Bold predictions for EuroLeague Round 2

Check out four bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Round 2 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Howard will show Top Scorer credentials in Berlin

by Javier Gancedo

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz faces ALBA Berlin in Round 2 in the German capital. It is a good opportunity for shooting guard Markus Howard to prove he can be the top contender to the Alphonso Ford Top Scoring Trophy this season. Howard is full of confidence, as Baskonia extended his contract until the end of the 2025-26 season. Howard was off-target against Real Madrid in Round 1, hitting just 4 of 15 shots on his way to 10 points. He had been on fire at the start of the Spanish League season, scoring 29 and 23 points in his two opening games. Howard has cooled off a bit in the last two weeks, but ALBA's run-and-gun game fits him perfectly. I expect him to catch fire again and he scored 20 or more again, Baskonia shoud have a lot of chances to record its first win in this EuroLeague season.

Road teams will at least break even in Round 2

by Frank Lawlor

Home teams dominated Round 1 with a 6-3 record, and even then it took an overtime, a huge comeback and a missed shot at the buzzer for them not to sweep opening week. Round 2, it says here, will be different. There is some low-hanging fruit that might be expected to fall, like ASVEL (0-1) vs. Partizan (0-1) and ALBA (0-1) vs. Baskonia (0-1). Both visiting teams are as hungry as their hosts to get in the win column. But even if ASVEL and ALBA prove me wrong, there are plenty of games in play behind them. Whether or not Real Madrid (1-0) gets Walter Tavares back, the champs won without looking great last week and will likely be better when visiting an Efes (0-1) team still finding its chemistry. New-look Bayern (1-0) has nothing to lose and everything to gain in Athens, where all the pressure will be on Panathinaikos (0-1), much like when Virtus (0-1) visits Monaco (0-1). Crvena Zvezda (1-0) won't be rattled by a great Zalgiris (1-0) crowd in Kaunas. Barcelona (1-0) faces an Olympiacos (1-0) team suddenly weakened by injuries. And Fenerbahce (1-0) will likely subject host Valencia (1-0) to a defensive battle. I'm betting that at least four teams out of eight fly home with valuable road wins this week.

Jones will outplay Wilbekin in a showdown

by Igor Petrinovic

Valencia Basket playmaker Chris Jones did not have things go his way for the better part of last week's opening night before turning in a clutch fourth quarter. He scored 9 of his 14 points in the final quarter, including a three-pointer with 62 seconds to go to break a 63-63 tie and clear the path for Valencia's 70-65 win over AS Monaco. This week, Valencia welcomes Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Jones's former teammate Scottie Wilbekin. The two were backcourt mates at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the 2020-21 season, where Jones was in a back-up role in his first season in the competition. In two head-to-head games last season, Jones was 0-for-7 from long range, and averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Wilbekin started this season hot, with 19 points on 4-for-8 three-point shooting and I expect him to keep that going in Valencia. However, I think Jones breaks out of his three-point shooting slump against Wilbekin and Fenerbahce, and tops Wilbekin to lead Valencia to a victory and a surprising 2-0 start to the season.

Undermanned Olympiacos to lay down another marker

by Geoff Gillingham

Olympiacos Piraeus secured bragging rights over archrival Panathinaikos Athens in Round 1, beating the Greens 78-88 in overtime. That victory showed that Olympiacos, now without Sasha Vezenkov, last season’s MVP, and Kostas Sloukas, can still get the job done. In the Greek derby, the Reds leaned on star performances from the likes of Alec Peters, Nikola Milutinov, Thomas Walkup and Nigel Williams-Goss, who is questionable for Round 2. Heading into this matchup with FC Barcelona, shot-blocking center Moustapha Fall – an absentee in Round 1 – is also questionable, while Shaquielle McKissic and Luke Sikma are both out after playing against Panathinaikos. A new-look Barca got off to winning ways in its curtain raiser, defeating Anadolu Efes Istanbul 91-74. However, I expect Olympiacos to burst the Blaugrana's bubble in Round 2 and advance to 2-0 in convincing fashion, roared on by the ever-passionate fans at Peace and Friendship Stadium.