Since Dusko Ivanovic's return on the bench, Baskonia has been unstoppable in the EuroLeague.

Belief is the key to Baskonia's four-game EuroLeague winning streak

The perfect word to sum up [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/bitci-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2023-24)'s recent four-game EuroLeague winning streak is “belief”, just like Chima Moneke said in the aftermath of the team's away win vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne last last week.

Moments after posting a double-double, Moneke was pretty clear about the source of the team's soaring momentum. "I'll never forget it. The first speech \[Dusko Ivanovic\] gave to us was about belief and having confidence. And that's what we did," he said, praising his new head coach.

Standing far away from the playoff positions following a 14-point road loss at the hands of Mathias Lessort and Panathinaikos Athens in Round 5, the Basque team found its turnaround as Ivanovic, who had just been fired by Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, arrived for his fourth tenure in Vitoria-Gasteiz. From then on, it's been joyful to watch this team play.

[MORE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1584228/baskonia-dusko-ivanovic-euroleague-four-consecutive-wins/)...

First-year Fenerbahçe Basketball forward Nate Sestina discusses what it is like to have a very successful fiancée, Madison Lilley, who has played sport in other countries and now lives almost 9,000 kilometers away.

Nate Sestina, Fenerbahçe Basketball: ‘It makes us appreciate what we have’

Adapting to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is always a tricky proposition for any player, but add in a long-term relationship and it makes things even more complicated. Well, for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward [Nate Sestina](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nathan-sestina/011980/), he has found a way to juggle both as he looks to earn more playing time under head coach Dimitris Itoudis while keeping his fiancée happy almost 9,000 kilometers away.

The 26-year-old is in his fourth year as a professional, having suited up for Israeli side Hapoel Holon in the 2020-21 season before moving to Turkiye to play for Merkezefendi (2021-22), Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-23) [and now Fenerbahce](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-lands-forward-nate-sestina/) (2023-). Before that, though, Sestina made his name at Bucknell University and then transferred ahead of the 2019-20 campaign to University of Kentucky, where he met his current fiancée, Madison Lilley.

While Sestina got to play under legendary head coach John Calipari at Kentucky, Lilley herself was earning a big name on campus due to her fantastic play with the women’s volleyball team. In fact, she was named the 2020 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and also the 2020 SEC Player of the Year, as well as being named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year in 2021. It’s quite the roll of honors, but Sestina wasn’t overawed, as he revealed in an interview with [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net).

Nate Sestina, Fenerbahce: ‘It makes us appreciate what we have’

### The first few years of their relationship

“When I first got to Kentucky, she was away doing Team USA volleyball stuff, so I didn’t even know who she was,” Sestina tells [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net). “We met during the first couple of weeks of school. She came into the training room one day and I was like, ‘Man, pretty girl,’ so I wanted to talk to her.

“I had been working with her athletic trainer in the summer because our athletic trainer was coming in from the NBA, so we ended up meeting through the athletic trainer. I went to probably 95% of the \[volleyball team’s\] home games and tried to see as much as I could and learn as much as I could.”

Fast-forward a couple of years and Lilley was able to join Sestina on the old continent, as she played professional volleyball for SC Potsdam in Germany during the 2021-22 season before spending the 2022-23 campaign with Beziers Volley in France. Although Sestina was playing in Turkiye during those two seasons, the possibility of meeting up from time to time suddenly became viable.

“For her, \[playing professional volleyball\] was something that she really wanted to do,” Sestina explains. “Getting to travel overseas and travel abroad, play in different countries, experience different cultures.

“She played for Potsdam and she was like 30 minutes outside of Berlin, so she spent a lot of time on her off days traveling around Germany, going to see different places. A lot of time in Berlin – it’s one of her favorite cities in Europe. They ended up I think losing in the finals, so as a rookie, going and playing in the finals is really impressive. She had a great first season overseas, doing her job – she’s a great setter – so I think she helped her team in a really big way.

“Then last year she was in Beziers in France and played in France’s top division. They won the midseason cup and then ended up losing I think in the semifinals of the French League, so going and doing really well in back-to-back years and winning a professional championship was awesome.”

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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkxeIsaLNnh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">Una publicación compartida de Nate Sestina (@natesestina4)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

### Overcoming obstacles

Now, the picture is slightly different for Sestina and Lilley, as she has returned to Kentucky University as an assistant coach, despite being just 24 years of age. The 26-year-old Sestina, meanwhile, is just under 9,000 kilometers – or 5,549 miles – away in Istanbul. Nevertheless, he is incredibly happy that she had the chance to return to Kentucky.

“It’s awesome. It’s a full circle moment for her,” he states. “She’s been in contact with the Kentucky coaching staff since she was 12 years old, 13 years old. She’s 24 now and it’s crazy for her to go there after accomplishing what she did: winning a national championship, becoming an All-American... It’s great for us to be back in Lexington – that’s where we live now – so it’s awesome for both of us.”

Until now, Sestina and Lilley have been just a few hours’ flight away from one another, but even then they still had to wait for breaks in their schedules. The rest of the time, they had to turn to technology as a way of staying in touch. 

“It’s part of the experience of being a professional athlete over here.”

“I mean, thank God for technology,” Sestina comments. “Being able to FaceTime and talk all day, we could text. I was fortunate enough to have coaches that allowed us to travel when we had breaks, so she would either come to Turkiye or I would go to wherever she was, which meant I was able to able to see different countries as well and experience those cultures.

“It’s part of the experience of being a professional athlete over here; it’s not just living where you live. But, being able to see each other helped us out a lot. It’s tough, but I think it makes us appreciate what we have and makes us appreciate the time that we do get, especially in the summer. Spending three months together in the summer is fantastic.”

### A new reality

At the end of the day, quite literally in some cases, Sestina made clear that the key to a healthy long-term relationship between two athletes – or people in the world of sports – is sacrifice. Both Sestina and Lilley found time in their days for one another, and that is what has made them such a good couple.

“It was a little bit tough at first, trying to find time to carve out time to talk and, you know, have a meaningful conversation versus just texting all day,” Sestina admits. “So, we did a good job of talking for an hour or two and really break down how our day was at the end of the night before we’d go to bed.

"I think the traveling made things a little bit difficult, especially last year with the EuroCup – we were traveling all over the place, in the airport or on the plane a lot – so I think \[we did a good job of\] just carving out time throughout the day, whether it was in the morning or at night, to have meaningful conversation.”

<center>
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margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvw3x2hOi5_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">Una publicación compartida de Nate Sestina (@natesestina4)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

Sestina is aware that this year is going to be different, however, as the time difference has a bigger impact on their relationship. Still, the first-year Fenerbahce man makes sure to go out of his way to demonstrate his commitment to Lilley.

“The time difference right now is pretty tough.”

“I think seeing each other is going to be the hardest part compared to the last two years, but she gets time off when the season ends in December,” he notes. “She’ll be able to come here for a month or two, so we can make up for all the lost time.

“But the time difference right now is pretty tough, because she usually gets up at like 2 p.m, 3 p.m. here and we’re usually getting out of practice or whatever we have. And then we have a little bit of time in the morning before she goes in and then they have practice right when I’m going to bed, so we can talk a little bit right before I go to bed. Usually when I’m eating dinner, I’ll throw on FaceTime and try not to have my mouth full when I’m talking!

“It’s going to be nice when she flies here because she wants to see some of the games as well. So we play, I think, ALBA Berlin in Berlin and she’ll be able to go that game.”

Sestina and Lilley have shown time and time again that they can overcome these challenges and, with the EuroLeague rookie having asked Madison to become his wife in August of this year, more good days are ahead in their future.

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague rookie lives almost 9,000 kilometers away from his fiancée.

[Naz Mitrou-Long](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/naz-mitrou-long/011965/) (1.93 meters, 30 years old) arrives from Zalgiris Kaunas, where he averaged 4.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in nine Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games this season. He had joined Zalgiris last summer from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, where he averaged 7.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 21 EuroLeague games in a reserve role in the 2022-23 season. He helped Milan win the Italian League championship. It was Mitrou-Long's second season in Italy; he made his European debut he season before with Germani Brescia and was named the league's top rookie after posting 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">✍️🏾 Η ΚΑΕ Ολυμπιακός ανακοινώνει την απόκτηση του <a href="
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. <a href="
https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a>
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<a href="
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href="
https://t.co/4RbwcJO7Ep">https://t.co/4RbwcJO7Ep</a></p>&mdash;
OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="
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21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="
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Born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, Canada, Mitrou-Long headed south to play college basketball at Iowa State University, where he was chosen to the All-Big 12 Conference team after his senior year. He then spent parts of the next three seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers as well as their G League affiliates in Salt Lake City and Fort Wayne.

Naz Mitrou-Long averaged 4.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games with Zalgiris Kaunas this season.

2023-24 EuroLeague highlughts: Naz Mitrou-Long, Zalgiris Kaunas

Olympiacos Piraeus strengthened its frontcourt by inking guard Naz Mitrou-Long for three years, until the end of the 2025-26 season, the club announced Tuesday.

Olympiacos signs guard Mitrou-Long

Fourth-place Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is finding success by crashing the boards on offense at a historically high rate.

Maccabi is making misses count at a near-historic rate

Just eight games into its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, [Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/roster/tel/?season=2023-24) has already joined a short list of teams that have made offensive rebounds their calling card over the years.

In 23 seasons to date, just three other teams had ever managed to collect 22 offensive boards in as many as two games in the same season. Maccabi became the fourth such team to do so when it snared 22 to win 78-73 in Round 9 against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. The next time its rebounders take back 22 or more of their team's own misses, Maccabi will be the first team to do that three times in a season.

This is almost certainly due to an emphasis on the offensive glass by head coach Oded Kattash. Or perhaps a re-emphasis. Maccabi's performance on the offensive glass had been way up and way down since round-robin play started in 2016-17, when the team ranked next-to-last at 8.7 per game. The next two seasons, Maccabi ranked third (12.0) and then first (11.9) before dropping down again to 14th (9.2) in 2021-22, the season before Kattash arrived. Last season, Maccabi was back to second at 11.9 per game.

### Taking the risk to rebound on offense

In addition to personnel, offensive rebounding is often influenced by the head coach's philosophy and tactics. Depending on the opponent and the flow of the game, the coach will often designate how many players should crash the offensive glass – given the right circumstances – and how many should stay back to defend in transition. 

Some coaches habitually send more players to the offensive glass, some less.  Emphasizing offensive rebounding or not carries a risk-reward balance. The extra possession often means a better shot opportunity against a now-disorganized defense. But failure to get an offensive rebound might put your defense at a disadvantage, too. 

But it's probably no accident that Maccabi's league-leading 14.3 offensive boards per game is nearly double those of last-ranked Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, with 7.3. Yes, Partizan misses shots less often than Maccabi, but it's also true that Maccabi is on near-record pace by grabbing 39.2% of all its misses as compared to Partizan's league-low 25.9%. That 39.2% rate of Maccabi's is higher than any team in a decade.

### Board-crashing big men

Maccabi seems to have constructed its roster with offensive rebounds in mind. [Josh Nebo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/josh-nebo/011199/) ranked third with 2.5 offensive boards per game in his rookie EuroLeague season with Zalgiris Kaunas and landed in Tel Aviv the next summer. He averaged 2.3 last season, ranking fifth, and is on 2.2 so far this season, ranking ninth. 

[Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/), who also joined Maccabi in the summer of 2022, has made a jump from 1.7 offensive rebounds on average last season to 2.6, fourth-best in the league, so far in this one. [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) saw his average jump from 0.8 the season before Kattash arrived to 1.8 last season. He's grabbing 1.2 per game this season. [Jasiel Rivero](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jasiel-rivero/011214/) averaged 1.9 in his rookie season last year with Valencia Basket, ranking 12th, and is now on 1.5.

Together, Colson, Nebo, Rivero and Sorkin collect 7.5 of the 14.3 misses that Maccabi takes back in the average game this season. Interestingly, 1.83-meter [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) is the league leader among guards in per-minute offensive boards with 2.3 prorated over 40 minutes, showing that Maccabi's prowess is a collective effort, as well.

### Second chances matter

Offensive boards are all about second-chance points. In four of its five wins this season, Maccabi had more second-chance points that its opponents, and in the fifth game it was tied. Maccabi enjoyed a cumulative 77-48 advantage in second-chance points over those five victories. Those 29 extra second-half points as compared to its opponents accounted for 80.1% of Maccabi's accumulated margin of victory, 36 points, over those five games.

It's very early in the season, but already Maccabi has laid down a marker as one of the most aggressive offensive rebounding teams in the EuroLeague for many years. Only one team in EuroLeague history, Cholet Basket with 15.1 over just a 10-game regular season back in 2010-11, has averaged more boards on offense than Maccabi is now. It will be interesting to see if Maccabi challenges the longer-season mark but keeping its average at or above 14.0, which would be a first in EuroLeague history.

The EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast is back for Round 10 of the regular season and this week, with co-host Javier Gancedo away partying, we have another member of the Euroleague.net staff in his place. Geoff Gillingham joins Frankie Sachs and brings with him a different outlook on how to build fantasy teams.

Fantasy Challenge Podcast: A new outlook

The [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) Podcast is back for Round 10 of the regular season and this week, with co-host Javier Gancedo away partying, we have another member of the [Euroleague.net](http://Euroleague.net) staff in his place. Geoff Gillingham joins Frankie Sachs and brings with him a different outlook on how to build fantasy teams.

In this week's episode, Geoff and Frankie will also discuss their must-own players for Round 10, interesting bargains available, who to own from Real Madrid and much, much more. 

Looking for some fantasy tips? Edgy insights? Or just some laughs? You've come to the right place! Check out Episode 10 of the [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) now.

- PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS has been sanctioned with fines amounting €4,000 for the use of laser pointers and the throwing of objects on to the playing court on occasion of its home game against Zalgiris Kaunas under Article 29.2.f) and h) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code respectively.

Euroleague Basketball has announced the following disciplinary sanction pertaining to incidents that occurred in Round 8 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season.

Round 8 disciplinary sanction

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will celebrate Round 10 this week and in honor of that, let's seek out some of the best candidates for your EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge team under the price tag of 10 credits. There is no shortage of promising finds in the bargain bin. Whether they are underpriced gems to grab now for the season or just candidates to boost your team right now is for you to decide, but the five players listed below all have what to offer this week. 

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge tips: Great candidates at great prices

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will celebrate Round 10 this week and in honor of that, let's seek out some of the best candidates for your [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) team under the price tag of 10 credits. There is no shortage of promising finds in the bargain bin. Whether they are underpriced gems to grab now for the season or just candidates to boost your team right now is for you to decide, but the five players listed below all have what to offer this week.

[Danilo Andjusic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/danilo-andjusic/000956/) (6.4 credits) – Coach Obradovic’s team continues to deal with injuries, which open doors for more players. Uros Trifunovic averaged 21 minutes in the three games before suffering an injury against ALBA Berlin on Friday. Andjusic stepped up with a season-high 16 points in that game and should get some extra run against Efes this week, which makes him a worthwhile pick at 6.4 credits.

[Joel Bolomboy, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) (9.4 credits) – Not only is Bolomboy putting up the best numbers of his career, but the 29-year-old has been a model of consistency. He has posted PIRs in double figures in seven straight games contributing as a high efficiency scorer (9.2 points on 68.6% two-point shooting) and a rebounder (4.6 rebounds per game). This week he faces Milan and Bolomboy should be a safe pick at center.

EuroLeague Fantasy tips Round 10

[Tomas Dimsa, Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tomas-dimsa/003211/) (6.6 credits) – Over his last four games, Dimsa has averaged 14.8 points on 12-of-22 three-point shooting (54.5%) for a PIR of 11.5. Those numbers could be higher if not for a few missed free throws. Dimsa should continue to benefit from the attention played to star guard Keenan Evans and thanks to that be able to score even against Olympiacos's stingy defense this week.

[Sylvain Francisco, FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sylvain-francisco/007975/) (9.7 credits) – Inconsistency has plagued Francisco a bit this season, his first in the EuroLeague, but at his best, he has been a game-changer. This week he will surely be excited to play in France against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and against some of his French national teammates. The upside is there for a big game.

[James Webb, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/james-webb-iii/011971/) (7.9 credits) – His last two weeks have been Webb's best two since joining Maccabi over the summer. He is coming off the bench and playing roughly 16 minutes per game and though Webb's playing time did not rise significantly last week, his production did to averages of 10 points and 5 rebounds. It takes time to adjust to a new team and new situation, which has been all the more complicated with Maccabi this season, and Webb is now starting to become a bigger factor. 

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge tips: Great candidates at great prices 

Round 10 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague not only serves up several clashes between direct rivals in the race for the playoffs, but also the unveiling of a new arena. Here's your guide to all the action.

Tie-breaking showdowns dot the Round 10 landscape

### Thursday, November 23

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-fc-bayern-munich/E2023/82/)

Two teams aiming to start moving up the standings meet as ASVEL (2-7) welcomes Bayern (3-6) in the first EuroLeague game at the brand new LDLC Arena. 

ASVEL has not won at home all season, while Bayern has lost four straight on the road. [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) is just 2 assists short of reaching 1,000 for his EuroLeague career, and the ASVEL veteran will look to control his backcourt battle with the dynamic [Leandro Bolmaro](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/leandro-bolmaro/008985/), who has posted double digits in scoring in three of the last four games. Led by [Serge Ibaka](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/serge-ibaka/003583/) (6.1 rpg.), Bayern is the top rebounding team in the competition with 38.8 per game, but that will be threatened by ASVEL giant [Youssoupha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/youssoupha-fall/006568/), who has claimed at least 2 offensive rebounds in each of the last five games.   

[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. FC Barcelona   ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-fc-barcelona/E2023/83/)

Second-place Barcelona (7-2) faces a major test with a trip to Belgrade following consecutive road losses to face a Maccabi (5-3) team that has won three of its last four games.

Maccabi is coming off a morale-boosting home win over Fenerbahce powered by a huge double-double from [Bonzie Colson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bonzie-colson/009783/) (13 points, 14 rebounds). Maccabi grabbed a league-season-high 22 offensive rebounds in that game, so Barca will need its big men [Jan Vesely](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jan-vesely/000925/) and [Willy Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/willy-hernangomez/003196/) to protect the defensive glass. The Spanish team will also hope that [Nicolas Laprovittola](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolas-laprovittola/006435/) – going up against Maccabi leader [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) – can regain his usual scoring stroke after converting just 2 of his 10 field goal attempts in last week's narrow victory over Valencia. 

Since three home court defeats from four, Barça bid to restore Palau Blaugrana's reputation as a fortress when hosting a Maccabi outfit clinging to a top-eight place, despite registering just two road wins all season.

FC Barcelona vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv - Round 22 - Highlights

[Panathinaikos Athens vs. Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/panathinaikos-athens-valencia-basket/E2023/84/)

After earning his 200th victory in the competition by downing Virtus on Friday, Ergin Ataman will look to guide Panathinaikos (5-4) to a third straight win by overcoming a Valencia (5-4) which has slipped down the standings after losing three in a row.

The key figure behind the Greens' success in the double round week was [Dinos Mitoglou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/konstantinos-mitoglou/007866/) (17.8 ppg., 6.7 rpg.), whose duel with Valencia forward [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) could prove crucial. The battle in the paint will feature a showdown between two players who know each other very well: Panathinaikos big man [Aleksander Balcerowski](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/aleksander-balcerowski/007553/) and visiting center [Damien Inglis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/damien-inglis/003960/) were teammates last season at Gran Canaria, where they became EuroCup champions together.

[Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2023/86/)

Third-place Virtus (6-3) will look to strengthen its position in the playoffs places with a visit from struggling Fenerbahce (5-4), which has dropped its last three decisions while battling a spate of injuries.

Virtus has lost two of its last three games, scoring just 74 and 76 points in those defeats. Fenerbahce hit an offensive slump in its three straight losses, scoring an average of just 71 points in those. Virtus is the third-best three-point shooting team in the league (38.2%), but star man [Toko Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/) has lost his radar from deep, making just 1 of his last 12 attempts. The Turkish team will always pose a long-range threat from [Scottie Wilbekin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/), who hit 5 triples in last week's tough loss at Maccabi and leads the team with an average of 12.8 points per game.

[Real Madrid vs. ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-alba-berlin/E2023/85/)

It's first versus last as unstoppable league leader Real Madrid (8-0) hosts rock-bottom ALBA (1-7), which has not beaten the defending champs this century in almost 15 years' worth of trying.

ALBA will look to compete through the shooting ability of [Louis Olinde](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/louis-olinde/006919/) (9.9 ppg.), who has made 69% of his two-point attempts so far this season. Super-deep Real can call upon the always-reliable [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/), who led the way past Monaco in Round 8 with 21 points and has now reached double-digit scoring in the last three games. Real, which will have to cope [without the services of injured forward Guerschon Yabusele](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/guerschon-yabusele-real-madrid-baloncesto-out-indefinitely-with-knee-injury/), has won all 14 EuroLeague meetings between the teams and anything other than prolonging that sequence would be the shock of the season.

ALBA's renaissance resumed in a convincing win over Milan, which leaves them on the brink of a fourth success on the spin. Bidding to bring their prosperity to a halt are Los Blancos, who sit atop at the EuroLeague summit and strive to further establish their candidacy to become champions.

ALBA Berlin vs Real Madrid - Round 19 - Highlights

### Friday, November 24

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/anadolu-efes-istanbul-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2023/87/)

Two teams with aspirations much higher than their current standing will wrestle over a valuable victory when Efes (4-5) receives a visit from Partizan (3-5), which has lost three in a row on the road.

Legendary Partizan play caller Zeljko Obradovic faces a challenge from a man who knows him better than most: Efes boss Erdem Can served as his assistant at Fenerbahce seven years. On the court, a key duel will take place between EuroLeague rookie [Derek Willis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/derek-willis/009664/) of Efes and Partizan's [Zach LeDay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/zach-leday/008987/). Willis has averaged 7.0 rebounds and a PIR of 15.7 in his last three games. LeDay has scored in double digits in seven of his last eight games.

[Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/89/)

Olympiacos (5-4) will look to make it three wins in a row as it welcomes a Zalgiris (4-5) team battling to get back into the playoffs zone.

Olympiacos grabbed a vital victory over Zvezda last time out behind 28 points from [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/), while the Lithuanian team also comes with confidence renewed after narrowly overcoming Bayern to end a four-game losing slide. Olympiacos is one of the best defensive teams in the league, allowing just 75.8 points per game, and will hope [Moustapha Fall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/moustapha-fall/008811/) continues to dominate the boards after he grabbed 14 rebounds last week. Zalgiris will counter him with in-form [Laurynas Birutis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/laurynas-birutis/005504/), who had 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win against Bayern.

Zalgiris Kaunas - Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 29 | Highlights

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-as-monaco/E2023/90/)

In another meeting between two of the six teams currently tied with 5-4 records, red-hot Baskonia will look to extend its four-game winning streak against a Monaco team that lost twice in the double-round week.

Former Monaco forward [Chima Moneke](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chima-moneke/012201/) is aiming to continue his spectacular form after scoring at least 16 points in each of the last five games, but the visiting team has a strong interior defense, allowing opponents to convert just 51.7% of their two-point shots, the third-best record in the league. Monaco will hope to give another dimension to its offense by seeing big-name summer signing [Kemba Walker](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kemba-walker/012709/) find his form after totaling just 4 points in the last three games.

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2023/88/)

Two more direct rivals intent upon climbing up the standings go head to head as Zvezda (3-6) hosts Milan (3-6).

Milan has won the last five meetings between the teams and will look to maintain that streak with confidence renewed after a good win over Efes last time out. Zvezda suffered a close defeat to Olympiacos in Round 8 despite sinking 15 three-pointers, including 5 from [Nemanja Nedovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nemanja-nedovic/000848/). This game could be a shootout, as Milan is the second-most accurate three-point shooting team in the league (39.3%), led by [Nicolo Melli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/), who is converting 50.0% of his long-range shots, including 3 of 4 in the win over Efes.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v AS Monaco (2023-11-24T19:30:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-11-24T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-11-24T19:15:00.000Z)

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-11-24T17:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v ALBA Berlin (2023-11-23T19:45:00.000Z)

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2023-11-23T19:30:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos Athens v Valencia Basket (2023-11-23T19:15:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v FC Barcelona (2023-11-23T19:05:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v FC Bayern Munich (2023-11-23T19:00:00.000Z)

Through the first nine games this season, the Baskonia guard has changed the way he creates damage, while remaining just as dangerous.

Stats review: Baskonia's Markus Howard stands out among 'versatile shot-makers'

Four teams survived the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's two-round week for November without a loss: first-place Real Madrid, Panathinaikos Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus, and surging Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Only one player, however, eclipsed the 30-point mark: Baskonia’s [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) whose 35 points were key to his team’s road victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.  

Quickly establishing himself as one of the EuroLeague's most dangerous jump shooters in his debut campaign last year, the 24-year-old scoring guard has already put together several signature offensive performances across his 42 appearances. While his résumé makes his Round 9 outburst less than surprising, its contrast to his more explosive outings last season epitomizes what "versatile shot-making" looks like.

Howard scored 21 points on catch-and-shoot jump shots against ASVEL — that’s a career-best and one of the highest single-game marks in recent history. He had numerous efforts where he did not need a single shot with his feet set to crack double-figures last season and nearly all his largest point totals came on nights when he ran especially hot off the dribble. 

The graph above displays where every player in the EuroLeague stands in terms of points scored on catch-and-shoot and pull-up jumpers, with the color coding splitting the field into thirds. It also includes where Howard’s ratio would have fallen last season. After doing the majority of his damage off the dribble a season ago, Howard has been more prolific off the catch this one. Some of that can be traced to some cold shooting out of ball screens to start the year and his net-blazing efforts with his feet set against ASVEL, but it also speaks to the breadth of his role offensively.

Such a large shift is a rarity among the league’s most prominent perimeter threats in their prime years. Lead guards like Mike James and Scottie Wilbekin tend to produce mostly off the dribble year-over-year as they lead their respective teams from the point while floor-spacing forwards like Alec Peters and Nikola Mirotic seldom start taking and making a high volume of pull-ups. That simply wouldn’t be the most prudent use of their skill sets.

Markus Howard shot 8-for-13 from long range in a win vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

Markus Howard scored career-high 35 points vs ASVEL

The same is not true of players like Howard whose greatest asset as a shooter may not be his ability to score in bunches, but the number of different avenues he has to do so. The term shot-making versatility gets thrown around quite a bit at the highest levels of basketball at this point with the way teams have pivoted from post to perimeter play while further embracing the three-point shot. Howard’s shift in the graph above vividly highlights what that looks like even if he still has plenty of season for his numbers to trend in either direction. His ability to hurt a defense shooting on the move running off screens under duress, remain a threat relocating off dribble drives or broken plays, and rise-and-fire dribbling off ball screens makes him a chronic problem for opposing defenses regardless of whether he’s playing on or off the ball.

Howard is not the first dynamic shooter to see his shot-making profile shift meaningfully - Shane Larkin notably moved off the ball a lot more regularly during Efes’s second championship run, but Howard's shooting was the difference for Baskonia in Round 9 and among the reasons why the team has been able to rattle off four wins after a 1-3 start.  