Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Rounds 20 and 21 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Bold predictions for Rounds 20 and 21
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Mike James rights the Monaco ship
by Frankie Sachs
Coming off back-to-back losses and with Elie Okobo suspended, some may be writing eulogies for AS Monaco. It's a little early for that. Monaco will bounce back with a comfortable win on Tuesday against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, which enters the game tied with Monaco at 10-9. Expect Mike James to put on a show against his first two EuroLeague clubs this week. James debuted in the competition with Baskonia in 2014 and moved to Panathinaikos, Monaco's Round 21 opponent, two years later. James, the league's leading scorer, comes off a season-low 10-point outing versus Olympiacos Piraeus but will put that in the rear-view mirror early on Tuesday.
Paris Lee leads ASVEL to two wins
by Javier Gancedo
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne enters this double-round week with a new coach, Pierric Poupet. As a former point guard, expect Poupet to run the offense through ASVEL playmaker Paris Lee, who has been unstoppable lately. In the last four games, Lee averaged 18.3 points, 8.0 assists and a PIR of 21.5 while going a perfect 22-for-22 from the foul line. If Lee runs the show and keeps playing at this level – and also taking into account that Youssoupha Fall and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot combined for a PIR of 65 in ASVEL's Round 19 win against Zalgiris Kaunas – ASVEL should get plenty of advantage on offense both against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and ALBA Berlin. Lee is surrounded by plenty of EuroLeague veterans, like Charles Kahudi, David Lighty, Joffrey Lauvergne, recently signed DeShaun Thomas and, if available, Nando De Colo. It all points to a good week for ASVEL in which Lee should play a stellar role.
Olympiacos will keep rolling in Spain
by Frank Lawlor
Four wins in a row have put Olympiacos Piraeus in a position to fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs as it embarks on a tough double-round road trip to play FC Barcelona and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain this week. The Reds may have eked out a couple of those wins, but that's exactly why they are more dangerous now than earlier in the season. They are rarely out of any game, but they have coalesced recently in a way that gives head coach Georgios Bartzokas more options down the stretch. Moustapha Fall has been a game-changer of late, making 24 of his last 25 two-pointers while averaging 4.4 assists and 2.2 blocks over the same six games. Thomas Walkup is shutting down opposing scorers; Alec Peters is everything Olympiacos fans could have hoped for; Isaiah Canaan is a consistent threat; and Shaquielle McKissic is looking like his spontaneous self again. This team is hitting its stride at the right time and I think they will show it on the road in Spain this week.
Virtus to strengthen its Final Four hopes this week
by Geoff Gillingham
Being dominant at home is a sign of a good team. Being dominant on the road is a sign of a great team. Well, for Virtus Segafredo Bologna, it has the joint second-best home record in the competition at 9-1, but it is 5-4 on its travels. Luca Banchi's squad has, however, has won three of its last four road games, including each of its last two. This double-round week therefore poses an interesting test, as Virtus faces Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Belgrade on Wednesday before closing the week at Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Friday. Maccabi is still reeling from a humiliating beatdown against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which saw it lose by lose by 35 points. Efes, meanwhile, has lost six straight. I have faith in Virtus ending the double-round week with a 2-0 record, improving to 7-4 on the road and 16-5 overall in the process, which should make its dream of reaching the EuroLeague Final Four start to feel like a realistic possibility.
Milan will move into Top 10 in the standings
by Igor Petrinovic
It is not that great of a stretch to say that the two home games EA7 Emporio Armani Milan is playing this week are crucial in its attempt to end up in the playoffs, or Play-In Showdown, at the end of the regular season. Sitting with an 8-11 record, Milan is two wins away from 10th place, and I predict Milan will make up that ground this week. Ettore Messina's men first face ALBA Berlin (3-16) on Tuesday, then welcome Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (8-11) on Thursday in what will be a game with all eyes on Shabazz Napier, who started the season with Zvezda only to return to Milan in late December. I think Milan pulls out wins in both of these games. What's more, I believe that at least two of four the 10-9 teams – Valencia, Monaco, Baskonia and Partizan – will lose twice this week, and due to its superior point-difference to all of those teams, Milan will jump from 12th to at least 10th place in the standings after Round 21, thus getting right back in the playoff race.