In the second half of this double-round week, there are five games on Thursday and four on Friday
At a glance: What to expect in Round 4
The action in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague continues to come thick and fast as the double round concludes with Round 4 on Thursday and Friday. Here’s your overview on the upcoming games, including a title game rematch.
Thursday, October 17
ALBA Berlin vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19:30 CEST)
After grabbing its first win of the season on Tuesday, ALBA (1-2) will look to complete a perfect week against the visiting Fenerbahce (2-1). The Turkish team needs to recover from a poor offensive night against Zvezda in Round 3, with Saras Jasikevicius’ team shooting just 34.5% from the field and only Nigel Hayes-Davis (20) scoring more than 10 points. A major factor in ALBA’s win over ASVEL was center Trevion Williams (12 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists), and his ability to both dominate the paint and create on the exterior will test visiting big men Khem Birch and Nicolo Melli. Another key is the backcourt battle between Martin Hermannsson (21 points on Tuesday) and Wade Baldwin, who is looking to bounce back after scoring just 3 points and committing 5 turnovers against Zvezda.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:05 CEST)
Two of Tuesday’s winners go head to head as Maccabi (2-1) hosts Partizan (1-2) in a game which will see both teams feel at home in Belgrade. The Serbian team will look for another solid effort from Sterling Brown, who powered the Round 3 win over Bayern with 22 points, and he faces a good backcourt tussle with Maccabi newcomer Saben Lee after his outstanding debut contribution of 23 points and 5 assists to help overcome Efes on Tuesday. Partizan will look to keep on creating good looks from beyond the arc, after Isaac Bonga and Frank Ntilikina both netted 3 of their 4 three-point attempts earlier this week. Maccabi can also threaten from deep, with Tamir Blatt averaging three triples per game so far.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CEST)
Zalgiris (2-1) will attempt to complete a perfect week on the road as it visits a Milan team (1-2) needing to recover from a 21-point loss at Olympiacos. The Lithuanian team prevailed at Virtus on Tuesday behind a solid game from guard Dovydas Giedraitis, who missed only one field goal on the way to 15 points and also contributed defensively with a couple of steals. This could be a low-scoring game between two teams who like to control the tempo, but Milan needs a better night from its stars after Shavon Shields and Nikola Mirotic both scored just 5 points in the thrashing at Olympiacos. Big men Zach LeDay and Ousmane Diop both reached double digits in that game, so Milan could look to dominate through the paint.
Real Madrid vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:45 CEST)
One of EuroLeague’s greatest rivalries has its latest chapter as Real (1-2) hosts Panathinaikos (2-1) in a rematch of last season’s championship game. Both teams are aiming to recover from respective losses at Baskonia and Paris in Round 3, and Real will be boosted by the return of Facundo Campazzo from suspension. The Spanish giant will hope that center Edy Tavares can find energy after playing 33 minutes two days ago as he grabbed a whopping 9 offensive rebounds, and he faces Mathias Lessort in fine form after a double-double of 19 points and 11 boards earlier this week. Real was let down by its three-point shooting in Vitoria, making just 24.2%, while Panathinaikos will be focused on taking more care of the basketball after committing 15 turnovers in Paris.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Paris Basketball (20:45 CEST)
With confidence sky-high from Tuesday’s historic first-ever EuroLeague victory, Paris (1-2) will now look for its first road triumph with a trip to Bayern (1-2). The French team will continue to rely on star guard duo TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi, who combined for 36 points in the memorable victory over Panathinaikos. They will be confronted by a deep selection of Bayern backcourt leaders, including long-range threat Shabazz Napier, who has made 58.3% of his three-point attempts so far this season. Bayern, which has lost two in a row, will look for frontcourt dominance from Devin Booker, with the big man scoring in double digits in every game. He will also have to box out against Paris center Enzo Shahrvin, who grabbed 4 of his team’s 17 offensive boards in the win over Panathinaikos.
Friday, October 18
AS Monaco vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (19:00 CEST)
Monaco (2-1) will attempt to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss in Barcelona as it hosts a Virtus (0-3) team desperate to end its status as the only winless team in the competition. Virtus needs to improve its offense after only averaging 73.3 points so far, with key scorers Marco Belinelli, Will Clyburn and Isaia Cordinier all shooting at 30% or less from three-point range. Toko Shengelia grabbed a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in Tuesday’s home loss against Zalgiris, and he will aim to physically dominate a Monaco team which heavily lost the rebounding battle in Barcelona. In the backcourt, Elie Okobo will look to continue leading the offense after averaging 14.7 points and 4.7 assists in the opening three games.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (19:30 CEST)
Efes (1-2) is aiming to recover from a two-game losing streak as it welcomes an in-form Olympiacos (2-1) chasing a third straight win. The Reds played with great efficiency to easily overcome Milan on Tuesday, making 60% of two-point shots and 44.4% from three-point range, as Sasha Vezenkov continued his fine form with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Thomas Walkup was the orchestrator with 8 assists on just 1 turnover, and he will face an important job defensively to limit the influence Efes star Shane Larkin, who will be determined to find his scoring range after going 0 for 6 from long range in Tuesday’s narrow loss at Maccabi. Forward Jordan Nwora and big man Vincent Poirier both surpassed 20 points in that game, and Efes can look to use their physicality to create space for Larkin on the exterior.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. FC Barcelona (20:00 CEST)
High-flying Zvezda (3-0) will look to stay perfect with a visit from Barcelona (2-1), which is looking to move into a share of first place. Zvezda’s impressive Round 3 win was largely based on an outstanding defensive effort which held Fenerbahce to just 57 points, while the offense was expertly controlled by Codi Miller-McIntyre as he dished 8 assists without a turnover. The Serbian team has Nemanja Nedovic in a sweet shooting moment, averaging 15.7 points on 58.8% from beyond the arc. Barca also enjoyed a successful evening to start the double-round week, comfortably defeating Monaco with a solid team performance propelled by Kevin Punter’s 20 points. The Spanish team has won 11 straight against Zvezda, dating back to 2017, so will have no fear as it heads into Belgrade Arena.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CEST)
With the scalp of Real Madrid safely secured, Baskonia (2-1) will try to make it two wins in three days by downing ASVEL (1-2). The French team fell to defeat at ALBA on Tuesday despite another strong performance from the increasingly influential Theo Maledon (17 points, 7 rebounds), and it needs to find more efficiency inside the arc after converting just 14 of its 35 (40%) two-point attempts in Berlin. A big battle for rebounding supremacy will take place between ASVEL’s Neal Sako, who has recorded two consecutive double-doubles, and the visiting Khalifa Diop, who helped control the tempo with 8 points and 7 boards against Real. ASVEL also needs to match the endless energy of Chima Moneke, who averages 15 points and 5.3 rebounds so far this season.