This week: Decisive battles in upper half of the table

Thursday, March 21

Buoyed by an impressive win over Olympiacos on Tuesday, Efes (13-17) will look to maintain its top ten challenge be overcoming rock bottom ALBA (5-25). The German team has lost seven in a row but showed it can't be taken lightly by giving league leader Real Madrid a serious scare earlier this week, led by 16 points from deep threat Matt Thomas. This season's first meeting between Efes and ALBA was a high-scoring encounter, taken by Efes 89-97 on the back of 32 points from star guard Shane Larkin. Tuesday's victory against Olympiacos was the fourth consecutive win at home for the Turkish team, which will hope Will Clyburn can follow up his 14 points earlier this week by recording double digits in scoring for the sixth straight game.

Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

After starting the week with a very convincing victory over Virtus, Zalgiris (12-18) will look to stay in the top 10 race with a visit from a Baskonia team (16-14) eager to bounce back from a loss at Partizan. Edmond Sumner was the catalyst for the Lithuanian team on Tuesday with a personal-best 16 points. He faces a tough task defensively to slow down Markus Howard, who has scored 26 points in two consecutive games. Another in-form duel will see Kevarrius Hayes (13 points and 6 rebounds versus Virtus) confront Matt Costello (13 points and 7 boards in Belgrade). Zalgiris has already beaten Baskonia once this season, triumphing 82-99 in Round 4 behind Brady Manek's 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

After seeing its six-game winning run end on Tuesday, Olympiacos (18-12) will look to bounce straight back with a visit from lowly ASVEL (7-23). The Reds won 73-85 when these teams played in France in December behind 19 points from Isaiah Canaan, who hit 3 triples in defeat at Efes earlier this week. ASVEL put up a good fight against Maccabi on Tuesday, with Youssoupha Fall's huge double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds leading the way before ultimately falling to a 98-90 defeat. Olympiacos has won six straight in Piraeus, limiting its opponents to less than 75 points in five of those, and will look for similarly stern defense to secure another much-needed win.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Real Madrid

Partizan (14-16) will attempt to complete a perfect week in Belgrade and stay in the top 10 by downing Real Madrid (24-6), which could clinch first place with a victory. A fabulous atmosphere is guaranteed as the reigning champs return to the site of last season's thrilling playoffs series. Partizan will hope that big man Bruno Caboclo can find the energy to stay hot after pairing 18 points with 13 rebounds to power a vital victory over Baskonia on Tuesday. Dzanan Musa drained 23 points to help Real beat the Serbian team 91-75 in December. The Spanish team is heading into this encounter with confidence restored by a two-game winning streak, most recently downing ALBA on the road on Tuesday behind 22 points from Mario Hezonja.

Friday, March 22

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Zvezda (10-20) must overcome its disappointment at suffering elimination from postseason action as it welcomes a Virtus (17-13) team also needing a change of fortunes. Virtus seeks to bounce back from a bad night in Kaunas earlier this week, when a career-high 15 points from Rihards Lomazs was nowhere near enough to prevent a heavy defeat, meaning the Italian team has now suffered six consecutive road losses. Zvezda's latest defeat came at home against Panathinaikos on Wednesday, but the return of Milos Teodosic and Nemanja Nedovic after injury will give hope that a six-game losing run can be ended on Friday. Toko Shengelia netted 19 points to lead Virtus past Zvezda, 85-79, in October, and his leadership will be vital for Luca Banchi's faltering team.

AS Monaco vs. Valencia Basket

After a lackluster performance in Wednesday's home loss to Milan, Monaco (19-11) will look to restore its top-four challenge against a Valencia (14-16) team boosted by a huge win over Bayern the same night. We can expect a low-scoring encounter between two teams who have held their opponents to an average of less than 80 points, and that was the case in Round 1 when Valencia earned a 70-65 victory behind 19 points and 7 rebounds from Semi Ojeleye. The Spanish team enjoyed a strong performance from big man Damien Inglis against Bayern, with 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Monaco's enforcers John Brown, Donatas Motiejunas and Donta Hall will look to provide physical superiority after being dominated by Milan on Wednesday.

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. FC Barcelona

An almighty showdown in the quest for home-court advantage in the playoffs will see Panathinaikos (19-11) host Barcelona (20-10). The Greens have won seven straight in Athens, while Wednesday's heavy loss at Fenerbahce left the Spanish team 6-8 on the road this season. To secure head-to-head advantage, Panathinaikos needs a victory by 9 points or more after suffering an 80-72 loss at Palau Blaugrana in November, with 17 points from Jabari Parker leading the way for the host. Both teams possess potentially decisive talent all over the court, with Ricky Rubio and Tomas Satoransky looking to set the tempo for Barca while Panathinaikos aims to win the physical battle through Mathias Lessort and Dinos Mitoglou. Quite simply, a must-watch game which could easily be repeated in the playoffs or Final Four.

FC Bayern Munich vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Bayern (13-17) will look to get back on track by holding serve at home against a red-hot Maccabi (17-13) team still pushing for a top-four finish. Wade Baldwin, who spent the 2020-21 season with Bayern, is a one-man offense for Maccabi at the moment, scoring at least 14 points in the last 11 games and powering the Round 30 win over ASVEL with a sensational 30 points and 10 assists. Bayern head coach Pablo Laso's defense will attempt to shut down Baldwin with a gameplan that restricted Zalgiris and Zvezda to just 58 and 66 points, respectively in Bayern's last two home games. But the German team's offensive limitations were again evident in defeat against Valencia on Wednesday, when Vladimir Lucic couldn't strike a buzzer-beating triple in a costly 70-68 defeat.

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Another game with huge significance in the race for postseason action will see Milan (13-17) host Fenerbahce (19-11), with both teams feeling confident after crucial wins earlier in the week. Fresh from an impressive victory over Barcelona, Fenerbahce will hope for another big night from Scottie Wilbekin, who has scored 4 and 6 three-pointers in the last two games. He was also the decisive factor with 19 points to secure an 85-82 triumph when these teams met in Round 1. Milan was outstanding at both ends of the floor to win big on the road at Monaco on Wednesday, and can count on the leadership of Nikola Mirotic after the former EuroLeague MVP has averaged 21 points over his the last four games.