The race for the playoffs is approaching a boiling point as Round 30 tips off a two-round week, headlined by an iconic coach facing his former club in a crucial showdown. Here's your guide to Tuesday and Wednesday's action.
This week brings the final two-round week of the regular season
![This week brings the final two-round week of the regular season](https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6bb6ad2e-3151-47fe-8eb8-a92694d9f3b3.jpg?crop=2805%3A1578%3Anowe%3A195%3A30)
Tuesday, March 19
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus
Red-hot Olympiacos (18-11) will look to make it seven straight wins with a trip to Efes (12-17), which is battling hard for a place in the top 10. Lucky charm Moses Wright has won all six of his games for the Reds, netting a team-high 19 points on perfect two-point shooting in last week’s derby win over Panathinaikos, and the task of slowing him down falls to Efes big man Tyrique Jones, who has double-digit scoring in three of the last four games. Olympiacos relied on stingy defense to claim a comfortable win, 75-57, when the teams met in October, with dependable veteran Kostas Papanikolaou providing 14 points and 7 rebounds. This matchup has been remarkably close over the years, with 24 wins apiece in their 48 meetings this century, but the Reds haven't won in Istanbul since 2017.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Zalgiris (11-18) will attempt to boost its fading postseason hopes against a Virtus team (17-12) that has similarly faded away from contention for the top four. The Lithuanian champion has lost three in a row with a struggling offense, failing to score more than 76 points in any of those games, and will hope that Rolands Smits can rediscover his usual standards after scoring 0 and 5 points in the last two games. Similarly, Toko Shengelia will aim to get back to his best for Virtus, which has lost three of its last four. Zalgiris is also looking to complete a season sweep after winning in Bologna 79-82 on opening night, powered by 25 points from backcourt leader Keenan Evans.
League leader Real (23-6) could clinch homecourt advantage for the playoffs against rock-bottom ALBA, which only has pride at stake. The reigning champ will be keen to stay on the right track after ending a three-game losing streak by winning at Virtus last week and will look to dominate the frontcourt through Guerschon Yabusele, who top scored with 15 points in that game, alongside Walter Tavares and the league leader in blocker shots, Vincent Poirier. ALBA forward Johannes Thiemann will try to counter them after returning from injury with 11 points and 7 rebounds in last week's narrow loss to Monaco. Mario Hezonja was the star performer, pouring in 26 points on 10-of-13 field goal shooting, when Real cruised past ALBA, 99-75, earlier in the season.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
In-form Maccabi (16-13) will aim to strengthen its playoff push by overcoming ASVEL (7-12), which showed its capabilities by downing Efes last week. Maccabi has won three straight to push closer to the top six, most recently showing great character to battle from behind against Zvezda behind 18 points and 13 rebounds from weekly MVP Josh Nebo plus the help of 23 points from Bonzie Colson. A huge night from Joffrey Lauvergne, with 23 points and 9 rebounds, was not enough for ASVEL when the teams met in December, as Wade Baldwin paired 21 points with 8 assists to secure a thrilling 91-94 road victory.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
A key battle in the playoff race will see Partizan (13-16) attempt to stay in the top 10 by downing Baskonia (16-13), which is still in the hunt for a top-six finish. Baskonia is on a roll after winning four of its last five, but those were all at home and the Spanish team has won only one of its last six on the road. Similarly, Partizan has suffered on the road recently to slip down the standings, but has tasted victory in four of its last five games in Belgrade and knows a victory of 2 points or more would grant it the head-to-head advantage over Baskonia after an 84-83 win for the Spanish team in Vitoria. Chima Moneke led the way with 16 points, including the game-winning free throws. Aleksa Avramovic will try to maintain his magnificent form for Partizan, after scoring 30, 19 and 27 points in the last three games.
Wednesday, March 20
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. FC Barcelona
Fenerbahce (18-11) coach Sarunas Jasikevicius goes up against his former team Barcelona (20-9) for the first time in a major matchup in the top four race. The Turkish team has been unstoppable at home recently, winning six in a row and setting its club record for scoring in each of the last two games, including a 118-88 destruction of Valencia last week. A key battle will take place in the backcourt between two iconic point guards, as all-time assists leader Nick Calathes confronts the legendary Ricky Rubio, who showed he is getting back to his best by providing 7 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds in last week's win over Partizan. Fenerbahce will be targeting a win of 9 points or more to claim head-to-head advantage after losing 89-81 at Palau Blaugrana in December behind 21 points and 9 rebounds from Willy Hernangomez.
AS Monaco vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
High-flying Monaco (19-10) is aiming to make it nine consecutive victories with a visit from inconsistent but still fighting Milan (12-17). November's meeting between the teams was a low-scoring affair, taken 66-72 by the Roca team thanks to 21 points from usual suspect Mike James, who will again look to shine against his former club after scoring at least 16 points in seven straight games. James is receiving plenty of help right now from Elie Okobo, who has averaged 17.5 points and 5 assists in the last two games. Milan has failed to win away from home since December, mostly due to a misfiring offense that hasn't surpassed 77 points during a six-game road losing run, but can count upon fit-again Nikola Mirotic to deliver the goods after averaging 21 points in the last three games.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
Top-10 chasing Zvezda (10-19) will hope to end a five-game losing run against a Panathinaikos team (18-11) eager to bounce back from a defeat in last week's Greek derby. Zvezda is hit by injuries in the backcourt, with Milos Teodosic and Nemanja Nedovic recently sidelined and Yago Dos Santos reportedly unlikely to play this week. That could open an opportunity to shine for the Greens' healthy contingent of guards, including deep threats Marius Grigonis and Kendrick Nunn, who hit 17 points on 4-of-5 triples at Olympiacos last week. Panathinaikos claimed a comfortable victory, 82-65, when the teams met in Round 17, paced by 15 points from Dinos Mitoglou, who came back to form in the derby by ending a five-game run of single-digit scoring.
Valencia Basket vs. FC Bayern Munich
A key meeting between direct rivals will see Bayern (13-16) attempt to continue its strong form with a trip to Valencia (13-16), which has lost four in a row. Both teams excel on defense, with Valencia conceding just 78.2 points per game, while Bayern allowed just 58 points in last week's key win over Zalgiris. However, the Spanish team fell far short of its usual standards by shipping an alarming 118 points in last week's loss to Fenerbahce, and will be further hindered this week by the loss of center Brandon Davies through injury. That will give encouragement to Bayern's powerful collection of big men including Serge Ibaka, Isaac Bonga and Devin Booker, who has reached 20 points in two of the last three games.