Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 23 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Bold predictions for Round 23
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6 Mins read
Fenerbahce will overcomes injuries to beat Virtus
by Javier Gancedo
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is expected to face Virtus Segafredo Bologna without five forwards: Nigel Hayes-Davis, DyShawn Pierre, Nate Sestina, Tarik Biberovic and Metecan Birsen. Despite playing against a team that ranks higher in the standings, Fenerbahce has enough versatility to find answers to its injury problems. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius will be forced to use a small lineup with three guards together on court but Virtus lacks a star small forward that would give the guests some sort of advantage. Johnathan Motley is set to see extended playing time at the power forward position. Motley already played well against Virtus in Round 10, getting season highs of 25 points and 31 PIR, and so should take advantage of Toko Shengelia's absence for Virtus. Fenerbahce comes off a convincing 30-point home victory in the Turkish League and should stay as strong even without most of its forwards.
Efes will continue rising higher
by Frank Lawlor
One team that seems to be coming together finally is Anadolu Efes Istanbul, as evidenced by a 24-point home win against FC Barcelona last week. I expect Efes to keep on that upward trajectory despite a visit on Friday from always-tough AS Monaco. One of the few early-season bright spots for Efes was an 84-89 road win in the principality, and after retooling due to injuries, the recent two-time champions have only gotten better. Tibor Pleiss is proving his unique value again. Elijah Bryant is playing strong. Will Clyburn and Derek Willis are back in the lineup. Big men Tyrique Jones and Dan Oturu are meshing well. And Shane Larkin, of course, is being the leader he has always been. Let's not forget Rodrigue Beaubois, whom Monaco star Mike James cited as one of his most difficult defenders to face. Efes has a 7-3 home record despite all the injuries, and I expect that to be 8-3 after Friday's game.
Four teams will reach 10 wins, tighten playoff race
by Igor Petrinovic
Not only will I double down on my colleague's prediction that Efes will keep its winning streak going, but I see its three fellow nine-win teams – Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and FC Bayern Munich – all winning this week, too. As such, all four would reach 10 victories and make the crazy playoff race even crazier as a total of 15 teams would have 10 or more wins with 11 rounds remaining. For that to happen, FC Bayern Munich will have to take care of visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Crvena Zvezda will have to overcome Milos Teodosic's absence in Berlin against ALBA. It will be tricky, but at the end of the day, I think both Bayern and Zvezda will get the job done, as will Milan, avoiding a three-game losing streak by beating FC Barcelona on Friday night to complete a season-sweep of that classic rivalry.
Mike James will take a big step towards all-time scorer crown
by Geoff Gillingham
Mike James isn't just my frontrunner to win the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP prize, but I also think he will become the league's all-time top scorer this season. The 33-year-old needs just 108 points to pass ex-Olympiacos Piraeus legend Vassilis Spanoulis in first, and 36 to pass LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's Nando De Colo in second. Not only is James a far better scorer than De Colo these days, but he has shown in recent seasons that he can impact winning in a far greater way than the Frenchman, too. Against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Round 23, I predict James to have a stellar night scoring-wise and trim the gap with both Spanoulis and De Colo. History is in James's hands, and I believe he'll take another big step towards achieving this feat when Monaco travels to take on Efes on Friday evening.
Partizan's streak will continue
by Frankie Sachs
The home team has won each of the last five times in which Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade has taken the floor. Unfortunately for head coach Zeljko Obradovic's men, only two of those games were home games. On the one hand, it's not so bold to pick a home winner; only two teams (Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz) have winning records on the road this season. However, Zalgiris Kaunas has claimed road wins already this season in Bologna, Vitoria, Milan and Valencia and three of those teams are in the playoff zone. And under new boss Andrea Trinchieri – a former Partizan head coach – Zalgiris appears to be on the upswing, having won two of its last three games and three of the last five. But Partizan is expected to have both Kevin Punter and Aleksa Avramovic back. And while that may not be great for PJ Dozier fantasy owners, it's fantastic for the Grobari. Partizan should win comfortably at Stark Arena on Friday.