The penultimate double-round week of the season promises to make a big difference in the race for the playoffs. Here's what we can look forward to in Round 24 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This week: The playoff race heats up with some colossal battles
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Tuesday, January 30
FC Bayern Munich vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Struggling Bayern (9-14) will look to push closer to the top ten with a visit from Baskonia (12-11), which dropped out of the playoff places after scoring a season-low 62 points in a home loss to Valencia last week. Bayern took a 68-76 victory when the teams met in Vitoria in October, helped by 14 points from Carsen Edwards and a defense that held Baskonia sharpshooter Markus Howard to 4 points. Howard also had a difficult game last week, making just 3 of his 14 field goal attempts, so he’ll be looking to get back to get back on track in Round 24, having averaged 18.6 points per game this season. Three of the league’s top five rebounders meet in the paint as Serge Ibaka (6.8 rebounds per game) confronts Chima Moneke (7.3 rpg) and Tadas Sedekerskis (7.2 rpg).
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Boosted by last week’s impressive victory over Bayern, ASVEL (5-18) will look to keep on moving in the right direction with a tough visit from playoff-chasing Fenerbahce (14-9). Strong rebounding was key for ASVEL in its triumph last week with Youssoupha Fall grabbing 13 boards and Mbaye Ndiaye 11, and they will look to prevent Fener big man Johnathan Motley from repeating his dominant performance – 23 points and 11 rebounds – in last week’s win over Virtus. Both teams were under the command of different coaches when they met in Round 4, as Fenerbahce defeated ASVEL 101-86 behind 18 points from Scottie Wilbekin and 9 assists from Nick Calathes. The Turkish team has the third-best three-point conversion rate in the league, 38.1%, while ASVEL ranks last in that category (33.2%).
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Valencia Basket
Inconsistent Zvezda (9-14) will hope for home comforts as it welcomes a Valencia team (12-11) chasing a third consecutive victory. Zvezda will look for recent signing Javonte Smart to continue his strong start after scoring 11 and 14 points in his first two games, while Valencia’s new backcourt arrival Kevin Pangos has been slower to settle with an average of just 1.7 points over his three appearances. December’s meeting between the teams was an exciting back-and-forth affair eventually taken by Valencia, 85-81, powered by 21 points from Brandon Davies, who was also instrumental in last week’s win at Baskonia. The task of containing him will fall to Luka Mitrovic and Joel Bolomboy, with the former looking to bounce back after recording 0 points or rebounds in last week’s loss at ALBA.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. ALBA Berlin
Olympiacos (12-11) will attempt to strengthen its position in the playoff chances with a visit from an increasingly dangerous ALBA (5-18), which has won two of its last three games. The German team suffered a heavy defeat, 67-94, when the teams met in Round 17, with the Reds inspired by 23 points from Alec Peters on 9-of-11 field goal shooting plus 9 assists from Thomas Walkup. ALBA’s victory last week over Zvezda came via a season-high 19 points from Matt Thomas, while Yanni Wetzell also maintained his good form with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Olympiacos has lost three of its last four games, all on the road, and needs to keep Peace and Friendship Stadium a fortress after winning its last three in Piraeus.
Real Madrid vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
League-leader Real (20-3) will look to take another step towards home-court advantage in the playoffs by welcoming an unpredictable Maccabi (13-10) in Round 24. The Israeli team has lost three straight on the road but showed its potential in last week’s thumping win over Panathinaikos, inspired by 22 points and 8 assists from Wade Baldwin, whose backcourt battle with Facundo Campazzo will be crucial. Josh Nebo also had another big game with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and he will look to profit from the absence of Walter Tavares to dominate the paint. Real’s offense was again led by Dzanan Musa in last week’s victory over Olympiacos, as he has now reached double digits in points in seven consecutive games.
Wednesday, January 31
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Two teams looking to ignite their fading playoff ambitions meet as Zalgiris (8-15) welcomes Efes (9-14). The Turkish team won November’s meeting 86-82 with the help of 20 points and 7 rebounds from Will Clyburn, whose recent return to fitness provides a big boost to Erden Can’s roster. Zalgiris was paced in that contest by 20 points from usual suspect Keenan Evans, and his ability to control Shane Larkin’s scoring power will be just as important as his own scoring exploits after netting at least 21 points in four of the last five games. In the paint, Laurynas Birutis is becoming more influential under new coach Andrea Trinchieri and will look to win his battle with Efes big men Tyrique Jones and Dan Oturu.
AS Monaco vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
In an all-Obradovic coaching battle, Monaco (13-10) will look to maintain its hot streak with a visit from direct rival Partizan (12-11). Monaco, which has won two straight, needs a victory of 5 points or more to claim the head-to-head advantage after Partizan took their first meeting 89-85. That game featured 25 points from Kevin Punter and 7 assists from P.J. Dozier, who underlined his growing role in Partizan’s backcourt by netting 23 points on 10-of-12 field goal shooting in last week’s win over Zalgiris. Monaco’s narrow win at Efes last week proved there’s more to the backcourt than just league-leading scorer Mike James, as Elie Okobo (16 points) and Jordan Loyd (14) both stepped up.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
After taking an outstanding win over Barcelona last week, inconsistent Milan (10-13) will look to build more momentum against a Panathinaikos (14-9) team which has won four in a row in Athens. The Greens grabbed a road win, 68-76, when the teams met a month ago, paced by 17 points from Kendrick Nunn, who has averaged 17.3 points in the last four games. Milan's triumph over Barca last week was led by 23 points from the irrepressible Shavon Shields, while recent signing Rodney McGruder also made a solid contribution with 11 points in just his second game for the team, and he'll look to continue that form to add greater depth to a backcourt which has often misfired this season.
FC Barcelona vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna
A big battle for second place will be held between the two teams currently tied for that position, Barcelona (15-8) and Virtus (15-8). Both are looking to bounce back from road losses after Barca was beaten in Milan while Virtus was downed by Fenerbahce. The Italian team took the win, 80-75, when they met in Round 12 as Iffe Lundberg stepped up late with 24 points. Virtus also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds that day, with 4 from Jordan Mickey, so the hosts will look for Jan Vesely, who continued his superb season with 28 points in Milan last week, and Willy Hernangomez to protect their backboard more effectively. Nico Laprovittola will be desperate to bounce back after scoring 0 points in Milan, and he faces a shootout with Virtus’s long-range specialist Marco Belinelli.