Buducnost VOLI Podgorica is one of the best defensive teams in the competition, allowing just 73.5 points per game. Only Joventut Badalona (68.8 ppg.) allows fewer points than the Montenegrin powerhouse. Opponents have made just 50.5% of their two-point shots and 34.5% from downtown. Despite that, Buducnost only allows 9.3 offensive rebounds per night, grabbing 24.0 defensive boards. Being able to box out is the first step to getting easy points in transition through Justin Cobbs and D.J. Seeley.

Keys to victory: Buducnost vs. Bursaspor

Frutti Extra Bursaspor is 16th in scoring with just 75.1 points per game. Allerik Freeman (19.3 ppg.) scores over 25% of its points, which makes Bursaspor's offense predictable. With Egemen Guven no longer with the team, Kevarrious Hayes and David Dudzinski should split minutes at center and must make sure Willie Reed doesn't dominate in the paint. The Turkish powerhouse is 15th in two-point shooting percentage (51.7% 2FG) and needs to improve that to be competitive at Moraca, one of the toughest places to steal a road win in the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Marquee matchup: Buducnost's Seeley vs. Bursaspor's Freeman

Seeley, a very experienced guard in his sixth EuroCup campaign, is averaging a career-best 14.4 points on 43.9% accuracy from beyond the arc. He will not have it easy against Frutti Extra Bursaspor's scoring leader, Allerik Freeman, who is having a really solid season. Freeman is averaging 19.3 points on 42.0% three-point shooting and is the fifth-best scorer in the competition.

Allerik Freeman - Frutti Extra Bursapor - EC 21

In a never-seen-before showdown in European competition, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (6-2) will host Frutti Extra Bursaspor (3-5) in the Montenegrin capital on Wednesday.

Buducnost, Bursaspor set to finally meet

Buducnost is 3-1 at home this season led by Justin Cobbs (19.4 ppg., 56.3% 3FG, 5.0 apg.), D.J. Seeley (14.4 ppg.) and Willie Reed (12.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg.). Bursaspor will have a different look after signing forward Tolga Gecim and sending center Egemen Guven to Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Allerik Freeman (19.3 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by Derek Needham (9.6 ppg.) and David Dudzinski (8.6 ppg.). Expect a hard-fought battle at Moraca.

Justin Cobbs - Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (photo Jacques Cormareche - Bourg) - EC21

Although Boulogne Metropolitans 92 has an outstanding frontline, the visitors will have to work extra hard to deny Lietkabelis Panevezys, which is among the premier rebounding teams in the competition.

Keys to victory: Lietkabelis vs. Metropolitans

The hosts have outrebounded opponents by 6.7 boards per game and are tied for the EuroCup lead with 12.6 offensive rebounds per game. If the likes of Vince Hunter, Tomer Ginat and Miralem Halilovic can match their counterparts on the glass, it will be a big boost for the visiting side. Turnovers have plagued Lietkabelis this season; the team’s 16.0 turnovers per game are the second-most in the EuroCup. If the hosts can trim those numbers and generate more points from the extra possessions, they will improve their chances of starting 2022 on the right foot.

Lietkabelis Panevezys v Boulogne Metropolitans 92 (2022-01-12T17:00:00.000Z)

Panagiotis Kalaitzakis - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21

Point guard play will have a lot to say about the outcome when Lietkabelis Panevezys faces Boulogne Metropolitans 92.

Marquee matchup: Lietkabelis’s Radicevic vs. Metropolitans' Cummings

Nikola Radicevic runs the show for Lietkabelis and has averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Metropolitans' Will Cummings is enjoying the finest season of his career; he ranks sixth in the EuroCup in PIR average (20.0), seventh in scoring (17.5 ppg.), and leads his team with 4.8 assists per game. While Cummings is shooting with excellent percentages, Radicevic has slumped to 3 for 16 on threes (18.8%). The hosts will need Radicevic to step his game up both on defense and his shooting to win the matchup against the red-hot Cummings.

Will Cummings - Boulogne Metropolitans 92 - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21

Lietkabelis Panevezys and Boulogne Metropolitans 92 will begin the calendar year when they face off on Wednesday.

Lietkabelis, Metropolitans start 2022 with showdown

Lietkabelis (3-5) lost its last two games before the new year’s break and has dropped four of its last five overall. However, the team is 1-2 at home with both losses coming by narrow margins. Metropolitans (4-4) outlasted MoraBanc Andorra at home in Round 8, but is 1-3 on the road. Gediminas Orelik (15.6 ppg.) and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (14.1 ppg.) have been Lietkabelis's prime offensive weapons this season and Will Cummings (17.5 ppg.) and Vince Hunter (15 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) have been Metropolitans' pillars. This game marks the first EuroCup contest ever between these two clubs.

Gediminas Orelik - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21

Fellow French centers Mam Jaiteh of Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Pierre Pelos of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse will have the chance to go against each other for the first time in 7DAYS EuroCup action on Wednesday.

Head-to-head: Mam Jaiteh vs. Pierre Pelos

A pair of countrymen, Mam Jaiteh of Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Pierre Pelos of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, will have the chance to go against each other for the first time in 7DAYS EuroCup action when their teams square off in a Round 9 clash on Wednesday night.

While both French natives are their respective team's rebounding leaders, Jaiteh and Pelos have each been bringing different assets to the center position for Virtus and Bourg, respectively.

Jaiteh is a dominant presence inside, including on the glass. Apart from ranking ninth with 6.4 rebounds per game, Jaiteh is one of the best defensive rebounders in the EuroCup. His 4.7 defensive rebounds per game come with the competition's second-best defensive rebounding percentage, 26.9%, meaning Jaiteh grabs better than one in four available defensive rebounds when he's in the game.

Playing 20.5 minutes per game, Jaiteh averages 9.3 points, but that average has improved to 12.0 points over the last three games, during which he has made 76.2% of his two-point shots. It has helped Jaiteh become one of the most effective two-point shooters in the EuroCup. The Virtus big man is now tied for 10th this season with an accuracy rate of 66.7% on shots taken inside the arc.

Pelos, on the other hand, stretches the floor better than any other big man in the competition.

Bourg's big man averages 2.1 triples per game, knocking them down with 60.0% accuracy, which is third highest in the EuroCup this season, and the best among non-guards.

Pelos has fired in at least 1 three-point shot in each of his seven appearances this season. He ranks third on Bourg with 12.0 points per game.

What makes Pelos a tough matchup is his production and efficiency around the basket. He makes a respectable 55.6% from all ranges inside the arc while grabbing team-high 4.7 rebounds. Pelos also averages 1.4 assists, playing 21 minutes per game.

Each team will need its big man to be on top of his game for this contest. Expect Jaiteh and Pelos to embrace that challenge.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2022-01-12T19:30:00.000Z)

Hamburg Towers enjoyed a sweet return to the 7DAYS EuroCup when it defeated visiting Turk Telekom Ankara 94-74 on Tuesday night. The home team found no trouble overcoming an 11-12 deficit midway through the first quarter to build a 27-14 edge after 10 minutes and extend it to 50-34 at halftime to comfortably cruise to its third win in a row and improve to 4-5 in Group A and keep dreaming of higher goals in its debut season.

Fatigue, absences didn't prevent Hamburg from a record night

Hamburg’s dominance was never in doubt in the second half. The hosts led by double digits for the entire second half and by as many as 26 points in the third quarter. These numbers were only a part of what the local fans could celebrate, as the home team set several records that turned this game into a memorable event.

The team set club records in performance index rating (115), assists (27) and three-pointers made (15), while Ray McCallum and Caleb Homesley registered career-highs in several categories. The former finished with 21 points and 5 assists in just 23 minutes for a PIR of 20, all of them personal bests. The latter posted 29 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals for a PIR of 45. All of those figures except the assists were highs for Homesley in his rookie EuroCup season. He also showed impressive accuracy from downtown, draining 7 three-pointers in 10 attempts.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/get_buckets05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@get_buckets05</a> was UNSTOPPABLE tonight 😳🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hamburgtowers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hamburgtowers</a>&#39; guard had one of his best nights in EuroCup after recording 29 PTS, 11 RBS, 45 PIR... all career-high! 😱<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/GFWtOvDN2W">pic.twitter.com/GFWtOvDN2W</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1481022658775076864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The performance of Hamburg’s magic backcourt duo was even more needed against Turk Telekom, as the home team missed Jaylon Brown for this game. Moreover, Hamburg faced the challenge after playing - and winning - a domestic game against the German League leader just two days before. Those could have become serious obstacles for Hamburg, but they did not.

Coach Pedro Calles looked proudly satisfied after the win because of that: “We accomplished our first goal, which was to start the game with the proper mentality. We know sometimes it’s not easy to bring the energy after back-to-back games and with an extremely short rotation at the perimeter. Once we accomplished that, I think we controlled the game pretty much in most aspects… No matter what, we brought the proper energy, especially defensively, to set the tone,” he said.

Defense has been regularly referenced by him as the key factor on which he wants the team to focus, even in previous wins. Perhaps some would think Hamburg does not need that defensive intensity because of how good its offense is. But against Turk Telekom, the team seemed to have internalized the message.

The 74 points allowed was the second-best defensive mark this season for Hamburg. It limited its opponent to 13-for-29 two-point shooting while forcing 17 turnovers that turned into 31 points off turnovers. A milestone that Homesley was ready to emphasize.

“I think we had defense and mentality the whole game. We had some slips here and there, but overall it was a good game”, he stressed.

Hamburg’s perfect mix of defensive effort and offensive firepower should be considered by opponents as something to fear in the future, as it seems the adjustment period is already over for the team and its players.

“I think we can keep this rolling. I think we are doing a very good job on the defensive end and I think we can keep this going”, assured Homesley.

Robin Christen celebrates - Hamburg Towers (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21

Hamburg Towers v Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-01-11T18:30:00.000Z)

This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after such a close deal down the stretch.

Post-Game Quotes: Hamburg 94-74 Turk Telekom


### Pedro Calles, Hamburg Towers
“We accomplished our first goal, which was to start the game with the proper mentality. We know sometimes it’s not easy to bring the energy after back-to-back games and with an extremely short rotation at the perimeter. Once we accomplished that, I think we controlled the game pretty much in most aspects… No matter what, we brought the proper energy, especially defensively, to set the tone. I wish we could have played even better defense because I was missing sometimes a little extra effort. But I think that, overall, it was a good balance in the mix of our offense and defense.”



### Hendrik Rodl, Turk Telekom Ankara
“Congratulations to Hamburg for the win, they deserved it. They played a very good game, they shot the ball very well, they were really more awake from the beginning. They had a lot more energy even though they just played on Sunday. We had viruses and sickness, and a lot of health issues on the team so we couldn’t bring the energy we usually have. But I don’t know if even with good energy we would have had a better result because Hamburg played so well, so I have to give them credit and congratulations to them. We have to recover now and hopefully get healthy and move on."



### Caleb Homesley, Hamburg Towers
“I think our mentality was great coming into the game. I think we had defense and mentality the whole game. We had some slips here and there, but overall it was a good game. [Scoring] just comes with the win; I’m just happy to get the win. That’s all I care about. I don’t care about the personal goals, achievements, I just try to get the win for my teammates. I think we can keep this rolling. I think we are doing a very good job on the defensive end and I think we can keep this going.”


Octavius Ellis - Turk Telekom Ankara (Photo Marvin Contessi) - EC21