Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 10 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Bold predictions for Round 10
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5 Minute de lecture
Bayern will rain on ASVEL's parade
by Frank Lawlor
It's a bottom-of-the-table clash with extra meaning as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2-7) welcomes FC Bayern Munich (3-6) for opening night of the new LDLC Arena, which will be a boon for French basketball and the host club far into the future. ASVEL aims to celebrate the occasion with a victory, and the French club has indeed played with admirable fire since Gianmarco Pozzecco took over the bench, winning two of their five games together. But without Nando De Colo, who is injured, to lend his experience, it will be a tall order for ASVEL to get its first home win this season in its new home. Bayern, despite losing four of its last five games, seems to be coming together under new head coach Pablo Laso. Three of those losses were on the road and came by a total of 10 points. This will be Bayern's seventh of 10 games so far away from Munich, and save for a trip to Barcelona, the German team has been in every one of them, even winning at Baskonia. It won't be the least bit easy, but mark this one down as Bayern's second road win and fifth in succession against ASVEL.
Milan will finally win on the road
by Frankie Sachs
When EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (3-6) visits Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (3-6) on Friday, it will be carrying a streak of seven straight road losses with it. And that is where it will end. Milan is one of just three teams without a road win so far this season. The other two are Zvezda and ALBA Berlin. At home, Milan has looked like a different team. Head coach Ettore Messina's men have a winning record (3-2) at Mediolanum Forum and have averaged 88.3 points over their last three home games. Now, they have found their offensive groove, with the likes of Devon Hall and Nicolo Melli both coming off their best games of the season. If Milan brings that type of firepower to Belgrade, it should come in handy against Zvezda, which has held the last two visitors to Stark Arena to 68 and 56 points.
Monaco will bounce back in Vitoria
by Javier Gancedo
AS Monaco (5-4) is currently on a two-game losing streak, which should end at Buesa Arena. In Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (5-4), Mike James plays against one of his former teams, the one he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut with. He lost his last four games at Buesa Arena with Milan, CSKA Moscow and Monaco, and should be extra motivated to have a monster performance. Baskonia has already lost three home games, as many as in the entire 2022-23 EuroLeague season, so the pressure should be on head coach Dusko Ivanovic's team. Monaco can match Baskonia's intensity and Chima Moneke should not have it easy against a top-class defender like John Brown. Although Jordan Loyd is listed as questionable to play, Monaco is ready to show his best version in Round 10 and steal a road victory.
Howard and James will combine for more than 60 points
by Igor Petrinovic
In two victories last week Baskonia sharpshooter Markus Howard totaled 61 points, knocking down 12 triples on 24 attempts over two games. After a slow start to the season, Howard is the leading scorer in the EuroLeague since Round 4, and over those last six games he has been averaging 22.3 points per game. Howard has scored more than 25 points three times during that span, and I think he keeps it going when Monaco comes to Vitoria-Gasteiz. This time, however, he will have a scoring showdown with Mike James, who knows Buesa Arena really well, having played there for couple of seasons More importantly, James will be super-motivated to get Monaco back to winning ways against a red-hot opponent. James has not scored 25 or more points so far this season, with his season-high being 24 in 21 minutes of a Round 5 blowout win against Maccabi. I see James putting up big numbers on Friday night against Baskonia's defense.
Olympiacos to cause another headache for Zalgiris
by Geoff Gillingham
Just before the 2023-24 EuroLeague season got underway, Olympiacos Piraeus (5-4) threw a spanner in the works of Zalgiris Kaunas's plans by paying Ignas Brazdeikis's buyout. Then, on Tuesday, the Reds returned to the Lithuanian club by once again paying the buyout of one of its players, Naz Mitrou-Long. Although it only Brazdeikis can play in Round 10 on Friday night, with Mitrou-Long not able to feature until January, Zalgiris (4-5) will likely take to the floor at Peace and Friendship Stadium with revenge on its mind after losing two key pieces to its rotation. Yet, I think Olympiacos will still have too much for the visiting Zalgiris, as the Reds should improve to 6-4 and cause Kazys Maksvytis's squad to drop to 4-6. What's more, I expect Brazdeikis to try and put on a show, despite having had a limited role in Georgios Bartzokas's offense so far.