francisco had a 23-point, 10-assist double-double, and he was one of five Zalgiris players who scored in double digits. Moses Wright paired 14 points with 8 rebounds, Dustin Sleva netted 13 points, Deividas Sirvydis poured in 11, and Azuolas Tubelis finished with 10 points and 7 boards. For Virtus, Morgan scored 19 points and Alen Smailagic added 12. Carsen Edwards was held to just 9 points.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 79-65 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Crvena Zvezda grabbed its fifth consecutive EuroLeague win by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 79-65 in the Serbian capital on Tuesday. Zvezda improved to 5-2 in the standings and is 4-0 since Coach Sasa Obradovic joined the team. ASVEL dropped to 2-5 and is 0-3 on the road this season.
Chima Moneke paced the winners with 24 points on 8-of-8 two-point shooting, 7 rebounds and 3 steals for a PIR of 35. Semi Ojeleye and Ognjen Dobric each added 11 for Zvezda. Melvin Ajinca paced ASVEL with 13 points while Mbaye Ndiaye added 10.
ASVEL trailed 24-23 early in the second quarter before an outstanding Moneke fueled a 10-0 run that put Zvezda on the right track, 39-25, at halftime. The hosts managed to keep a double-digit lead throughout the second half to cruise to another victory.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
A return to winning ways is on the menu as Bayern (2-4) welcomes Real Madrid (3-3). Bayern has lost three of its last four due to a struggling offense which ranks last in the league with just 75.7 points per game, while Real is seeking a first road victory. Both teams need to improve their long-range accuracy, with the Spanish team ranked last in the league with 30.5% three-point shooting while Bayern is little better at 31.8%. The battle of the boards will be crucial, with Trey Lyles (5.0 rpg) and Chuma Okeke (4.8) helping make Real the third-best rebounding unit in the competition (38.2 per night), whereas the host has struggled in that category with an average of just 30.5 so needs Wenyen Gabriel to step up from his current 4.0 rebounds per night.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Maccabi (2-4) will attempt to claim a second straight high-profile scalp as it travels to inconsistent Panathinaikos (4-2). Last week’s dramatic win over Real Madrid, courtesy of Tamir Blatt’s late three-pointer, gave the Israeli team confidence in its ability to compete with anyone, and the visiting team will hope that sharpshooting Lonnie Walker stays hot after netting 27 points in that win. Panathinaikos needs to bounce back after losing at Virtus, where the silver lining was TJ Shorts finally looking comfortable in green by netting 15 points. Panathinaikos was heavily outrebounded last week so needs more from the likes of Omer Yurtseven (7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game), while Maccabi will look for another big physical effort from forward O’Shea Brissett after he scored 18 points in 38 minutes in the win over Real.
FC Barcelona vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CET)
A pair of teams in recovery mode meet at Palau Blaugrana with Barcelona (3-3) welcoming Milan (2-4). Barca has slipped down the standings with consecutive losses, struggling to find offensive production in last week’s home loss to Zalgiris despite 17 points from Joel Parra. Milan also lost its last game despite almost overturning a huge deficit against Valencia, and will be anxious to make a better start after allowing 54 first half points in that game. The Italian team will look for more leadership from former Barca guard Leandro Bolmaro, who delivered a career night last time out with 31 points. Against him, home team star Kevin Punter is looking for a similar scoring explosion after going 0-of-5 for three-pointers in the last two games.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Dubai Basketball (20:30 CET)
Two teams aiming to bounce back meet as winless Baskonia (0-6) aim to change that statistic with a visit from Dubai (4-2). Baskonia’s backcourt injury problems were somewhat offset by a decent debut from Kobi Simmons in last week’s loss at Zvezda, but he must to do more to support the consistent scoring of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (20 points per game). In the paint, Dubai boasts two of the league’s top rebounders in Filip Petrusev (7.3 boards per night) and Mfiondu Kabengele (6.7), so Baskonia’s Tadas Sedekerskis needs a return to form after only scoring 2 and 5 points in the last two games. Above all, the home team must tighten up defensively after allowing at least 86 points in every game for a league-high average of 96 per night.
Paris Basketball vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:45 CET)
Free-scoring Paris (4-2) is targeting another triumph as its welcomes struggling Efes (2-4). The game presents a shootout between two of the league’s deadliest long-range shooters, as Paris star Nadir Hifi leads the league with 3.7 three-point conversions per game while Efes legend Shane Larkin averages 15.3 points on 46.2% from beyond the arc. Efes needs to play for the full 40 minutes after running out of steam in the final quarters of home losses to Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce, and needs to be ready for Paris’s fast-paced style which has yielded more than 100 points in three of the last five games. Efes also need Rolands Smits (5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game) to step up in the paint against Momo Faye, who averages 8.5 rebounds in the last two games.
Valencia Basket vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (21:00 CET)
Reigning champ Fenerbahce (3-3) faces a tough road trip to Valencia (3-3) in a real contrast of styles. The Spanish team's free-scoring offense struck treble figures for the third time this season to overcome Milan last week, whereas Fenerbahce demonstrated its ability to grind out tough wins by taking a low-scoring local derby against Efes. The Turkish team will look to control the tempo through the backcourt knowhow of Devon Hall and Wade Baldwin, while Valencia will look to push the pace through Darius Thompson (14.3 points and 4.5 assists per game). Both teams also possess big men who can stretch the floor, with Nate Reuvers averaging 10.5 points on 52.6% three-point shooting, and Bonzie Colson (9.5 points, 47.1% for three) doing the same job for a Fener team looking for a third straight win.
Wednesday, October 29
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (19:00 CET)
Standings leader Hapoel (5-1) will aim for a fourth straight win as Partizan (3-3) targets a return to the win column. The Israeli team’s hot streak has been propelled by the excellence of Vasilije Micic, who netted 22 points on 8-of-9 field goal shooting in last week’s win over Monaco, and he will look to exploit the injury absence of Carlik Jones, with Partizan needing another strong performance from Duane Washington after he combined 16 points with 5 assists in the Round 6 loss to Paris. In the paint, Johnathan Motley showcased his mid-range shooting by netting 11 points in the final quarter of Hapoel’s win over Monaco, and the visiting team need to counter his physical prowess through Tyrique Jones (9 points and 5 rebounds per game).
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. AS Monaco (20:15 CET)
A repeat of last season's semifinal will see Olympiacos (4-2) target a third straight win with a visit from Monaco (3-3). The return to fitness of Thomas Walkup, Evan Fournier and Shaquielle McKissic has seriously strengthened the Reds’ backcourt options, with Walkup in particularly making a smooth return to action as he dished 8 assists in last week’s win at Bayern. Monaco has struggled for offensive output on the road, scoring just 77 and 73 points in recent losses at Hapoel and Virtus. Visiting coach (and Olympiacos legend) Vassilis Spanoulis needs Nikola Mirotic to perform at his very best against Sasha Vezenkov in a crucial battle between arguably the league’s best two power forwards, with Vezenkov averaging 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds so far this season.