Round 13 of the BKT EuroCup provides a festive treat with two meetings between high-flyers - one of which is certain to send a team into the playoffs - and several more matchups between direct rivals in the race for playoff qualification.
This week: At least one Group B team advances
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This week's action features 10 games on nine countries spread out over Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's your guide to the final games of 2023.
Tuesday, December 26
JL Bourg en Bresse vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria
In a big battle for first place in Group B, red-hot Bourg (10-2) will look to make it seven wins in a row as it welcomes stuttering reigning champ Gran Canaria (10-2), which has lost two in a row. The winner of this game will become the first team from Group B to qualify for the playoffs, while the losing side could potentially back in on Wednesday, depending on other results. A superb performance from Isiaha Mike (28 points, 8 rebounds) was the inspiration for Bourg's latest high-scoring triumph at Cluj, while Gran Canaria needs to rediscover its offensive production after being held to a season-low 76 points in last week's loss to Trento. Only Nico Brussino, with 17 points, was able to reach double digits in that game and he will be a key figure again as the Spanish team looks for a victory that would also secure head-to-head advantage in the race for the top spot in the group.
ratiopharm Ulm vs. Turk Telekom Ankara
After an upset loss last week against Lietkabelis, German champ Ulm (8-4) will look for a quick recovery against a Turk Telekom team (3-9) that is running out of time to push for the playoffs. Teenage guard Juan Nunez contributed to last week's loss by getting himself ejected with consecutive technical fouls and Ulm will need him on the court to lead an offense that has averaged 22.3 assists per game, third-best in the competition. Turk Telekom has Tyrone Wallace in superb form with 22 and 30 points in his last two games and will hope he can stay hot to inspire a vital road win.
Joventut Badalona vs. Umana Reyer Venice
Joventut (7-5) is aiming for a fifth straight win as it welcomes Reyer (4-8), which has been heading in the opposite direction by losing three in a row. With Guillem Vives injured, Joventut will need Andres Feliz to repeat his superb performance (18 points and 10 assists) that masterminded last week's win against Wolves. Reyer has already beaten the Spanish team once this season, 79-64 in Round 4, behind 24 points from Marco Spissu, and will need a similarly strong defensive effort to reignite its playoff ambitions this week. But that will require a big change in recent form after allowing 95, 100 and 100 points in its last three losses.
Paris Basketball vs. London Lions
After becoming the first team to secure playoff qualification, Paris (11-1) will look to maintain its magnificent form with a visit from another ambitious and talented team, London (9-3). It should be a high-scoring showdown with Paris leading the competition in scoring (99.5 points per game), while London is ranked third (92 ppg.). Sam Dekker was last week's hero for the English team with a late three-pointer to beat Prometey, while T.J. Shorts continued his magnificent season by taking the weekly MVP award in a crushing win over Hamburg. With both rosters loaded with scoring potential, this could be one of the best games of the season, and highly significant for playoff seedings.
Wednesday, December 27
Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul vs. Wolves Vilnius
Besiktas (7-5) will look to take a big step toward playoff qualification against a Wolves (4-7) team that desperately needs to arrest a four-game losing streak. The Turkish team got back to winning ways last week with a vital victory, 83-88, at Cedevita, thanks to Angel Delgado making a big-time return to form with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Wolves took an exciting win, 90-88, when the teams met earlier in the season and will look for Tre'Shawn Thurman to repeat his heroics from that night after netting 31 points, including the winning basket, on 12-of-15 field goal shooting.
Prometey Slobozhanske vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Prometey (6-6) is aiming to bounce back from last week's heartbreaking loss in London and protect its precarious position in the playoff zone with a visit from Cedevita (0-12), the competition's only winless team. Prometey is the league's second-best offensive-rebounding team, averaging 12.9 per night - with 3.3 of those coming from the irrepressible Ondrej Balvin. But Cedevita protects its backboard very well, claiming 27.6 defensive rebounds per game, and Karlo Matkovic (12.8 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) will do his best to control Balvin's influence in the paint.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv vs. Veolia Hamburg Towers
After winning five games in a row, Hapoel (9-2) will hope its potent offense can keep on firing against shaky Hamburg (2-10), which conceded 120 points against Paris last week. That game featured the best performance of the season from the appropriately named William Christmas, with 16 points and 5 assists, but Hamburg knows defense must be the priority after allowing 111 points when the teams met earlier in the season. Xavier Munford scored 22 points for Hapoel in that game and remains in great form with 25 points on 10-of-13 field goal shooting in last week's win over Reyer.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca
A key battle in the playoff race will see Buducnost (5-7) host Cluj (8-4), which has lost two out of the last three but can still take a major step toward qualification with a road win. Buducnost is locked in a four-way tie for fifth place after winning two of its last three, with 17 points and 5 assists from recent signing Yogi Ferrell proving crucial in last week's narrow win at Slask. He faces a key battle with Cluj's key backcourt man DJ Seeley, while Buducnost will also be wary of big man Andrija Stipanovic after he netted 18 points in Cluj's comfortable Round 4 victory between the teams.
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Slask Wroclaw
After winning its last two games to boost its playoff hopes, Aris (5-7) will look to continue its resurgence with a visit from Slask (1-11), which is in danger of imminent elimination from the race to prolong its season. Aris has the competition's worst-performing offense, averaging only 71.8 points per game, but also the best defense with an average of just 74.8 points allowed. So Slask big man Dusan Miletic will struggle to maintain his average of 13.9 points per game, while Aris hopes guard Vassilis Toliopoulos can continue his outstanding form after scoring at least 15 points in each of the last five games.
Dolomiti Energia Trento vs Lietkabelis Panevezys
After last week's stunning triumph over reigning champ Gran Canaria, Trento (5-7) will look to keep heading in the right direction as it welcomes direct rival Lietkabelis (5-7). Andrejs Grazulis was the inspiration for Trento's success in Round 12 with 23 points on 10-of-11 field goal shooting and Lietkabelis will have bad memories of Quinn Ellis after his late game-winner when the teams met in Round 4. The Lithuanian team will be confident after gaining a good win over Ulm last time out, powered by 24 points from fit-again guard Paulius Valinskas, and this should be another exciting encounter between two optimistic teams with everything to play for.