The final double-round week of the season is here, starting with games on Tuesday and Wednesday
Round 25 at a glance: The playoff race is starting to heat up
Article
8 Mins read
Another double-round week roars into action on Tuesday with a thrilling slate of games featuring the reigning champs facing the hottest team in the league. This is what to expect from Round 25 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Tuesday, February 4
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Real Madrid (18:30 CET)
Two recent champions aiming to bounce back meet in Istanbul as Efes (11-13) welcomes Real (13-11). Both teams suffered tight road losses last week, with the Turkish team going down bravely at Olympiacos, while Real’s offense spluttered during a defeat at Monaco. The visitors lead the league in rebounding (36.5 per game), so will look for the likes of Walter Tavares (7.6 boards per game) to give physical dominance and open up space on the perimeter for Mario Hezonja, who led his team’s scoring at Monaco with 15 points but was also ejected for two technical fouls. Efes won 64-74 in Madrid in November with the help of 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots from big man Vincent Poirier, who will again look to get the better of his former teammate Tavares.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs. ALBA Berlin (19:00 CET)
Struggling Zalgiris (11-13) will attempt to reignite its fading playoff challenge by overcoming an ALBA team (4-20) aiming for a second straight victory for the first time this season. The host needs to find more scoring solutions than just Sylvain Francisco, whose 33 points carried his team in last week’s home loss to Bayern, which took Andrea Trinchieri’s men to seven losses in the last eight games. ALBA’s morale-boosting victory over Maccabi came courtesy of 22 points from the in-form Yanni Wetzell, who has now scored at least 10 points in four straight games. Zalgiris has struggled for production inside the paint all season, and needs Alen Smailagic (7.8 points per game) or Laurynas Birutis (4.5) to step up and power the team to a badly-needed victory.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (20:00 CET)
With morale boosted by last week’s derby victory over Partizan, Zvezda (14-10) will attempt to strengthen its challenge for the top four by overcoming inconsistent ASVEL (11-13). The French team has struggled defensively in recent weeks, allowing an average of 91.8 points over the last four games, and will look for the same kind of toughness that led to a 77-74 home win over Zvezda in Round 10, including a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) for center Joffrey Lauvergne. But Joel Bolomboy – who leads the league in rebounding with 8.0 boards per night – missed that game through injury so he’ll look to make the difference for the Serbian team after making a strong contribution to last week’s win over Partizan with 14 points and 8 boards.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20:15 CET)
A major heavyweight battle will be played in a playoff-style atmosphere in Athens as reigning champ Panathinaikos (14-10) welcomes second-placed Fenerbahce (16-7). The Greens are looking to bounce back from last week’s surprising defeat at Milan and will look to establish dominance of the paint through Juancho Hernangomez, who averages 9.8 rebounds over the last four games. Fenerbahce enjoyed a perfect January with six wins out of six, partly thanks to a strong start from new signing Errick McCollum, who netted 15 points on 7-of-10 field goal shooting in last week’s win over Virtus. The Turkish team is also looking for revenge – and a six-point winning margin for head-to-head advantage – after the Greens won 76-81 in Istanbul in Round 5, led by 12 points and 5 assists from former Fener guard Lorenzo Brown.
FC Bayern Munich vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:45 CET)
A pair of direct rivals who enjoyed morale-boosting victories last week will go head to head, with Bayern (14-10) hosting Milan (13-11). The German team comfortably beat Zalgiris last time out, partly thanks to yet another long-range shooting exhibition from Andreas Obst (26 points on 8-of-12 triples), while Zach LeDay’s 33 points on 12-of-17 field-goal shooting inspired Milan to overcome its injury and beat Panathinaikos. The Italian team will try to control the influence of Bayern playmaker Nick Weiler-Babb, who underlined his importance with a double-double of 14 points and a personal best 13 assists in Kaunas. Milan’s own version of Weiler-Babb, do-it-all forward Shavon Shields, will also have a key role as the Italian team look to become only the third visiting victors in Munich all season.
Wednesday, February 5
AS Monaco vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (19:00 CET)
Boosted by a last-gasp victory over Barcelona last week, Baskonia (10-14) will attempt to keep moving towards the playoff places with a tough trip to third-placed Monaco (15-9). Trent Forrest was the author of Baskonia's game-winning basket last time out, and the guard has become a key figure for Pablo Laso’s men after scoring in double digits in the last six games. Monaco regained its defensive identity to down Real last week, with Nick Calathes helping cover the absence of injured guards Elie Okobo and Jordan Loyd by recording a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists. Another Monaco backcourt star could take center stage on this occasion: Mike James needs 11 points to become the first player in EuroLeague history to reach a career total of 5,000.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (20:30 CET)
Two teams desperate for victory go head to head as lowly Virtus (7-17) welcomes a Partizan (12-13) team eager to bounce back from last week’s Belgrade derby defeat and climb back into the top ten. The home team will hope that veteran leader Toko Shengelia can stay hot after netting a personal-best 35 points in last week’s loss at Fenerbahce, meaning he has now scored at least 12 points in six straight games. He will be confronted by Brandon Davies, who showed his defensive prowess by snaring 8 rebounds and 6 steals in the loss to Zvezda. Partizan’s hot hand is guard Carlik Jones, who has averaged 20.3 points in the last three games, and Virtus will try to contain him through the veteran smarts of Daniel Hackett.
Paris Basketball vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
Paris (14-9) will attempt to stay in the all-important top four by overcoming league leader Olympiacos (17-7). The French team, which has won three of the last four, will hold no fear after already beating Olympiacos this season in Piraeus, triumphing 90-96 in December behind 21 points and 8 assists from playmaker TJ Shorts. One of Shorts’s main competitors for this season’s MVP award, Sasha Vezenkov, will have revenge on his mind after only making 4 of his 13 field-goal attempts in that game. The Reds will also be aware of the threat of Tyson Ward, who combined 14 points with 5 rebounds and 3 steals in Paris’s win in Piraeus, and will hope for another strong game from big man Nikola Milutinov after his 11 points and 7 rebounds in last week’s win over Efes.
FC Barcelona vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:30 CET)
After the frustration of last week’s last-second loss at Baskonia, Barcelona (13-11) will attempt to bounce back by overcoming struggling Maccabi (6-18). The absence of injured forward Jaylen Hoard is a blow for Maccabi, which will look for former Barca guard Rokas Jokubaitis to maintain his strong season (12 points, 5.1 assists per game) on his return to Palau Blaugrana. He was effectively replaced by rising star Juan Nunez, who will look to continue his progression after averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 assists in the last two games. The Spanish side took a thriller, 86-88, when the teams met in Round 9, powered by 18 points and 9 rebounds from Jabari Parker, and will be confident of completing a sweep against a Maccabi side that has won just once on the road all season.