Another two-round week tips off with Tuesday's six-pack of games
At a glance: The madness continues
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7 Mins read
The start to the latest two-round week is headlined by a pair of recent championship game rematches as the action heats up with Round 6 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Here’s your guide to Tuesday and Wednesday’s games.
Tuesday, October 29
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. FC Barcelona (18:30 CEST)
Two in-form teams collide as Efes (3-2) hosts Barcelona (4-1). The Spanish side has climbed to the top of the standings with four straight wins, while Efes has taken two in a row behind a free-flowing offense netting 91 and 96 points. Both teams have been hit by injuries to star guards with Shane Larkin and Nico Laprovittola sidelined. That means more responsibility for Darius Thompson, who guided Efes with 17 points and 7 assists against Milan last week, while Barca's young talent Juan Nunez will look to build on his 8 points and 3 assists in Friday's win over ASVEL. In the paint, Barca big man Jan Vesely returns to a city he knows well to face Vincent Poirier, a matchup sure to produce highlight reel plays.
ALBA Berlin vs. Paris Basketball (19:30 CEST)
Fresh from gaining a historic first road win by overcoming Monaco last week, Paris (2-3) will seek to repeat that feat against an ALBA (1-4) team aiming to climb off the bottom of the standings. The hosts must try to slow down explosive visiting guard TJ Shorts, who was last week's MVP and ranks second in the league in both scoring (19.8 points per game) and PIR (24.6). ALBA’s backcourt leader Martin Hermannsson has also made a fine start to the season, averaging 15 points and 4.8 assists per game. The injury-hit hosts will try to win through physical dominance, averaging a league-high 40.4 rebounds per game, against just 32 boards per night for Paris.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (19:30 CEST)
Two teams aiming to return to winning ways meet as Fenerbahce (3-2) meets Maccabi (2-3) in a game that has been relocated to Kaunas. Maccabi has problems in the backcourt following injuries to Tamir Blatt and Rokas Jokubaitis, placing a big responsibility on the shoulders of recent signing Saben Lee (15 points and 3.7 assists per game). Fener also has a new guard, with Skylar Mays making his debut in last week’s home loss to Panathinaikos, which saw big man Tarik Biberovic continue his strong form with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The Turkish team needs to find more efficiency inside the paint as it has converted fewer two-point shots (43.7%) than any other team.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Real Madrid (20:15 CEST)
It's a major showdown between perennial title contenders as inconsistent Olympiacos (2-3) welcomes improving Real Madrid (3-2), a matchup that has been a championship game three times since 2013. A key will be the backcourt battle between the Reds’ defensive ace Thomas Walkup and Real’s playmaker Facu Campazzo, who averages 8 assists per game and leads the competition in average PIR (25.3). In the frontcourt, Olympiacos will hope that Nikola Milutinov can immediately return to his best after a recent injury to face Real big man Walter Tavares, who co-leads the league with 1.8 blocks per night and didn’t miss a shot as he scored 12 points in last week’s huge win over Zvezda. Olympiacos is perfect at home, Real has not won away… will those streaks stay intact?
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CEST)
Milan (1-4) will seek to restore some positivity with a tough trip to Baskonia (3-2), which is aiming to stay perfect at home. The Italian team may have to cope without the services of key man and former Baskonia star Shavon Shields, who was injured in domestic action at the weekend. The visiting defense – which has allowed the second-most points in the league (87.4 per game) will need to deal with Markus Howard, who drained no less than 7 triples in Baskonia’s easy victory over ALBA last week, which also saw big man Khalifa Diop show his rebounding ability with 4 boards at both ends. Milan will feed off the energy of Zach LeDay, who had 16 points and 7 rebounds in last week’s loss to Efes.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. FC Bayern Munich (21:00 CEST)
Two of last week's big winners are looking to ride the momentum as Virtus (1-4) welcomes Bayern (3-2). With the visiting team looking for a first road win of the season, Bayern sharpshooter and league-leading scorer Carsen Edwards (20.6 points per game) has the chance to become the first player in EuroLeague history to score 30 points in three consecutive games. Virtus finally grabbed its first win of the season with last week’s nail-biting triumph at Partizan, where Will Clyburn hit the game-winner to cap a personal contribution of 27 points. The former Final Four MVP will look to use that as a catalyst to become Virtus’s go-to guy as the Italian team aims for a first home victory.
Wednesday, October 30
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (19:00 CEST)
Co-leader Zalgiris (4-1) will attempt to maintain that status with a visit from Zvezda (3-2), which wants to maintain its position in the top half of the standings by bouncing back from two straight losses. In addition to the offensive leadership of Sylvain Francisco (13.2 points and 5.6 assists per game), Zalgiris has built its strong start on a league-best defense, allowing only 70.8 points per game and playing particularly well on the perimeter with opponents making just 25.2% of three-pointers. That will test the shooting skills of Zvezda star Isaiah Canaan, who has made just 2 of his last 13 attempts from long-range. Zvezda could give a second debut to recently re-signed big man Filip Petrusev.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:15 CEST)
Fast-improving ASVEL (2-3) will hope to snatch a first road win as it takes on reigning champ Panathinaikos (3-2). The French team gave a strong performance before ultimately coming up just short at Barcelona last week, and will hope to have playmaker Paris Lee back from injury to face his former club. Theo Maledon will relish the chance to continue his hot streak of scoring at least 17 points in four games straight, while Panathinaikos can rely on its own scoring star with Kendrick Nunn, who has netted 15 or more in every game so far. The Greens will also need Mathias Lessort (15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game) to control the influence of Neal Sako (13.6 points, 9.8 boards) in a fascinating all-French big man battle.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. AS Monaco (20:45 CEST)
After suffering losses last week, Partizan (2-3) and Monaco (3-2) will battle for a return to winning ways. The visiting team will look for another strong game from Elie Okobo, who leads the offense with 15.4 points and 5.4 assists per game. Partizan boasts the best three-point shooting record in the league, converting 42.6% of long-range shots, but suffered a bad night in last week’s loss against Virtus with the previously prolific Isaac Bonga missing all 4 of his deep shots. The Serbian team enjoyed more success inside through Tyrique Jones, who had 20 points and 6 rebounds. He will look to win the battle of the backboards against Monaco’s Mam Jaiteh, who averages 7.2 boards per night and had a double-double in last week’s loss to Paris.