Zvezda and Partizan go head-to-head, Olympiacos and Monaco meet again after facing off in last year's semifinals, and there's also a repeat of the 2022 championship game.
The Eternal Derby and a couple of Final Four rematches headline Round 19's action
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Thursday, January 4
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Fenerbahce (10-8) will look to bounce back from Tuesday's shock home loss to Zvezda by overcoming Maccabi (11-7), which is riding high in fourth place after winning four of the last five. Maccabi edged the Round 9 meeting between these teams 78-73 behind 18 points from former Fener man Lorenzo Brown. Sarunas Jasikevicius's men know they also have to pay special attention to Bonzie Colson after he blasted 27 points in Maccabi's Tuesday win over Monaco. To counter him, Fenerbahce has Nigel Hayes-Davis in great form with 24 and 21 points in the last two games.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
After starting his spell as head coach of Zalgiris (6-12) with victory, Andrea Trinchieri will look to complete a perfect week as he faces another passionate Italian bench boss, Gianmarco Pozzecco of rock bottom ASVEL (2-16), which is still awaiting a first home win. Zalgiris were the victims of ASVEL's first win of the season, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scoring 19 points to inspire an 88-91 road victory in November. Keenan Evans led Zalgiris with 19 points on that occasion, and he will again play a key role in the quest for revenge after scoring in double digits in the last six game, including a team-high 13 to overcome ALBA earlier this week.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
An emotional Belgrade derby will see Partizan (10-8) attempt to complete a season sweep of local rivals Zvezda (7-11) after celebrating a 88-86 comeback triumph in Round 5. Both teams are high in confidence after winning earlier this week, with Zvezda overcoming Fenerbahce behind 24 points from Joel Bolomboy, while Partizan cruised past ASVEL on 4-for-5 three-point shooting from Kevin Punter. Another Partizan weapon could be Danilo Andjusic, who boosted his confidence as he ended a run of four games without scoring by draining 15 points on Tuesday night.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. AS Monaco
In a showdown loaded with playoffs implications between two of the seven teams tied for fifth place, Olympiacos (10-8) will look to maintain its momentum by gaining a fourth straight win with a visit from Monaco (10-8), which has stumbled by losing three of its last five. Mike James had with 24 points and 6 assists when Monaco beat the Reds 85-77 in Round 11, and Olympiacos will look for the defensive hustle of Thomas Walkup and Nigel Williams-Goss to slow down James and backcourt teammate Elie Okobo. The versatility of big man Moustapha Fall will also present a problem to Monaco, with the giant center averaging 4.8 assists in the last four games.
Friday, January 5
ALBA Berlin vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Second from bottom hosts second from top as struggling ALBA (3-15) welcomes red-hot Virtus (13-5). The Italian team extended its impressive run by edging out Bayern earlier this week, making it six wins out of its last seven games, with another stellar showing from MVP candidate Tornike Shengelia. The Georgian powerhouse was also on fire when Virtus overcame ALBA, 87-76, in October, netting 27 points on 9-of-11 field goal shooting. The task of containing him will fall to Johannes Thiemann, who bounced back to form after a tough couple of games by scoring 17 points in Tuesday's narrow loss at Zalgiris.
Valencia Basket vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
In a meeting of direct rivals, Valencia (10-8) will seek to follow Wednesday's win over Efes by completing a perfect double-round week when it hosts Panathinaikos (10-8), which is aiming to bounce back quickly from a last-gasp loss at Baskonia. Mathias Lessort combined 18 points with 7 rebounds to lead the Greens to a 90-73 win over Valencia in November, but he will meet plenty of resistance from Brandon Davies, who has averaged 16 points and 5.3 boards in the last three games. Panathinaikos blew a 9-point fourth quarter lead on Wednesday night, despite 25 points from in-form Kendrick Nunn, so it will be determined to stay locked in for the full 40 minutes this time around.
FC Barcelona vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
On the back of Wednesday's emotional victory over Real Madrid, Barcelona (12-6) will seek to overcome another dangerous Spanish opponent with a visit from Baskonia (10-8). There should be a big battle in the paint between two players who excelled earlier this week: Jan Vesely netted 28 points in El Clásico, while Chima Moneke earned co-MVP honors with 20 points and 13 rebounds to help down Panathinaikos. Baskonia turned on the style to thrash Barca 94-71 in Round 8 behind 26 points from Markus Howard, who will be eager to return to form after making just 5 of his 19 field-goal attempts in the last two games.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. FC Bayern Munich
After tasting defeat earlier this week, two teams aiming to get closer to the playoff positions go head-to-head as Milan (7-11) welcomes Bayern (8-10). December's meeting was dominated by Carsen Edwards as he netted 32 points, including 5 three-pointers, to give Bayern a thrilling 91-84 overtime victory. The German team also benefitted from Serge Ibaka's double-double of 20 points and 12 boards, including a late triple to force overtime. Milan will hope for another strong performance from new signing Shabazz Napier, who delivered 14 points and 5 assists on his second debut for the club in Tuesday's defeat at Olympiacos.
Real Madrid vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Reigning champ Real (16-2) will look to quickly banish the memory of Wednesday's Clásico loss by handing more misery to Efes (7-11), which has lost five in a row despite the superb form of Shane Larkin, who most recently scored 20 points in Wednesday's loss at Valencia. However, Larkin was restricted to his worst game of the season – he had just 5 points – when Real romped to an 80-103 victory at Istanbul in Round 2. Guerschon Yabusele paced the Spanish team that night with 22 points and 8 rebounds, and he is poised to return from injury for the first time since Round 9 to further strengthen coach Chus Mateo’s options.