As the temperatures outside drop with the official start of winter this week, the heat is rising in the BKT EuroCup with the first playoff tickets up for grabs in Round 12.
Round 12: Gran Canaria, Paris could be first into playoffs
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Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup will give high-fliers the chance to clinch their playoff qualification, while other contenders will look to strengthen their positions with several meetings between direct rivals. Here’s your guide to Tuesday and Wednesday’s action.
Tuesday, December 19
7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. ratiopharm Ulm
High-flying Ulm (8-3) faces a testing trip to Lietbakelis (4-7), one of four teams currently tied for fifth place in Group B. Lietkabelis has lost three games in a row, while Ulm has been on a much better path with four wins out of five behind a smooth offense that has scored at least 84 points in all of those games. Ulm cruised the Round 3 meeting between the teams 99-74 as Trevion Williams recorded one of his eight double-doubles of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Stopping him will be a major challenge for Lietkabelis big man Nikola Popovic, who has scored in double digits in three of the last four games.
Turk Telekom Ankara vs. Aris Midea Thessaloniki
Two teams on the edge of the playoff zone meet when Turk Telekom (3-8) welcomes Aris (4-7) for a key showdown. The host is aiming for three straight wins after belatedly igniting its season with high-scoring victories over Cluj and Buducnost, while Aris leaned on its trademark defense to grind out an important Round 11 victory, 69-60, over Lietkabelis. Ronnie Harrell has become a key man for Aris, combining 18 points with 5 steals last week, while Tyrone Wallace has continued his strong season for Turk Telekom by scoring 15 and 22 points in the last two wins.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. JL Bourg en Bresse
Two teams with high aspirations meet for a playoff-style clash as Cluj (8-3) welcomes Bourg (9-2). The French team is arguably the hottest team in the competition with five straight wins and has already beaten Cluj this season with an exciting 92-88 victory in Round 3. Bryce Brown was the key man in that meeting, scoring 25 points, and his long-range shooting is a constant threat with multiple triples in five consecutive games. The form man in the backcourt for Cluj – which has a 5-1 home record this season – is Patrick Richard, who has averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 assists in the last three games.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul
A losing streak will be ended as winless Cedevita (0-11) hosts a Besiktas team (6-5) that has dropped three straight to see its playoff hopes come under threat. Cedevita has been getting close to its elusive first win, most recently falling 83-81 at Joventut despite 20 points from in-form guard DJ Stewart, who has scored in double digits in five straight games. Besiktas needs to recover its defensive toughness after allowing an average of 85 points in its three-game losing run, but got a promising debut from new signing Kyle Allman with 10 points and 3 assists in last week’s loss at Prometey.
Dreamland Gran Canaria vs Dolomiti Energia Trento
After finally seeing its perfect start ended by last week’s defeat against Ulm, Gran Canaria (10-1) will look to get back on track with a visit from Trento (4-7). This win could see the reigning champs book their ticket to the playoffs, too. A Granca win coupled with a loss for either Lietkabelis or Aris earlier on Tuesday or for Buducnost on Wednesday would clinch a top-six finish. The Italian team has slipped down the standings after losing four of its last five games, most recently falling at Bourg with only Kamar Baldwin (11 points) netting in double digits. Gran Canaria leads the league in two-point shooting efficiency (60.7%), and will look for Ethan Happ to dominate the physical battle with Andrejs Grazulis, who has the incentive to bounce back from his worst performance of the season (5 points, 3 rebounds) last week.
Wednesday, December 20
Wolves Vilnius vs. Joventut Badalona
Joventut (6-5) will aim for a fourth straight victory as it travels to a Wolves team (4-6) that has suffered three consecutive defeats. Joventut won an overtime thriller 107-98 when the teams met in Round 3 powered by 22 points from Vladimir Brodziansky, who provided a big boost to the Spanish team by returning from injury for last week’s victory over Cedevita. He faces a good battle with Wolves big man Christian Mekowulu, who grabbed his first double-double of the season in last week’s loss to Hapoel (14 points, 11 rebounds).
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Umana Reyer Venice
In this rematch from last season's quarterfinals, Hapoel (8-2) has the motivation of keeping hold of second place as it receives a visit from Reyer (4-7), which lies two games outside the playoff zone after losing three of its last four. Hapoel has enjoyed a four-game winning surge behind the second-best offense in the league (95 points per game), powered by the red-hot Jaylen Hoard (17.6 points per game). Trying to stop him will be Reyer forward Aamir Simms, who has averaged 12 points over his last six games, and Alexander O’Connell after he netted 13 points with just one miss last week against Paris.
Slask Wroclaw vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
Slask (1-10) is aiming for its first home win with a visit from Buducnost (4-7), which needs a second road victory to boost its playoff ambitions. This looks like a low-scoring encounter between the second- and fourth-least potent offenses in the competition, averaging 76.2 and 77.9 points respectively. Buducnost didn’t have those problems when the teams met in Round 3, reaching triple figures in a 103-89 victory, and big man Jacorey Williams will look to reproduce his dominance after posting 18 points and 11 rebounds in that game. Slask’s muscle in the paint comes from Dusan Miletic, who had 16 points and 8 boards in last week’s narrow loss to Cluj.
Paris Basketball vs. Veolia Towers Hamburg
On the back of a thrilling and heroic road win at London last week, Hamburg (2-9) will aim to cause another shock with a trip to Group A leader Paris (10-1), which by tipoff will know if it can secure a playoff berth with a win. If Wolves lose earlier in the day, Paris is through to the next stage with a victory. Paris enjoyed a 69-105 rout when the teams faced off in October, based on inside dominance with a whopping 33 two-point shots converted on 50 attempts. Tyson Ward is one of the many frontcourt weapons for the French team; he was 7-of-7 from two-point range in last week’s win over Reyer and Hamburg will need a heroic effort from the likes of Aleksander Dziewa to have any chance of a road upset.
London Lions vs. Prometey Slobozhanske
After suffering the shock of last week’s home loss to Hamburg, ambitious London will seek a quick response with a visit from playoff-chasing Prometey (6-5), which has won four of its last five. Last week’s MVP Ondrey Balvin will again look to control the paint for the visiting team and his battle inside with Gabe Olaseni (17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game) won't be for the faint-hearted. Matthew Morgan is another weapon for the visiting to be aware of after he blasted 21 points in an 87-99 road win at Prometey in Round 3.