With three games on Tuesday and seven on Wednesday, the action is heating up in the EuroCup
At a glance: Two new coaches in place as Round 5 arrives
Game Preview
7 Min čitanja
Round 5 of the BKT EuroCup arrives with two teams striving to maintain their 100% records while others look to add more momentum. Here’s your guide to this week’s games.
Tuesday, October 28
Panionios Cosmorama Travel Athens vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento (18:30 CET)
Two teams struggling at the foot of Group B will look for a boost as Panionios (1-3) – now led by Ilias Zouros, who returns to the club 36 years later – welcomes Trento (1-3). Both are coming off heavy defeats due to poor offense, with Panionios scoring just 63 points in its loss at Buducnost while Trento fared worse with 60 points at home to Turk Telekom. The Italian team particularly needs to improve its long-range shooting after converting just 23.5% of its three-point attempts, with guard Cheickh Niang among those needing more accuracy after going 1-of-9 in the last two games. Panionios, which relies on the leadership of Michalis Lountzis (10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game) needs to take better care of the basketball after committing 18 turnovers last week.
Hamburg Veolia Towers vs. U-BT Cluj-Napoca (19:30 CET)
Winless Hamburg (0-4) will attempt to change that statistic with a visit from a Cluj team (2-2) aiming to climb the Group A standings. After surviving an overtime thriller against Reyer last week, Cluj will hope that Iverson Molinar – who scored 22 points in that win including game-clinching free throws – can stay hot to provide a more comfortable evening. The Romanian team boasts the competition’s top two individual performers, with Daron Russell (25.5 average PIR) leading the backcourt and Dusan Miletic (23.8 PIR) powering the paint, but they will be tested by Hamburg leaders Leonard Thorpe (15 points per game) and Zacharie Perrin (10.8 rebounds per night, best in the league).
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem vs. Aris Thessaloniki Betsson (20:00 CET)
In the middle of Group A, Hapoel (2-2) is aiming to build more momentum with a visit from an Aris team (2-2) looking for a change in fortunes. The Greek club will have new leadership following the dismissal of coach Bogdan Karaicic after two straight losses, with Igor Milicic handed the reins. His first priority is to boost a misfiring offense which scored 79 and 59 points in those defeats. Naz Mitrou-Long (12 points per game) will play a key role as he goes head-to-head in a key backcourt battle with Hapoel leader Jared Harper, who is coming off his best game of the season after dropping 20 points to mastermind last week’s comfortable home win over Slask.
Wednesday, October 29
Besiktas GAIN Istanbul vs. Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse (17:00 CET)
A heavyweight battle at the top of Group B will see second-placed Besiktas (3-1) attempt to end Bourg’s (4-0) unbeaten start to the season. The Turkish team did exactly that last week, handing Ulm its first loss in a thriller thanks to Anthony Brown’s last-gasp game-winning triple. Brown will feature prominently in what promises to be a long-range shoot-out between the third (37.7%) and second-best (39.6%) most accurate teams from three-point territory. Among Bourg’s deep threats is Antony Labanca, who recovered from a slow start to the season by blasting 6-of-8 triples in last week’s easy win over Lietkabelis and now will look to stay hot in Istanbul.
Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (18:00 CET)
Struggling Lietkabelis (1-3) will look for a return to winning ways with a visit from dangerous Buducnost (2-2). The teams experienced precisely mirroring fortunes last week, with Lietkabelis – which has lost three in a row – suffering a 28-point thrashing at Bourg while Buducnost cruised to the same winning margin over Panionis. Forward Paulius Danusevicius is performing at a high level for the Lithuanian team with 11 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but the host must improve a defense which has allowed 89 points per game if it wants to slow down the likes of sharpshooting Axel Bouteille, who scored 16 points without a miss last time out.
NINERS Chemnitz vs. ratiopharm ulm (19:00 CET)
A German derby between two teams aiming to bounce back into winning ways will see Chemnitz (1-3) host Ulm (3-1) for the first time on the continental stage. Chemnitz is licking its wounds from last week’s last-gasp home loss to London, when 17 points and 9 rebounds from the consistent Kevin Yebo wasn’t enough to lift an otherwise below-par offense. Chemnitz does possess the EuroCup’s best two-point conversion rate (65.9%), so Ulm will need improved defense after allowing 101 points against Besiktas to suffer its first loss last week. The visitor will again be powered by dynamic forward Chistopher Ledlum, who has netted 20, 26 and 25 points in the last three games.
Slask Wroclaw vs. Umana Reyer Venice (19:00 CET)
Climbing into the top six is the target as Slask (2-2) welcomes Reyer (1-3). The Italian team is aiming to achieve its first road win after suffering heartache last week with an overtime loss at Cluj, where center Chris Horton confirmed his power in the paint by recording a second consecutive double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds). This week he will be confronted by Stefan Dordevic, who has averaged 7 rebounds over the last three games for a Slask team which is unbeaten so far at home. The Polish team is the second best rebounding unit in the EuroCup (39.3 boards per night), so Reyer will have to be ready for a physical battle.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana vs. Neptunas Kleipeda (19:30 CET)
Cedevita (3-1) will aim to overcome the disappointment of its first defeat by stopping the rise of Neptunas (1-3). The visiting team gained its first win of the season last week by downing Hamburg, and will again put its offense in the hands of Arnas Velicka, who leads the EuroCup with 8.2 assists per game. Cedevita, in contrast, is coming off its first loss after a setback at Bahcesehir, and will hope for another strong contribution from Aleksej Nikolic (17 points per game). Neptunas will take encouragement from the fact that it leads the competition in rebounding (40.3 per night), while Cedevita ranks last (31.5), so the Lithuanian team will attempt to dominate through physicality.
London Lions vs. Turk Telekom Ankara (20:30 CET)
Two rapidly improving teams go head to head as London (2-2) welcomes Turk Telekom (2-2). Both have recovered from 0-2 starts to win their last two games, with London triumphing on the road last week behind 20 points from the consistent Kameron McGusty, whose strong inside presence will threaten the Turk Telekom defense. But the visiting team was very strong defensively in Round 4’s comfortable road win at Trento, where Jordan Usher led the team with his all-round game (13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals). Turk Telekom forces more turnovers than any other team (17 per game), so London’s key guard Tarik Phillip will have to take more care after committing 7 turnovers last week.
BAXI Manresa vs. Bahcesehir College Istanbul (20:45 CET)
The week concludes with a titanic tussle between two of Group A’s pacesetters as Manresa (3-1) welcomes unbeaten Bahcesehir (4-0). The Spanish team has won three straight behind the consistent scoring of Alfonso Plummer (17 points per game during the winning run) and a rock-solid defense which has allowed just 77.8 points per game and restricts its opponents to an average of 13.8 assists (second-best in the EuroCup). That toughness will be tested by a Bahcesehir team which has scored at least 92 points in every game and leads the competition in assists (23.3 per game), powered by multi-skilled big man Trevion Williams (13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per night).