There are six games on Thursday, then four on Friday, to finish this season's third double-round week.
At a glance: Non-stop action continues with big showdowns
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The action continues with Round 8 of the EuroLeague headlined by a battle between two of the last three champions. This is your guide to Thursday and Friday’s action which you can watch live and on demand on ELTV.
Thursday, October 30
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (19:00 CET)
Thursday’s opening tipoff will see second-placed Zalgiris (5-2) attempt to complete a perfect week against an ASVEL team (2-5) targeting a first road win. The first task for the visitor is finding a way to slow down Sylvain Francisco, who leads the league in assists (6.7 per game) and dominated Tuesday’s win over Virtus by combining 23 points with 10 helpers. The inside presence of Moses Wright (14 points and 8 rebounds two days ago) is another challenge for an ASVEL team which suffered a bad night on offense in Round 7, losing 79-65 at Zvezda with only Melvin Ajinca (13) scoring more than 10 points. ASVEL committed 16 turnovers in that game so needs more control in the Zalgirio Arena.
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:05 CET)
Red-hot Zvezda (5-2) is aiming for a sixth straight victory as it faces dangerous but inconsistent Maccabi (2-5). It will feel like a home game for both teams in Belgrade, where new backcourt signing Jared Butler could make his debut for a Zvezda team also hoping to welcome back Jordan Nwora after injury. Chima Moneke will look to continue his strong form after netting 24 points in Tuesday’s win over Virtus, while Maccabi is targeting defensive improvement after allowing 99 points in defeat at Panathinaikos two days ago. That game saw TJ Leaf deliver his best performance yet (12 points, 9 rebounds) and the forward needs another big night if Maccabi wants to stop Zvezda’s sensational winning run.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Virtus Bologna (20:30 CET)
Two direct rivals enduring contrasting fortunes in Round 7 meet in Munich as Bayern (3-4) welcomes Virtus (4-3). Bayern produced a magnificent second half – inspired by Isiaha Mike – to overturn a double-digit deficit at home to Real Madrid, while Virtus must recover quickly from a heavy defeat at Zalgiris. Former Bayern star Carsen Edwards will look to lead the visitor by recovering his best form after being held to 9 points in Tuesday’s loss, missing all 6 of his three-point attempts. The Italian team also needs to compete better in the paint after being heavily outrebounded in Lithuania, with Alen Smailagic facing the challenge of battling with fit-again Bayern big man Johannes Voigtmann. The host could also be bolstered by new signing Spencer Dinwiddie, whose possible debut will be decided shortly before tipoff.
Valencia Basket vs. Dubai Basketball (20:30 CET)
Valencia (4-3) will attempt to complete a perfect week by downing a Dubai team (3-4) needing to bounce back from consecutive losses. The Spanish team – which leads the league in scoring (94.1 points per game) again showed its potential by comfortably beating reigning champ Fenerbahce on Tuesday, underlining its impressive depth as Tyson Carter top scored with 17 points. Dubai can rely on the consistency of Filip Petrusev (15.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per night), and he needs a strong game against a Valencia team which ranks second in offensive boards (14.3 per game). The visitor has the competition’s best interior defense, conceding just 50.5% of two-point attempts, but needs Dwayne Bacon to rediscover form at the other end after going 2-of-12 from the field two days ago.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Paris Basketball (20:30 CET)
Two of Round 7’s losers will seek an immediate return to winning ways as Milan (2-5) receives a visit from Paris (4-3). Milan suffered a narrow defeat at Barcelona despite a strong performance from Armoni Brooks (15 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting), and needs others to find their range from deep after making just 7 of its 27 attempts (25.9%). Paris, in contrast, was overcome at home by Efes after a bad night inside the paint, converting only 11 of its 29 two-point attempts (37.9%), with star scorer Nadir Hifi struggling from the field as he made just 2-of-16 field goals. This is a true clash of styles, with the league’s third-best defense (Milan has allowed just 80.4 points per game) attempting to clamp down the third-best offense (Paris averages 91.7 points).
Real Madrid vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (21:00 CET)
Two struggling heavyweights meet in Madrid as 2023 champion Real (3-4) welcomes current title holder Fenerbahce (3-4). The home team needs a strong response after a disastrous second half relinquished a 16-point lead at Bayern in Round 7, despite forward Trey Lyles continuing his strong form by combining 20 points and 6 rebounds. The Turkish team trailed from start to finish in Tuesday’s loss at Valencia, so will be targeting a fast start and better ball movement after only managing 14 assists at the Roig Arena. Talen Horton-Tucker is showing signs of becoming a team leader after returning to fitness and he faces a good battle with Theo Maledon, who is gradually finding form with Real and posted 15 points plus 4 assists two nights ago.
Friday, October 31
AS Monaco vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19:00 CET)
Friday tips off with a heavyweight showdown between two of last season’s Final Four contestants as Monaco (4-3) faces Panathinaikos (5-2). The Roca Team has already beaten one Greek giant this week following Wednesday’s impressive road win at Olympiacos, and all-time EuroLeague top scorer Mike James will face his former team full of confidence after combining 23 points with 10 assists. Panathinaikos needs to find solutions in the paint after Richaun Holmes suffered injury during Tuesday’s win over Maccabi, and Omer Yurtseven will face a heavy workload after a registering a big double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) in that victory. The Greens will also hope that Cedi Osman, who played nearly 38 minutes earlier this week, has enough energy to subdue Alpha Diallo, another star of Monaco’s win in Piraeus.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv (20:15 CET)
Standings leader Hapoel (6-1) is seeking another high-profile victim as it faces an inconsistent Olympiacos (4-3) targeting a return to winning ways. Hapoel underlined its depth as seven different players scored in double digits to overpower Partizan earlier this week, including Elijah Bryant again showing his versatility by combining 11 points and 9 rebounds. Limiting the influence of visiting playmaker Vasilije Micic (15.6 points per game) will be a focus for an Olympiacos team needing defensive improvement after Wednesday’s home loss to Monaco, and the Reds will hope that Evan Fournier can find his range after shooting 0-of-6 from three-point range in that loss. Dominating the paint will be a key between the league’s two most accurate two-point shooting teams (60.5% vs 60.2%), headlined by a big battle between Nikola Milutinov and Dan Oturu.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)
A key matchup in the middle of the standings will see Partizan (3-4) defend its home court against a visit from Barcelona (4-3). New Partizan signing Nick Calathes could debut by facing his former club, and he will try to provide more fluidity to an offense which ranks last in the league in assists (15.7 per game). The Serbian team, which lost at Hapoel on Wednesday, will hope that Sterling Brown can continue to shine after netting 25 and 19 points in the last two games, but Barca showed its defensive capabilities by grinding out a 74-72 win over Milan last time out. A pair of former Partizan players, Kevin Punter and Jan Vesely, will play a key role as Barca seeks a 12th straight win over the host, a run dating back to 2010.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:30 CET)
October’s action concludes in Vitoria, where Baskonia (1-6) and Efes (3-4) are both aiming to complete a perfect double week. The Spanish team’s long-awaited first victory of the season came against Dubai on Tuesday, led by the orchestration of Kobi Simmons (16 points and 5 assists) and the shooting of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (25 points), while Efes picked up a second straight road win by triumphing at Paris behind the ever-present scoring threat of former Baskonia star Shane Larkin (19 points). The Turkish team will try to control the tempo through the physical presence of Ercan Osmani (13.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game), while Baskonia will look to feed off the energy of Hamari Diallo, whose impressive season continued with 14 points and 8 boards on Tuesday.