Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs EA7 Armani Exchange Milan
Baskonia (5-5) is aiming for a fifth home win of the season with a visit from desperate Milan (3-7), which has sunk to joint last place by losing six games in a row. Last week’s loss to Fenerbahce did contain signs of encouragement for Ettore Messina’s men, who have to somehow slow down a Baskonia team which has scored at least 92 points in all five home games so far. Although the Basque club suffered defeat last week at Barcelona, there was good news with the return to action of dynamic big man Steven Enoch after injury.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs Valencia Basket
A pair of teams in the middle of the standings will aim to boost their playoffs hopes as Partizan (4-6) hosts Valencia (4-6). Partizan is the most accurate three-point shooting team in the competition, connecting on 41.1% of long-range strikes with Danilo Andjusic in particularly great form with 6 of his 9 three-point attempts converted in the last two games. Valencia has slipped to three straight losses after suffering a downturn in offensive production, averaging 69.3 points in those three games.
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Will the Dusko Ivanovic effect continue? Zvezda (4-6) has won all three games under its newly appointed coach, and on Friday’s opening tip-off welcomes a Virtus (4-6) team that has lost two in a row. As always with Ivanovic, strong defense has been the foundation for Zvezda’s revival, and Virtus will try to unlock that through playmakers Milos Teodosic and Daniel Hackett, who have combined for an average of 7.3 assists per game so far this season.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs Real Madrid
A heavyweight battle awaits on the Asian side of Istanbul as league leader Fenerbahce (9-1) welcomes Real (7-3), one of four teams currently tied for second place. The game provides another chapter in one of modern EuroLeague’s greatest backcourt duels as Nick Calathes renews his rivalry with Sergio Llull. Calathes has delivered at least six assists in each of Fenerbahce’s last four games, all resulting in victory, while Llull made a welcome return to shooting form in last week’s victory over Partizan, scoring 20 points on 4-of-7 three-pointers.