The second double-round week of the season is upon us
Game Center: Bayern leads Milan; Dubai, Barca, Efes roll to road wins
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Tuesday, October 14
Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 71-92 FC Barcelona
Barcelona grabbed its third consecutive EuroLeague victory by overwhelming Maccabi 71-92 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, in Round 4 on Tuesday. Barca improved to 3-1 in the standings while Maccabi dropped to 1-3. Barca led 18-31 at the end of the first quarter, extended its margin to 32-60 at halftime and never looked back.
Willy Hernangomez led the winners with 19 points. Kevin Punter and Myles Cale added 12 while Toko Shengelia flirted with a triple-double with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in less than 19 minutes. Sayon Keita made his EuroLeague debut with Barca and scored 4 points as a starter. Marcio Santos paced Maccabi with 18 points, Tamir Blatt added 15 and Roman Sorkin had 10.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 69-93 Dubai Basketball
Dubai made quite the statement on Tuesday night by going on the road to Fenerbahce and thrashing the defending EuroLeague champs 69-93. The visitors led from the midway point of the first quarter right until the final buzzer, going up by as many as 32 points with 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. With this win, Dubai ended its two-game losing streak to improve to a 2-2 record. The misery continues for Fenerbahce, however, as it dropped its third straight.
Mfiondu Kabengele had his best performance to date in his rookie EuroLeague season, posting 26 points and 7 rebounds. Another key contributor for Dubai was Klemen Prepelic, who had 13 points and 6 assists. The UAE-based team also saw Dwayne Bacon net 21 points, Davis Bertans pour in 12 and Filip Petrusev score 11. For Fenerbahce, Wade Baldwin – who was ejected in the fourth quarter – and Bonzie Colson had 12 points each, followed by Devon Hall with 10.
Olympiacos Piraeus 78-82 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Anadolu Efes grabbed a priceless road win, overcoming Olympiacos 78-82 in a thriller at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Tyler Dorsey scored 11 early points to send the hosts ahead, but Efes fought back with a 2-16 run propelled by Shane Larkin. The lead continued to swap hands to set up a dramatic finale, and two baskets in the last 80 seconds from Isaia Cordinier ultimately sealed the deal as Sasha Vezenkov’s three-point attempt to force overtime missed the mark.
Efes was paced by 20 points from new signing Cole Swider on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, with Larkin adding 18. Ercan Osmani scored 12, PJ Dozier netted 11 and Cordinier scored 10. Alec Peters hit four triples to lead Olympiacos with 14 points, Tyson Ward scored 13, Vezenkov netted 12 and Dorsey scored 11 in a game that left both teams tied at 2-2.
FC Bayern Munich vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CEST)
Returning to winning ways is the task as Bayern (1-2) welcomes Milan (1-2). Former Bayern big man Devin Booker will look to damage his old club after delivering his best Milan performance to date in last week’s loss to Monaco, combining 15 points and 8 rebounds. Booker’s physical presence could give his team valuable extra possessions against a Bayern side which has only averaged 17.7 defensive rebounds per game, the lowest tally in the league. The German team also needs to rediscover its usual long-range potency after only making 6 triples in last week’s heavy home loss to Zalgiris, while Milan will also hope that Shavon Shields and Armoni Brooks can rediscover their range after converting a combined 2 triples on 12 attempts during last week’s loss to Monaco.
Wednesday, October 15
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:15 CEST)
Panathinaikos (2-1) is gunning for its third win of the season as it welcomes an ASVEL team (1-2) targeting a first road triumph. Reigning league MVP Kendrick Nunn again demonstrated his importance to Panathinaikos by netting a dramatic game-winner at Baskonia last week, and the Greens will now look for an improved inside game after making just 51.8% of two-point attempts this season – fourth-worst in the league. ASVEL has struggled even more in that respect, making just 49.6% of two-pointers (19th in the league), so this game could be decided by effectiveness inside the paint. Glynn Watson needs to find greater accuracy for the French team after making just 33.3% of his field-goal attempts so far this season.
Virtus Bologna vs. AS Monaco (20:30 CEST)
Monaco (2-1) is targeting a third straight victory as it travels to face a Virtus team (1-2) aiming to snap a two-game losing slide. The Roca Team boasts one of the league’s most efficient offenses, committing fewer turnovers than any other team (8.7 per game), while Virtus is next-worst in that category with an average of 16.7 ball losses. Elie Okobo has been a key part of that success for Monaco, dishing 16 assists without a turnover so far this season, while big man Daniel Theis boasts a similarly impressive stat with 17 of his 18 two-point efforts converted. Virtus is relying on an explosion from Carsen Edwards, who is seeking a return to form after making just 1 of his 7 three-point attempts in last week’s loss at Paris.
Valencia Basket vs. Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (20:30 CEST)
A rematch of last season's EuroCup semifinal series will see Valencia (2-1) seek revenge against Hapoel (2-1). The Israeli team triumphed in that showdown thanks to a stellar 32-points performance from Anthony Blakeney, who has continued his form into the new season by averaging 17.7 points per game. Valencia needs to fix its defense after allowing 108 points in last week’s loss against Barcelona, while also maintaining the free-flowing style which has helped Darius Thompson average 15.7 points per game. The Spanish team has been boosted by Brancou Badio’s return from injury, while Hapoel will attempt to return to winning ways with former Valencia guard Chris Jones, who needs to take better care of the basketball after so far recording more turnovers (2.7 per game) than assists (2.0 per night).
Real Madrid vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:45 CEST)
Resurgent Real (2-1) will aim for a third straight win with a visit from a Partizan team (2-1) chasing exactly the same reward. The Serbian team will run its offense through the Brown duo: leading scorer Sterling (16.7 points per game) and top distributor Carlik (5.0 assists per night). Real’s home win over ASVEL last week was chiefly facilitated by summer signing Chuma Okeke, who made 17 points without missing a shot. Real has won seven games straight against Partizan but needs to improve its three-point shooting after making just 30% from deep so far – next to worst in the league – and will take hope from the fact that Partizan has the league’s worst perimeter defense, allowing opponents to convert 46.2% of three-point attempts.
Paris Basketball vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:45 CEST)
Baskonia (0-3) will attempt to change its status as the league's only winless team with a tough trip to face confident Paris (2-1). The French team's offensive leader is clearly Nadir Hifi, who ranks second in the league with 21.3 points per night with at least 4 triples in every game. But Daulton Hommes – who missed nearly all of last season through injury – showed he poses another weapon from deep by converting 60% of his triples so far. Baskonia will feel frustrated after last week’s last-second loss to Panathinaikos, but can rely on backcourt orchestration from Trent Forrest who ranks second in the league with 7.3 assists per night. In the paint, the Spanish team will rely on Tadas Sedekerskis to continue his average of 7.3 rebounds.