Andy West previews the upcoming round of fixtures in the EuroLeague campaign
At a glance: A festive slate packed with thrilling matchups
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8 Min lectura
A festive slate of fixtures in Round 18 of the regular season is headlined by the reigning champ hosting the current co-leader, along with lots more exciting meetings in the race for the playoffs. Don’t miss your overview of the upcoming games.
Tuesday, December 23
Dubai Basketball vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (17:00 CET)
The round begins with a key matchup between direct rivals in the middle of the standings as Dubai (8-9) welcomes Milan (9-8). Dubai boosted its confidence with a hard-fought win at Efes last time out, and is led by arguably the league’s hottest player with guard McKinley Wright recording an average PIR of 35.0 in the last three games. Milan is aiming to bounce back from a defeat to Fenerbahce and will look to contain Wright through the energy of Quinn Ellis, while Shavon Shields will look to recover his usual accuracy after going 3-of-14 from the field in last week’s loss. On that note, Dubai is currently ranked last in the league in three-point shooting (31.7%), despite veteran shooter Davis Bertans finding form with six triples in the last two games.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. FC Barcelona (18:45 CET)
Co-leader Barcelona (12-5) will look to make it five wins in a row by overcoming reigning champ Fenerbahce (10-6) and former coach Saras Jasikevicius. After somehow surviving last week’s record-breaking triple overtime thriller against Baskonia, Barca will hope that Kevin Punter can continue the sharpshooting which saw him net 43 points in that game. The visiting team will have to cope without injured Will Clyburn, while former Fener big man Jan Vesely faces a fitness battle to take part. Fenerbahce will be led by a red-hot Talen Horton-Tucker, who has averaged 23.0 points in the last three games and now faces a great matchup with Punter. The hosts will also look for Tarik Biberovic to continue his upturn in form, after netting seven triples in the last two games.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19:00 CET)
An all-green affair will see Zalgiris (10-7) attempt to climb into the top six at the expense of inconsistent Panathinaikos (11-6). Zalgiris got its home form back on track by blitzing Partizan last time out, and big man Moses Wright will relish the opportunity to continue his strong form after recording 17 points and 6 rebounds in that win. He faces a bruising battle with Panathinaikos star Kenneth Faried after his 8 points and 11 rebounds helped defeat Hapoel in Round 11. The backcourt features an all-star showdown between the league’s leading distributor Sylvain Francisco (6.9 assists per game) and third-highest scorer Kendrick Nunn (19.1 points per night). Zalgiris boasts the second-best defense in the league (81.5 points allowed), and can also count on a crackling atmosphere for this crucial matchup.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (19:30 CET)
After finally ending a seven-game road odyssey, Bayern (5-12) will hope for home comforts as it welcomes co-leader Hapoel (12-5). The German team won no games on its extended road trip, leading to the departure of coach Gordie Herbert on Saturday. Bayern needs to improve defensively after allowing 103 points against Monaco last week, but it does have a shooter in fine form with Spencer Dinwiddie netting at least 10 points in eight straight games. Hapoel is looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Panathinaikos and will hope for another strong performance from guard Tyler Ennis, who took advantage of extended playing time by netting 16 points with four triples. The visitors rank second in two-point shooting accuracy (59.4%), so Bayern will need strong interior defense as it begins its new coaching era.
Valencia Basket vs. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:00 CET)
Valencia (11-6) will attempt to get back on the winning track against hungry Baskonia (6-11). The visiting team is still looking for its first road win after last week’s triple-overtime heartache at Barcelona, and will cross their fingers that key scorers Timote Luwawu-Cabarrot and Markus Howard will recover from injuries sustained in that game. Valencia’s five-game winning run was ended by a narrow defeat at Maccabi last week, but the Taronjas boast the EuroLeague’s best home record (7-1) and will look for in-form big man Matt Costello to deliver another strong performance against his former club. He is part of a Valencia unit which ranks second in the league in offensive rebounding (13.6 per game), and Braxton Key is another physical presence waiting to unsettle Baskonia after grabbing 4 offensive boards last time out.
Paris Basketball vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:45 CET)
Paris (5-12) will attempt to turn around its recent freefall against a Zvezda team (10-7) fighting hard to stay in the playoff places. The French team will need to recover its morale after a fourth-quarter collapse led to last week’s loss at Real, but knows it can rely on another scoring alternative to Nadir Hifi following a great start from new signing Jared Rhoden, who netted 19 points in Madrid. Zvezda last’s game saw the Serbian team show great spirit – helped by a double-double from chief orchestrator Codi Miller-McIntyre (21 points, 10 assists) – to edge out Virtus and snap a three-game losing streak. But that game took place in Belgrade and Zvezda has desperately struggled on its travels, losing four straight, and knows it will need maximum intensity to survive Paris’s whirlwind style.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:45 CET)
Two teams struggling in the lower reaches of the standings are looking for a boost with ASVEL (4-13) hosting Efes (6-11). Pablo Laso’s honeymoon as Efes coach was cut short by last week’s home loss to Dubai, although the performance of do-it-all Nick Weiler-Babb (12 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) suggests that he might be starting to find top form. ASVEL will hope that at least one of its key trio of Nando De Colo, Armel Traore and Zac Seljaas will recover from injury, and it needs big man Mbaye Ndiaye to stay strong in the paint after averaging 5.3 rebounds in the last three games. This is a meeting between the league’s lowest and third-lowest scorers (77.0 and 80.4 points per game respectively), pointing towards a tight and defensively dominated encounter.
Friday, December 26
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (18:00 CET)
Partizan’s (6-11) troubled season faces its latest test with a visit from a Maccabi team (7-10) flying up the standings after four straight wins. The Israeli team’s latest success saw recent signing Iffe Lundberg exert his growing influence with 12 points and 7 assists, and he’ll be keen to shine once more against his former team. Partizan fans will be impatient to see a big improvement from their team’s 41-point loss at Zalgiris on Friday, with particular improvement needed in the long-range shooting department after netting only five triples in that loss. Partizan ranks last in the league in rebounding (31.4 per game) and faces a Maccabi which excels in crashing the glass (12.5 offensive boards per night), so denying the likes of Jaylen Hoard will be a point of emphasis for the hosts.
AS Monaco vs. Real Madrid (19:30 CET)
Two ambitious teams currently locked in a tie for sixth place go head-to-head as Monaco (10-7) welcomes Real Madrid (10-7). Monaco showed its collective potential as seven different players scored in double digits as a two-game losing streak was snapped against Bayern on Friday, with Alpha Diallo once again proving his all-round value by combining 12 points with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Real Madrid is increasingly leaning on the talents of Theo Maledon, who scored 21 points – including a history-making one millionth EuroLeague point – to inspire Round 11’s comeback win over Paris. But Los Blancos, who rank first in defensive rebounding (26.3 per night) need to sharpen up defensively as they prepare to face a Roca Team which leads the league in both assists (20.8) and turnovers (10.4).
Virtus Bologna vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
The round concludes with another clash of direct rivals as Virtus (8-9) looks to start another home winning streak against Olympiacos (9-7). Get ready for a bombardment from two of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters, with Carsen Edwards (2.7 triples per night) hoping to outscore Reds marksman Tyler Dorsey (2.8 per game). Dorsey’s 22 points were accompanied by 21 from fellow long-ball expert Evan Fournier as Olympiacos shrugged off poor previous form to ease past ASVEL last week, and the Greek giant will now look to embark upon a long winning run as the regular season’s midway point approaches. Doing that against a Virtus team which has the third-best defense in the competition – 82.2 points per game – will not be easy.