With the regular season hurtling towards a finish, teams are aiming to take part in the postseason, one way or another. Here are the teams with possibilities to reach some postseason goals this week.
Real tries again for first playoff berth
Despite three consecutive defeats, defending champion Real Madrid (22-6) may still become the first team to reach the playoffs in Round 29. In fact, Real might reach that achievement before it even plays in the last game of this round at Virtus Segafredo Bologna (17-11) on Friday night.
Real could clinch a top-six finish as soon as the end of the first two games of the round finish on Thursday if either of the home teams in those games were to lose. That is the case if Olympiacos (17-11) falls in the Greek Derby to visiting Panathinaikos Aktor Athens (18-10), or if Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (17-11) were to lose at home to Valencia Basket (13-15). A loss by either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce would mean that Real could not fall to seventh place in any tiebreakers going forward, and therefore clinches at least a top-six finish.
Real may even assure itself of a top-four finish this week, and home-court advantage in the playoffs, under a pair of scenarios. First, either Fenerbahce or both Panathinaikos and FC Barcelona (19-9), which hosts Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (13-15) would have to lose on Thursday. If either of those situations happens, then a win by Real in Bologna would be enough to solidify a top-four finish.
Up to five more teams can reach the Play-In Showdown
As many as five teams this week could join Real and Barca in assuring themselves at least participation in the new Play-In Showdown, which requires a guarantee of finishing in 10th place or better.
AS Monaco (18-10) and Panathinaikos have the clearest shot to Play-In Showdown status. If Monaco beats host ALBA Berlin (5-23), that will be good enough, just as the Greens can reach the postseason with a victory in their derby on the floor of Olympiacos the same night. Either of them can lose and still game Play-In Showdown access, but it would then take at least four lower-placed teams to also lose for to make the Play-In Showdown possible for either of them this week.
The situation is different for Fenerbahce, Olympiacos and Virtus because those teams must not only win their own games but see at least three other teams below them lose in order to clinch the Play-In Showdown this week.