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Round 22 launches crucial double-round week

Round 22 launches crucial double-round week

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5 Mins read

Round 22 launches crucial double-round week

The latest double-round week takes flight on Tuesday, with the race for the playoffs intensifying as Round 22 of the regular season opens with a showdown between a pair of first- and third-place teams. Here's your overview of the upcoming action.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus

Tuesday's action begins with a bang as third-placed Fenerbahce (13-8) welcomes co-leader Olympiacos (14-7). The Round 13 meeting between the teams was an absolute blow-out as Olympiacos triumphed 94-67 behind 21 points from Sasha Vezenkov. The Greek team blitzed for 31 points in the opening quarter in that first game, so Fenerbahce will have to be ready to compete from the opening tipoff, especially after also making a slow start in last week's loss at ASVEL.

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

On the back of a thrilling overtime win over reigning champ Efes, which saw Darius Thompson set a new EuroLeague season high with 16 assists, playoffs-chasing Baskonia (12-9) will look to keep its offense rolling with a trip to free-falling Milan (6-15). The Italian team has dropped to the bottom of the standings by losing five games in a row, and after allowing 101 points against Monaco last week, Ettore Messina's men will need a major defensive improvement to restrict Baskonia's explosive offense.

Valencia Basket vs. FC Bayern Munich

Two teams in stellar form, both having won four of their last five games, face off on Spain's east coast as Valencia (11-10) and Bayern (9-12) attempt to continue their progress towards the playoff places. Valencia will probably give a debut to shooter Shannon Evans, but captain Bojan Dubljevic is likely to miss out through injury. Bayern will look for another strong performance from Augustine Rubit, the MVP for January, who has scored at least 13 points in each of the last seven games.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

After an excellent win over Fenerbahce last week, ASVEL (8-13) will aim to build more momentum with a trip to Partizan (10-11), which is also in a positive mood following a thrilling victory in the Belgrade derby. ASVEL's recently signed point guard Dee Bost will look to maintain his strong start with his new club, while the host has its own backcourt ace in Dante Exum, whose outstanding form includes double-digit scoring in the last nine games.

FC Barcelona vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Barcelona (13-8) needs to restore Palau Blaugrana's reputation as a fortress after losing three of its last four home games, and is also determined to bounce back from last week's overtime loss in El Clásico. Visiting Maccabi (11-10) is clinging to a place in the top eight despite registering just two road wins all season, but a victory by 8 points or more on Tuesday would be extra valuable to also secure the head-to-head advantage between the teams.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade

Two direct rivals just outside the playoffs places meet in Tuesday's last tip-off as Virtus (9-12) welcomes Zvezda (10-11). Virtus needs to take more care of the basketball after averaging a league-high 14.4 turnovers per game. Maximizing its possessions will be vital against a Zvezda team that excels on defense with an average of 77.6 points per game allowed. Zvezda won the first meeting between the teams in December so could claim vital head-to-head superiority this week.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Zalgiris Kaunas

The opening action on Wednesday night will see reigning champ Efes (10-11) seek to snap a two-game losing run with a visit from seventh-placed Zalgiris (12-9), which also needs a response after collapsing in the second half to lose at Panathinaikos last week. Efes, which delivered one of its best performances when the teams met in December, powering its way to a 60-86 road win behind 20 points from Rodrigue Beaubois, will look to be similarly ruthless in Istanbul.

ALBA Berlin vs. AS Monaco

Part of a three-way tie for third place, Monaco (13-8) will hope its star backcourt duo of Mike James (17.6 points per game) and Elie Okobo (12.3) can inspire another victory with a trip to face ALBA (6-15), which has lost its last three games. ALBA possesses the league's second-leakiest defense, allowing 83.9 points per game, and that could spell big danger against a Monaco team which reached triple digits in last week's victory over Milan.

Real Madrid vs. Panathinaikos Athens

The first round of the week concludes in the Spanish capital, where co-leader Real (14-7) will look to extend its dominant recent record against Panathinaikos (8-13). Real has won its last 11 home games against the Greek team, dating back nearly ten years to March 2013. Most of those games have been blowouts, with the Spanish team enjoying a double-digit margin in the last four, so Panathinaikos will be battling against history on Wednesday.