The action continues as Round 4 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague delivers the first double-round week of the season. Three perfect Spanish teams will face big threats to their unbeaten status, while the only two teams without a win will be desperate to get on the winning track. Here's your guide to Thursday and Friday's nine games.
Nine teams seek double-round sweeps on Thursday and Friday
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Thursday, October 19
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
As it desperately aims to end a 16-game EuroLeague losing streak, ASVEL (0-3) faces the tough task of traveling to Fenerbahce (2-1) for Round 4's opening tip-off. Dimitris Itoudis's team bolstered its confidence with a highly convincing home victory over Panathinaikos two nights ago, and will have been especially pleased to see all-time assists leader Nick Calathes recover from a slow start to the season by combining 12 points with 5 assists. On Thursday, he will go head-to-head with another EuroLeague legend, Nando De Colo, who has been a rare bright spot during ASVEL's dark start, including 25 points in Tuesday's loss at Efes.
Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Struggling Olympiacos (1-2) has the task of recovering from consecutive losses with a visit from Partizan (1-2), which is also seeking a return to the winning path after losing at home to Barcelona on Tuesday. The Reds need to rediscover their usual fluency on offense after scoring just 53 points in Tuesday's loss in Milan, converting just 19 field goals and registering more turnovers (15) than assists (12). Olympiacos could look to dominate physically by running their offense through big man Nikola Milutinov, who has started the season in fine form with averages of 13.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. But Partizan is also strong inside, leading the league in two-point conversion rate (62.3%) and possessing the most accurate individual in that category with Alen Smailagic (80%).
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Two teams looking to strengthen their playoffs credentials meet at Buesa Arena as Baskonia (1-2) hosts Zalgiris (2-1), with both looking for a return to winning ways after suffering defeats on Tuesday. There has been a big contrast in three-point shooting efficiency so far, with Baskonia converting only 29.9% of its long-range attempts (15th in the league), while Zalgiris ranks second at 42.4%. EuroLeague rookie Brady Manek has been the main man for the Lithuanian team from long-range, sinking multiple triples in each of his three games so far at a conversion rate of 58.3%. On Thursday, he will face Baskonia's best player so far, Tadas Sedekerskis, who averages 9.7 points and a league-best 10.3 rebounds.
Real Madrid vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Milan (1-1) coach Ettore Messina called upon all his defensive expertise to secure his 300th career victory in the competition on Tuesday, holding Olympiacos to just 53 points, and will now attempt to devise another game plan to shut down unbeaten Real (3-0). That will involve clamping down on key creator Facundo Campazzo, who ranks second in the league in assists with 8.0 per game. But the reigning champs also possess an awesome collection of big men, especially now that Gabriel Deck has returned from injury. Milan will likely need to former Real power forward Nikola Mirotic to maintain his magnificent start after scoring 27 and 20 points in the first two games.
Friday, October 20
Friday's opening tip will see Monaco (1-2) look to build on its first victory when it faces an ALBA (0-3) team that is still searching for a stroke in the win column. Monaco can always rely upon the firepower of Mike James, who averages 17.7 points and 7 assists after having recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 helpers to help stop Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on Wednesday. ALBA is gradually finding a new weapon in summer signing Sterling Brown, who had his best game yet with 17 points and 6 rebounds in Wednesday's defeat at Virtus. The German team committed 17 turnovers in the opening three quarters of that loss in Italy but zero in the final period, which it won 20-25, marking a path for Israel Gonzalez's team to follow into Monaco.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Valencia Basket
Having relieved some pressure with a comfortable first win of the season against ASVEL on Tuesday, Efes (1-2) will look to build further momentum by overcoming a perfect Valencia (3-0) which will be playing on the road for the first time this season. Valencia's calling card is defense. It is holding opponents to league lows of 68.3 points and 14.7 assists per game. That will present a challenge to Efes's backcourt leaders Shane Larkin and Darius Thompson, who will be pleased to have Will Clyburn back in form after he scored 19 points against ASVEL. For Valencia, backcourt control can come from Stefan Jovic, who dished 6 assists in Wednesday's win over Maccabi.
Panathinaikos Athens vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Two ambitious teams looking to bounce back from Round 3 losses meet in Athens as Panathinaikos (1-2) welcomes Maccabi (1-1). Ergin Ataman will hope the Greens can find more offensive rhythm after averaging just 12.7 assists per game so far, the lowest tally in the competition. Maccabi, on the other hand, leads that league in that category with 24.5 assists per game. The key men in the backcourt battle are Kostas Sloukas, after he suffered a tough night of 4 points, 2 assists and 4 turnovers in the Round 3 loss at his former club Fenerbahce, and Lorenzo Brown, who had a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists, but also committed 7 turnovers, in the defeat at Valencia on Wednesday.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
Virtus (2-1) will look to complete a perfect double-round week and make it three wins in a row as it receives as visit from Zvezda (1-2). The rebounding battle will be very important, with Zvezda crashing the boards to the tune of a league-high 17.7 offensive rebounds per game, led by Luka Mitrovic with an average of 2.7. But Virtus can also compete physically, with experienced big men Jordan Mickey (6.3 rebounds per game), Toko Shengelia and Bryant Dunston all starting the season in good form. As he returns to face his former club, Zvezda playmaker Milos Teodosic will hope to recover his shooting accuracy after making just 1 of his 7 three-point attempts in Wednesday's home loss to Monaco.
FC Barcelona vs. FC Bayern Munich
Round 4 concludes with a clash of two sporting titans as Barca (3-0) defends its 100% record against dangerous Bayern (2-1), which has won two in a row. After conquering his former club Baskonia in Round 3, Bayern boss Pablo Laso will look for the same outcome in another arena he knows extremely well, and will look to control the game's tempo through big men Isaac Bonga (7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds per game) and Devin Booker (9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game). It's a big night for Bayern's dynamic guard Leandro Bolmaro (11.7 points per game) as he returns to face his former club. His backcourt battle with the equally athletic Tomas Satoransky (10 rebounds and 6 assists in Tuesday's win at Partizan) is sure to generate some highlight reel action.