There's still lots at stake as the regular season of the BKT EuroCup comes to a close. Here's your quick guide to Tuesday and Wednesday night's action.
This week: The home stretch
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6 Минутное чтение
Tuesday, February 6
JL Bourg en Bresse vs. ratiopharm Ulm
Two teams heading for the playoffs meet as Bourg (14-3) welcomes Ulm (9-8). Bourg has already secured first place in the group, while Ulm could yet be overtaken by Aris Midea Thessaloniki for fourth place after suffering a 20-point defeat by the Greek team last week to prolong a worrying run of five losses in six games. Bourg took an exciting Round 9 meeting between the teams 84-89 powered by 19 points and 10 rebounds from Maksim Salash - his only double-double of the season. The game features a long-range shooting duel between two dangerous marksmen, Tomas Klepeisz (41.1% for threes) and Zaccharie Risacher (56.6%).
Veolia Towers Hamburg vs. Umana Reyer Venice
A pair of teams with only pride to play for will complete their seasons with Hamburg (2-15) hosting Reyer (7-10). The Italian team is finishing strong with three wins out of four, most recently thrashing Prometey Slobozhanske with 25 points from Kyle Wiltjer, and surpassing 100 points in each of those victories. Marco Spissu was the main man when Reyer beat Hamburg 94-77 in Round 9, combining 22 points and 9 assists, and he faces a good battle with opposing backcourt leader Aljami Durham, who averages 11.4 points per game.
Slask Wroclaw vs. Turk Telekom Ankara
Group B's last-placed Slask (2-15) will look to ruin the playoff ambitions of Turk Telekom (7-10), which most likely needs a win to advance to the next stage. Slask gained one of its two victories this season by triumphing in Ankara in November behind 25 points from Jakub Niziol, so the Turkish team knows it can't take anything for granted. A lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of James Palmer, who averages 13.4 points after netting double digits in eight consecutive games. Tyrone Wallace will also look for a return to form after going 0-of-7 from three-point range in last week's loss to Bourg.
Wednesday, February 7
7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca
Eliminated Lietkabelis (6-11) will try to complicate the progress of Cluj (13-4), which needs a victory to secure a second-place finish and a direct passage to the quarterfinals. The Lithuanian team snapped a four-game losing streak last week, downing Slask behind 21 points from the consistent Deividas Sirvydis. November's meeting was one of the games of the season, taken 120-111 by Cluj after overtime with 25 points from DJ Seeley on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Cluj also enjoyed an overtime triumph last week, downing Gran Canaria to keep control of second place.
Prometey Slobozhanske vs. Joventut Badalona
Playoff-bound Prometey (9-8) and Joventut (10-7) are playing for final group position as they go head-to-head separated by just one win. Joventut, which has lost two in a row, grabbed a narrow 79-76 victory when the teams met in November, with Andrew Andrews netting 15 points, so Prometey needs to win by 4 or more to claim the head-to-head advantage. A key matchup will take place in the paint between veteran big men Ante Tomic and Ondrey Balvin, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds in November's meeting.
Buducnost VOLI Podgorica vs. Dreamland Gran Canaria
To have any chance of advancing to the playoffs, Buducnost (7-10) needs to finish the regular season by beating faltering reigning champ Gran Canaria (12-5). The Spanish side has lost two of the last three, but holds fond memories of its last game against Buducnost: a 97-70 blowout in November paced by 18 points from Sylven Landesberg. Gran Canaria dished 28 assists in that game so Buducnost will be determined to break up the visiting team's rhythm and will try to run the game through big man Nikola Tanaskovic, who inspired last week's key win over Trento with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
Aris Midea Thessaloniki vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento
Aris (8-9) can guarantee its progress to the postseason, and potentially finish fourth in the group, by overcoming a Trento team (7-10) that also has to win to stand any chance of extending its season. The Greek team is on a high after downing Ulm last week behind a sensational Ronnie Harrell, with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals. He will match up against the dangerous Andrejs Grazulis, who averages a solid 12.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per night. Trento won November’s matchup 69-67 on a last-gasp basket from Ellis Quinn, and this could be another thriller.
Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul vs. Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv
Hapoel (12-5) needs a victory to secure second place as it travels to face a Besiktas (9-8) team also looking to enter the playoffs on a high. The Israeli team kept its top two fate in its own hands by breaking a three-game losing streak last week at Joventut with 19 points from recently signed Will Cummings, while Besiktas has lost three of the last four. Hapoel was an 81-75 winner when the teams met in November as J'Covan Brown paired 19 points with 7 assists, and his return from injury also played a big part in last week's victory over Joventut. Derek Needham will look to outplay him in the Besiktas backcourt.
London Lions vs. Wolves Vilnius
London (12-5) will aim for the win it needs to maintain hopes of a top-two finish with a visit from eliminated Wolves (7-10). The high-scoring English team has won three of the last four and showed its firepower with an 87-101 win at Wolves in Round 9. Conor Morgan scored 22 points in that victory and London will also look for more leadership from his namesake Matt Morgan who is in top form, averaging 22 points in the last three games. Wolves will lean on the experience and shooting skills of Jeffery Taylor, who poured in a season-high 20 points in last week's win over Hamburg.
Paris Basketball vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Paris (16-1), already guaranteed the top seed status throughout the playoffs, hosts a Cedevita (1-16) team that knows it must win to have a chance of avoiding a last-place finish. It should be a high-scoring game with Paris boasting the best offense in the competition (98.2 points per game), while Cedevita has the next-to-worst defense (91.4 points allowed). The first meeting between the teams resulted in a comfortable Paris win, 77-93, as TJ Shorts led the way with 17 points and 7 assists. Jaka Blazic is in great form for Cedevita, scoring 24 and 28 points in the last two games.