Several direct rivals in the race for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs will go head to head in Round 22, including emotional homecomings for a pair of iconic coaches. Here's your guide to all the action.
Round 22: Coaching icons visit former teams
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Thursday, January 18
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. FC Barcelona
After roaring back into winning ways in sensational style by thrashing Virtus on Friday, Efes (8-13) will look to continue its revival with a tough trip from second-placed Barcelona (15-6). Dario Brizuela ensured that injured Nico Laprovittola wasn't missed by draining 24 points as Barca beat Zalgiris on Friday. Efes will hope Darius Thompson stays hot after masterminding the win over Virtus with 26 points. Barca is looking for a season sweep over Efes after comfortably winning their opening night meeting, 91-74, behind 18 points from Willy Hernangomez, who will be challenged by Tyrique Jones on Thursday.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Baskonia (11-10) coach Dusko Ivanovic will have a swift return to Belgrade to face former team Zvezda (9-12) as the Spanish side looks to protect its position in the all-important top 10. Baskonia won a thriller, 87-85, when the teams met last month, with rebounding aces Chima Moneke and Tadas Sedekerskis combining for 17 boards. They will go up against in-form Zvezda big man Joel Bolomboy, who paired 14 points with 6 rebounds in last week's key win at Milan. That game also featured 22 points from former Baskonia shooter Rokas Giedraitis, who now has multiple triples in four consecutive games.
ALBA Berlin vs. FC Bayern Munich
A German derby will give ALBA (4-17) the chance to claim consecutive wins for the first time this season with a visit from Bayern (8-13), which has lost all four games in 2024. ALBA, which downed ASVEL on Friday behind 13 points and 8 rebounds from Yanni Wetzell, is looking for revenge after a comfortable opening-round home victory for Bayern, 80-68, led by 17 points from Sylvain Francisco and Isaac Bonga's double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bonga has averaged only 4.3 points in the last six games so will be eager for a return to form.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
After losing twice on the road in the latest double-round week, Olympiacos (11-10) will be hoping for home comforts as it welcomes unpredictable Maccabi (12-9) in a crucial battle for playoffs qualification. With head-to-head advantage very much at stake, the Reds will take inspiration from its 74-79 road win over Maccabi in November, helped by the versatility of Thomas Walkup with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Walkup's defense restricted Lorenzo Brown to just 2 field goals on 13 attempts in that game, so Maccabi's backcourt leader will be looking to bounce back after suffering a similarly tough night in Friday's collapse against Partizan.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Two teams aiming to bounce straight back from bad losses meet with Virtus hosting (14-7) last-place ASVEL (4-17). The Italian team has won nine in a row at home, and also prevailed in a Round 5 thriller at ASVEL, 84-87, thanks to 20 points with just one miss from Isaia Cordinier. He and veteran Daniel Hackett will look to give more control to an offense that committed 18 turnovers in Friday's 24-point loss at Efes, while ASVEL hopes for a big improvement in long-range shooting after only making 2 triples in last week's blowout home loss to ALBA.
Friday, January 19
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Local hero Sarunas Jasikevicius will lead his high-flying Fenerbahce (13-8) into battle against a Zalgiris (7-14) team determined to defend its home court. The Turkish team has won six of the last seven, one of which was an 80-78 thriller against Zalgiris last month. Tyler Dorsey (19 points) was the key performer on that occasion, and he remains in great form with an average of 17.3 points in the last three games. Zalgiris will hope for a return to form from power forward Rolands Smits, who had 16 points and 9 rebounds in the December meeting with Fenerbahce but was held to just 5 points on Friday at Barcelona.
League-leading Real (19-2) faces a major test from a Monaco team (10-11) clinging onto a place in the top ten after losing three of the last four. Injured anchor Walter Tavares will be missed after dominating the paint with a club-record 19 rebounds in last week's overtime win over Valencia. Donatas Motiejunas will look to put his long-range scoring ability (40% for three-pointers) to good use. Real cruised at home, 91-73, when the teams met in Round 9 behind 21 points from shooting star Dzanan Musa, who has recorded double-digit scoring in six straight games.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
On the back of last week's club record-breaking comeback against Maccabi, Zeljko Obradovic will make his latest return to Athens as Partizan (11-10) looks to narrow the gap on Panathinaikos (13-10). Another player facing his former club is Greens big man and last week's MVP Mathias Lessort, who was outplayed by 23 points from fit-again Zach LeDay when Partizan prevailed, 92-87, after overtime in Belgrade in November. The Serbian team will also have to find an answer for Kendrick Nunn, who scored 19 points in that game and also poured in 21 as Panathinaikos impressively overpowered Monaco last time out.
Valencia Basket vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Two inconsistent teams will look to push closer towards the top 10 as the round closes with Valencia (10-11) hosting Milan (9-12). The Spanish team has taken a blow to its confidence with three consecutive narrow losses, most recently in overtime to Real Madrid last Thursday, while Milan is coming off a home loss to Zvezda. A very solid team performance gave the Italian team an easy win, 83-52, when the teams met in November, but Valenica will hope to gain revenge through the scoring skills of former Milan guard Kevin Pangos, who will hope for a chance to shine as he settles with his new team.