There are nine games are split across three days – one on Wednesday, six on Thursday, and two on Friday
At a glance: The Belgrade derby highlights this week’s action
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Round 11 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is headlined by the unmatchable intensity of the Belgrade derby, while the reigning champ faces a tough challenge on the road. Here’s your overview of all the action.
Wednesday, November 20
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:30 CET)
The week’s action starts early with a Wednesday tipoff between lowly Virtus (2-8) and sole league leader Fenerbahce (8-2), which is looking to preserve the competition’s only perfect road record. A battle between top-class forwards will see Will Clyburn (18 points and 6 boards against Panathinaikos last week) attempt to outperform Nigel Hayes-Davis, who must be among the league’s leading November MVP candidates after maintaining his great form with a double-double at Zalgiris last week. Fenerbahce’s injury-hit backcourt received a helping hand from Arturs Zagars in that game, playing a career-high 24 minutes and providing 10 points, and the Latvian will also look to contain the threat of Virtus playmaker Isaia Cordinier, who averages 14 points and 4.6 assists per night.
Thursday, November 21
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Paris Basketball (18:30 CET)
Red-hot Paris (7-3) will push for a seventh straight win as it travels to face a dangerous Efes team (6-4) also brimming with confidence after two road wins last week. In addition to somehow slowing down the electrifying TJ Shorts (17.7 points and 7.5 assists per game), the Efes defense must also focus on his backcourt partner Maodo Lo, whose four triples were instrumental in last week’s stunning success at Barcelona. Efes will look for Darius Thompson (11.1 points, 5 assists per night) to control the tempo and Elijah Bryant (13 points per game) to provide penetration. In the paint, league-leading shot blocker Vincent Poirier (1.6 per night) will try to wreak havoc around the baskets, but ever-present Kevarrius Hayes (4.8 rebounds per game) will make sure he doesn’t have an easy task.
AS Monaco vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (19:00 CET)
A French League derby will see Monaco (6-4) seek to jump into the top six against an ASVEL team (3-7) which cannot be taken lightly. The Roca Team showed its good balance between offense and defense to triumph at Baskonia last time out, with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists from Alpha Diallo typifying the all-round effort. A major highlight will be a backcourt duel between one of the greatest guards the competition has seen, all-time leading scorer Mike James, and a young star ascending towards greatness, Theo Maledon. ASVEL’s 22-year-old was the co-winner of the Round 10 MVP award after draining 26 points in the win against Zvezda, while James is also accelerating towards his best form after scoring 20 and 16 points in last week’s double slate of games.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:00 CET)
Maximum intensity is guaranteed in the Serbian capital as Zvezda (5-5) hosts Partizan (2-8) in the latest installment of the explosive Belgrade derby. Both teams are in need of victory to start climbing the standings, with Partizan particularly desperate to snap a six-game losing streak. Cool-headed experience could be crucial in the fervent atmosphere of Belgrade Arena, and Zvezda has plenty of that with the likes of veteran leaders Milos Teodosic and Luka Mitrovic, while Partizan’s revamped roster will be stepping into a more unknown environment. Visiting youngsters Mitar Bosnjakovic and Aleksej Pokusevski will look to provide the excitement and energy to match Zvezda’s wise old heads, while the visiting team must also provide strong perimeter defense against the hosts’ three-point shooting, which ranks second in the league at 39.8%.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:15 CET)
Free-scoring Olympiacos (7-3) will target a sixth straight victory as it welcomes a Baskonia team (4-6) still searching for consistency. The Reds, after scoring exactly 94 points for three games straight, can expect another strong night from ruthlessly consistent forward Sasha Vezenkov, who has scored between 18 and 23 points in each of the last five games. On the other hand, Baskonia’s main scoring threat Markus Howard needs to bounce back after failing to score in either of last week’s games, while the Spanish team will hope that big man Donta Hall – who had a double-double in the Round 10 loss against Monaco – will produce another heavyweight performance to make life more difficult for Vezenkov and in-form center Nikola Milutinov (10 points and 6.8 rebounds per game).
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
Two teams with aspirations to climb much higher than their current lowly positions meet with Milan (4-6) hosting Maccabi (3-7). Milan’s prospects have improved after winning three of the last four games, with Nikola Mirotic inspiring the most recent triumph by providing 19 points and 9 rebounds at Partizan in Round 10, with the help of playmaker Nico Mannion dishing 7 assists. Maccabi’s injury problems have contributed to a run of just one win in six, but Jaylen Hoard will look to stay hot after scoring 20 points in the narrow defeat to Olympiacos last time out. Maccabi’s league-leading assist provider (8.7 per night) Tamir Blatt suffered an injury in domestic action this past weekend, so it will be the likes of Saben Lee and Rokas Jokubaitis who look to test Mannion and co.
Real Madrid vs. ALBA Berlin (20:45 CET)
Up-and-down Real (4-6) will look to get back on the winning track as it faces an ALBA team (2-8) determined to display improved defense after allowing 115 points in its Round 10 loss at Bayern. League-leading rebounder Walter Tavares (7.9 boards per game) will look to use his physical presence to shackle the more unpredictable skills of ALBA’s entertaining big man Trevion Williams, who posted 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals against Bayern. The German team’s leaky defense could be an open door for Real playmaker Facu Campazzo (13.7 points and 7.2 assists per game). But at the other end, former Real youth team star Matteo Spagnolo (23 points at Bayern) will look to show his old club what it is missing.
Friday, November 22
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (19:00 CET)
It’s an all-green affair in Kaunas as faltering Zalgiris (6-4) aims to snap a three-game losing streak with a visit from reigning champ Panathinaikos (7-3). The visitors, who will be without coach Ergin Ataman on the sidelines due to the FIBA window, will expect the frontcourt energy and rebounding ability of Mathias Lessort to throw Zalgiris out of its defensive rhythm, while Kendrick Nunn (20 points in the Round 10 victory at Virtus) is among the many potential game-winners available for the Greek giant. For Zalgiris, last week’s loss to Fenerbahce saw signs of Lonnie Walker settling into his new environment as the recent signing netted 19 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Crucially, Walker also snared 4 steals in that encounter and those defensive skills will be crucial against a Panathinaikos team looking to make it six wins out of seven.
FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona (20:30 CET)
In a must-watch matchup between two of the five teams currently tied for second place, Bayern (7-3) will look to extend its 100% home record against Barcelona (7-3). The Spanish team needs to bounce back from last week’s home loss to Paris, and will hope that young guard Juan Nunez and three-point threat Joel Parra can stay strong after delivering their best performances of the season in that game. Bayern will look for another free-flowing offensive exhibition which resulted in an outburst of 115 points to destroy ALBA last time out, with Nick Weiler-Babb orchestrating (11 assists vs. ALBA) and league-leading scorer Carsen Edwards (21.0 points per game) confident enough to shoot from anywhere. Barcelona failed to contain Paris’s backcourt last week, and needs a much more solid defensive effort to prevail in Munich.