Andy West previews Round 24 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague season
At a glance: The action shows no sign of slowing down in Round 24
Game Preview
8 Min lectura
The action keeps on rolling with Round 24 of the EuroLeague Regular Season taking flight on Thursday and Friday. Here’s your guide to the games.
Thursday, January 22
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (18:30 CET)
The action tips off with Efes (6-17) aiming to avoid an eighth straight loss as it welcomes in-form Olympiacos (14-8). Injury-hit Efes will continue to miss Jordan Loyd and Vincent Poirier, while Nikola Milutinov will be absent for the visitor after sustaining a head injury during Tuesday’s win over Maccabi – a triumph that took the Reds to three straight victories. Milutinov’s absence should see an increase in playing time for ex-Efes center Tyrique Jones, who made his Olympiacos debut earlier this week with 6 points in 7 minutes. The Turkish team pulled off a shock win in Piraeus in Round 4 behind 20 points from long-range shooting forward Cole Swider, and desperately needs someone to similarly step up and stop the rot on Thursday night.
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:05 CET)
Maccabi (9-14) will look to boost its playoffs ambitions by overcoming Panathinaikos (14-9) in Tel Aviv. The home team is sweating on the fitness of Lonnie Walker, while captain John DiBartolomeo is definitely missing. Leading scorer Kendrick Nunn’s ongoing absence didn’t prevent Panathinaikos from comfortably overcoming Baskonia earlier this week, when summer signing Vassilis Toliopoulos marked his long-awaited return from injury by pouring in 21 points with 5 three-pointers. Maccabi also welcomed back a long-term injury absentee earlier this week, with Jeff Dowtin providing 15 points in the narrow loss at Olympiacos. The host will look for Roman Sorkin to set the tone by dominating his inside battle with Juancho Hernangomez, who has made multiple triples in three of the last four games.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CET)
Inconsistent Milan (11-12) will look to bounce back to winning ways and climb closer to the top ten by overcoming direct rival Zalgiris (13-10). Dynamic guard Leandro Bolmaro is a game-time decision for the host, which needs a major defensive improvement after allowing 106 points to lose in Madrid on Tuesday. Zalgiris arrives with plenty of confidence after taking an emphatic road win from ASVEL on Tuesday, when big man Moses Wright again demonstrated his inside power with 18 points and 7 rebounds. It’s truly a must-win matchup for Milan, which would love to also claim head-to-head advantage by taking its second win of the campaign over Zalgiris – Marko Guduric led the way with 14 points and 7 rebounds when the Italian team triumphed in Kaunas in Round 5.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Valencia Basket (20:30 CET)
Valencia (15-8) will look to strengthen its top four challenge by completing perfect week with a win at Bayern (8-15). The host will hope to welcome back key guards Stefan Jovic and Andreas Obst after they missed Tuesday’s home loss to Partizan, which saw the German team desperately struggle offensively. There are no such problems for Valencia, which has a fully available roster and delivered a solid all-round performance to down Paris two days ago. Kam Taylor poured in a career-high 28 points in that game, while Neal Sako will hope to cause more carnage in the paint after grabbing 7 offensive boards. Bayern needs to match his physicality through fast-improving Wenyen Gabriel, who has recorded consecutive double-digit scoring nights for the first time this season.
Real Madrid vs. AS Monaco (20:45 CET)
A big battle between two of the four teams tied for third place will see Real (15-8) seek another home win against Monaco (15-8). Los Blancos improved its record in Madrid to 11-1 by comfortably downing Milan on Tuesday, while Monaco will need to find fresh reserves of energy after a home overtime loss to Crvena Zvezda the same night. Real’s size and strength – epitomised by Walter Tavares – is reflected in league-leading stats in blocks (4.1 per game) and defensive rebounds (25.9), so visiting star Nikola Mirotic faces a major challenge in the paint against his former team. Monaco won an exciting meeting in December, 100-95, behind 22 points from Elie Okobo, and managed to snare 17 offensive rebounds on that occasion, so Real will look to recover its usual toughness as it targets the double prize of victory plus head-to-head advantage.
Paris Basketball vs. Dubai Basketball (21:00 CET)
Paris (7-15) needs to boost its fading playoffs ambitions by overcoming direct rival Dubai (10-13). New signing Bruno Caboclo could make his debut to reinforce Dubai’s interior, while Dzanan Musa will continue his comeback after marking his first appearance since Round 3 with 5 points in Tuesday’s narrow loss at Barcelona. The battle for backcourt dominance will feature two players coming off great performances despite defeat: Paris playmaker Justin Robinson had 14 points and 9 assists at Valencia, while Dubai’s McKinley Wright drained 29 points on 11-of-15 field goal shooting in Barcelona – Wright’s 24 points were key to Dubai’s thrilling 90-89 win over Paris in November. The host will expect an immediate bounce back from Nadir Hifi, who only scored 8 points earlier this week.
Friday, January 23
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (18:45 CET)
High-flying Fenerbahce (15-7) is looking to strengthen its position in the top four as it welcomes road strugglers Baskonia (8-15). The reigning champ will hope to welcome back Wade Baldwin and Brandon Boston after they missed Wednesday’s win at Virtus, while Baskonia is expected to be without long-range shooting threats Markus Howard and Markquis Nowell. Fener’s midweek victory – its sixth in seven games – came courtesy of a career night from Talen Horton-Tucker, netting 28 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. But the hosts will continue to base its gameplan on the league’s stingiest defense, allowing just 79.8 points per game. That could spell a long night for Baskonia, which never really competed in a comprehensive loss at Panathinaikos on Tuesday despite Kobi Simmons maintaining his upturn in form with a third straight double-digit scoring night.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
Partizan (7-16) will attempt to continue its resurgence by upsetting league leader Hapoel (16-6) in a game taking place in Munich. The absence of Duane Washington, Shake Milton and Vanja Marinkovic did not prevent Partizan from grabbing a defensively-dominant victory at Bayern on Tuesday, and staying in the same city could help the Serbian team deliver a similarly strong performance to snap Hapoel’s three-game winning run. The visitor showed it can also rely on smothering defense by holding Efes to 66 points earlier this week, helped by Dan Oturu powering the paint with 8 points and 10 boards. Oturu will look to dominate Partizan’s recent signing Tonye Jekiri, who also grabbed 8 rebounds earlier this week, and this could well become a gruelling, physical encounter.
Virtus Bologna vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Crvena Zvezda (13-10) is targeting a second road win of the week as it travels for a key matchup with direct rival Virtus (11-12). The Serbian team will need to dig deep into its energy supplies after a hard-earned overtime win in Monaco on Tuesday, dominated by a big double-double from Ebuka Izundu (22 points, 12 boards). Zvezda also dished 29 assists in that win – orchestrated by 11 from Codi Miller-McIntyre – and will need similarly slick ball movement to unsettle a Virtus team which is coming off a narrow loss to Fenerbahce despite 35 points from Carsen Edwards. Head-to-head advantage is looming prominently over this contest, with Virtus needing a win of 2 points or more in regulation, after Zvezda edged the Round 17 matchup, 90-89, behind 20 points from the ever-dangerous Jordan Nwora.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. FC Barcelona (20:45 CET)
Lowly ASVEL (6-17) will attempt to climb away from the foot of the standings by upsetting Barcelona (15-8). The host will hope scoring star Glynn Watson can return from injury, while new signing Braian Angolo is set for his debut. Barca arrives with a sense of relief after escaping a tough test from Dubai on Tuesday thanks to a game-winner from red-hot Dario Brizuela, whose 25 points took his scoring average to 16.4 points over the last seven games. ASVEL has lost four straight but can look for inspiration from ex-Barca playmaker Thomas Heurtel, who netted a season-high 21 points in Tuesday’s defeat against Zalgiris. Barca ranks second in the league in steals (7.5 per game), with Kevin Punter in top ball-hawk form after grabbing 4 steals earlier this week.