Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 33 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Bold predictions for Round 33
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5 Mins read
Zalgiris triumphs in Monaco
by Frankie Sachs
There is a reason we call this "bold predictions", so let’s be bold! If we are being honest, Monaco has not looked great recently. It was blasted by EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 30, squeaked by Valencia Basket in Round 31 and was trailing at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne through three quarters in Round 32 before dominating that final 10 minutes. Monaco also lost in the French League on Saturday. This is clearly not a matter of talent, but more a mindset; Monaco has all but clinched a playoff spot and has taken its foot off the gas. Its problem this week is that Zalgiris Kaunas is racing full steam ahead to reach the Play-In Showdown. The Lithuanian champs have won their last three games by double figures and will not be intimidated in Monaco. Look for more great quotes from Coach Adrea Trinchieri on Thursday when Zalgiris extends its winning streak.
Barca sends Maccabi to play-in
by Javier Gancedo
The battle to make it to the playoffs has reached Round 33, but as many as five teams will qualify by Friday night if FC Barcelona beats Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and both Olympiacos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul get respective victories. Barca has been strong at home all season and should stop Maccabi's six-game winning streak at Palau Blaugrana. Wade Baldwin should not have it easy against two elite defensive guards like Tomas Satoransky and Ricky Rubio. Josh Nebo is in a great moment but playing against a more experienced Jan Vesely should not an easy. Jabari Parker gives Barca an edge at power forward and Nikola Kalinic is a perfect choice to stop Bonzie Colson at the small forward spot. My take is that Barca gets its 22nd win and, combined with other results, Maccabi locks seventh place at the end of this round.
ALBA plays perfect spoiler, stuns Partizan
by Igor Petrinovic
Last week was a game ALBA players would love to erase from their collective memories, allowing the first 50-point performance in EuroLeague history to Nigel Hayes-Davis, all while getting thumped by 35 points against Fenerbahce. Stuck in the last place in the standings, ALBA wants to leave a good impression in the last EuroLeague game in front of its home fans, and welcomes Partizan, which badly needs a win to keep in the Play-In Showdown hunt. Partizan must win, but it will have to fight both an inspired and motivated ALBA, as well as its own inconsistencies. I say ALBA creates a shocker in Berlin.
Efes takes the Istanbul Derby
by Frank Lawlor
One of the biggest showdowns of the season tips off the Friday segment of Round 33 when superhot Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul welcomes Anadolu Efes Istanbul for their city derby on a floor where the hosts have been all but unbeatable this season. Both teams have plenty to gain or lose in the outcome, but Efes is desperate to reach the Play-In Showdown and that ambition should have the visitors at maximum concentration on Friday. The leadership of Shane Larkin and the return to form of Will Clyburn are the basis upon which Efes can build its challenge to a Fenerbahce team that saw Nigel Hayes-Davis break the EuroLeague single-game scoring record last week with 50 points. Efes has to rebound and defend better, but this is a team on a mission right now, and with Larkin as inspiration, I believe they will come out on top.
Milan to give itself a shot at the play-in
by Geoff Gillingham
Time is of the essence for the EuroLeague teams chasing a spot in the Play-In Showdown, and that is certainly the case for the 14-18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in 12th place. Ettore Messina’s side is on the outside looking in at the moment, with an 87-73 defeat at Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 32 having the potential to be fatal, but I think Milan will beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the Italian derby at 20:30 CEST on Friday night and enter the final round of the season with a chance to finish in 10th, the final position for the play-in. Given that Anadolu Efes Istanbul faces Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on the road at 19:45 CEST on Friday, Milan will know the outcome of that contest before its game has come to an end, which could impact how Messina’s squad approaches the second half of its game with Virtus. There’s plenty at stake, just how we like it.