The final set of games before the mid-season break features many matchups between direct rivals in the race for the playoffs. Here's the menu for Round 26.
This week: Key matchups up and down the standings
Article
6 Mins read
Thursday, February 8
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
New Efes (10-15) coach Tomislav Mijatovic will look to start his reign with another win against 10th-placed Maccabi (13-12). The Turkish team will hope to build on last week's success against Milan, once again led by Shane Larkin with 19 points. Maccabi has struggled on the road, especially defensively, with five straight losses allowing at least 88 points. Efes will target a win of 10 points or more after suffering a 95-86 loss at Maccabi in December, with Bonzie Colson producing one of his many excellent performances by pairing 19 points with 7 rebounds. That game also featured 21 points from Lorenzo Brown, whose backcourt battle alongside Wade Baldwin with Larkin and Darius Thompson will be worth the admission price alone.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Ninth-placed Baskonia (13-12) will look to protect its position in the playoff zone with a visit from lowly ASVEL (5-20). Baskonia took an 81-88 win in France earlier this season thanks to its usual leaders: a personal best 35 points from Markus Howard and 19 points plus 13 rebounds from Chima Moneke, which was enough to overcome 22 points from ASVEL sharpshooter Mike Scott. Baskonia has been inconsistent in recent weeks and will view this as a must-win game against a visiting team that suffers from the worst three-point shooting percentage in the league (33.0%).
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. FC Bayern Munich
After a pair of road defeats last week, Partizan (13-12) will hope for home comforts with a visit from Bayern (10-15). Kevin Punter will look to maintain his magnificent form after scoring 28 and 22 points in last week's losses in Monaco and Bologna, while Bayern has Sylvain Francisco in great shape with double-digit scoring in six consecutive games. He also netted 17 points when Bayern beat Partizan 94-85 in November, supplemented by 21 points from backcourt teammate Carsen Edwards. Bayern won its last road game, 65-82 at ALBA, and needs a similarly strong defensive performance to take a vital victory on Thursday.
Valencia Basket vs. Olympiacos Piraeus
It's eighth versus seventh in a crucial clash as Valencia (13-12) welcomes Olympiacos (14-11). The Spanish team has won three of its last four, showing its defensive excellence by holding opponents to 66, 62 and 72 points in that trio of wins. Valencia produced a similar display to win 56-63 in Piraeus two months ago, so the Reds will hope Thomas Walkup will again lead the offense with the same effectiveness that saw him pair 16 points with 8 assists in last week's victory at Bayern. He also has the task of slowing down Valencia playmaker Chris Jones, who had 14 points plus 8 helpers to send his team to victory at ALBA last time out.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Real Madrid
Reigning champion Real (22-3) will look to seal playoff qualification by overcoming a Milan team (10-15) desperate to push closer to the top 10. Fit-again Nikola Mirotic will try to punish his former club in what promises to be a bruising head-to-head battle with Guerschon Yabusele. Real had no trouble in claiming a comfortable win, 88-71, when the teams met in Round 4, led by 19 points on 5 three-pointers from Sergio Llull. The Italian team has slipped down the standings by winning just one of its last five games and has lost four straight on the road, while Real is the only team in the competition with a perfect home record.
Friday, February 9
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
After grabbing two great home wins last week, Zalgiris (10-15) will try to keep moving up the standings with a trip to direct rival Zvezda (10-15). The visitors will be wary of the shooting threat posed by Nemanja Nedovic, who netted 27 and 21 points in last week's two games, helping to beat Valencia, but not enough to overcome Barcelona. Zalgiris can rely on the inside presence of Laurynas Birutis, who has averaged 14.3 points in the last four games. Rolands Smits was the key man in the Round 2 meeting between the teams, netting 18 points with 7 rebounds to set up a 79-74 Zalgiris victory.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
A big matchup with a playoff feel will see fourth host sixth as Panathinaikos (15-10) welcomes Fenerbahce (15-10). The Turkish team claimed a commanding victory when the teams met in Round 3, with 15 points from Georgios Papagiannis leading the way to an 83-69 success. He and the red-hot Johnathan Motley, who has five consecutive games of double-digit scoring, will look to give Fenerbahce the physical edge against a Panathinaikos team eager to bounce back from last week's loss at Zalgiris. The Greens have won five straight in Athens and will be able to count upon an electric atmosphere that will also be enlivened by two of the league's most demonstrative coaches, Ergin Ataman and Sarunas Jasikevicius.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. AS Monaco
Another high-powered matchup will see fifth-placed Monaco (15-10) aim to become the first visiting team since October to triumph at third-placed Virtus (16-9). Monaco is in great form with four straight victories, but was shocked by the Italian team, 59-83, when the teams met in October. Virtus claimed a massive 46 rebounds in that game, so the visitors will look for Donta Hall and Donatas Moteijunas to protect the backboards more strongly as they confront Bryant Dunston and Toko Shengelia. The game also features two of the league's most potent long-range shooters, Marco Belinelli (2.8 triples per game) and Mike James (2.7).
Second hosts second-bottom as Barcelona (17-8) looks for a sixth straight home win with a visit from ALBA (5-15), which has just one road victory all season. The Spanish side won't be taking the task lightly after suffering a shock defeat in Berlin, 74-70, in December. Barca will look to control the outside shooting threat of Matt Thomas, who led ALBA with 13 points on that occasion and has netted multiple triples in seven of the last 11 games. The host will also hope that shooting guard Dario Brizuela can stay in his sweet moment after scoring 20 points on 6-of-7 three-point shooting in last week's solid win at Zvezda.