Euroleague Basketball: Penultimate regular-season round
Round 37 of the Euroleague Basketball Regular Season will be decisive in the race for the playoffs with several matchups between direct rivals.
This is what to expect on Thursday and Friday, CE Report informs via the Euroleague Basketball's official website.
Thursday, April 9
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (18:30 CEST)
Olympiacos (24-12) can wrap up a top four finish by overcoming a red-hot Hapoel team (22-13) aiming for the same objective. The host will be confident after a convincing victory over Fenerbahce on Tuesday, when Elijah Bryant again underlined his MVP credentials with a tasty collection of 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Bryant’s versatility means that slowing him down will have to be a job for the whole visiting team, and the energy of Shaq McKissic and Kostas Papanikolaou will be crucial for Olympiacos to match Hapoel’s tempo. Get ready for a big battle in the frontcourt, where Dan Oturu is in fine form after netting 23 points on 9-of-11 two-pointers earlier this week, but the Reds can count on the physical presence of superstars Nikola Milutinov and Sasha Vezenkov to control the paint.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Real Madrid (19:45 CEST)
Fenerbahce (23-13) hosts Real (22-14) in a heavyweight matchup that could well decide homecourt advantage for the playoffs. The Turkish team has suffered a series of slow starts during its run of six losses out of seven, and needs other offensive solutions to support Wade Baldwin, who scored 22 points – double the amount of any teammate – in Tuesday’s loss at Hapoel. Real also lost on Tuesday, convincingly beaten at Olympiacos, and has dropped three straight on the road. The Spanish team – which controls the head-to-head after October’s 84-56 victory in Madrid – will hope the confident three-point shooting of Trey Lyles, who hit 6-of-8 from deep in Piraeus, can punish the fragile home defense. In the paint, fit-again Nicola Melli will look to use his shooting range to challenge the dominance of Walter Tavares.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. FC Bayern Munich (20:30 CEST)
After suffering elimination from the postseason race, Milan (17-19) will seek a boost in morale against in-form Bayern (16-20). The Italian team suffered a fourth quarter collapse – not for the first time – to see its top ten hopes ended at Valencia earlier this week, and needs to improve a defense which has been leaky throughout a run of four losses out of five. Bayern has greatly improved since suffering its own elimination from the playoffs, with Tuesday’s triumph at Virtus making it three wins in a row. One key man during that run is center David McCormack, averaging 15.3 points and 7 rebounds in the last three games. A key matchup will see two of the league’s most dangerous three-point shooters go head-to-head, as Andreas Obst confronts Armoni Brooks (2.9 vs 2.7 triples per night).
Valencia Basket vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (20:45 CEST)
Panathinaikos (21-15) will attempt to stay in the race for the top four by downing a Valencia team (23-13) which could clinch that prize with a win. The Greens will look to repeat the lightning start which overwhelmed Barcelona two days ago, and the outside shooting of in-form Cedi Osman and Juancho Hernangomez will be important to counter the host’s potent long-range threat. Valencia’s latest victory, overcoming Milan on Tuesday, again owed a lot to the all-round brilliance of Jean Montero, and his backcourt battle with wily veteran Kostas Sloukas will be crucial in determining the game’s rhythm. The Spanish team has nothing to fear after already beating Panathinaikos in Athens, 79-89, and Darius Thompson will look to repeat the form which saw him combine 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in that win.
Paris Basketball vs. Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv (21:00 CEST)
Desperate Maccabi (18-17) faces a must-win trip to dangerous Paris (14-22) in its quest to keep pushing for a play-in place. The visiting team suffered a costly defeat at Baskonia on Tuesday to leave no more margin for error, and will be focusing on improving a defense which has allowed 92 points per game – second-worst in the league. That’s especially important against a fast-paced Paris team boasting the relentless scoring talents of Nadir Hifi (19.2 points per game), while fellow guard Justin Robinson is looking to bounce back after going 0-of-7 from three-point range in the Round 36 loss at Zvezda. Maccabi will look for more offensive inspiration from Lonnie Walker (25 and 23 points in the last two games) and the consistent Roman Sorkin (13.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per night).
Friday, April 10
AS Monaco vs. FC Barcelona (19:30 CEST)
Two direct rivals in the top ten meet for a hugely important showdown as Monaco (20-16) welcomes Barcelona (20-16). The visitor is desperate to bounce back from Tuesday’s heavy home loss to Panathinaikos, and hopes Tomas Satoransky can return to exploit the absence of Monaco pair Nemanja Nedovic and Terry Tarpey. Monaco had just an eight-man roster in Wednesday’s meeting with ASVEL but prevailed behind Elie Okobo nearly recording a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. A key matchup between two top-class veteran power forwards will see Nikola Mirotic tussle with Toko Shengelia, while the scoring skills of fit-again Mike James against Kevin Punter could also be crucial in a game sure to be played at maximum intensity with the loser potentially dropping out of the top ten.
Dubai Basketball vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (20:00 CEST)
Dubai (19-17) will look to keep its late push for postseason action on track as it welcomes Efes (11-25) to Sarajevo. The host will have confidence sky-high after scoring an astonishing 38 fourth quarter points to stun Zalgiris in Round 36, and Aleksa Avramovic will want the ball in his hands as quickly as possible after netting 12 points during that barrage. Just as important will be repeating the same level of team defense that held Zalgiris to 65 points, with Efes sharpshooters Jordan Loyd and Shane Larkin waiting to take advantage of any opportunities – Loyd’s 24 points led his team to victory over Partizan on Wednesday, the same night that Larkin returned to action after a long injury layoff as the Turkish team snapped a four-game losing streak.
Virtus Bologna vs. Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (20:30 CEST)
Two eliminated teams heading in opposite directions meet in Italy as struggling Virtus (13-23) welcomes revitalised Baskonia (12-24). The Spanish team has won three games straight behind and on-fire offense that has surpassed triple figures in all those victories, with Trent Forrest in his best form of the season (31, 22 and 19 points in his last three games). Virtus, in contrast, has lost seven straight to leave new coach Nenad Jakovljevic still waiting for his first victory. Hope comes from the three-point shooting of Matt Morgan, who netted 6-of-8 triples in Tuesday’s home loss to Bayern. Baskonia triumphed, 87-76, when the teams met earlier this season, so a rare road victory would allow Paolo Galbiati’s team to climb a place in the standings.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:30 CEST)
Zalgiris (21-15) will look to get its playoff challenge back on track with a tricky trip to Partizan (15-20). The Lithuanian team needs a swift recovery from a disastrous last quarter in Tuesday’s home loss to Dubai, and key offensive force Sylvain Francisco will be particularly determined to recover from a poor night which saw him score 5 points with 6 turnovers. Partizan also lost in Round 36, seeing a six-game winning run ended by Efes. The visitor will look to profit through long-range shooting: Zalgiris leads the league in three-point accuracy (40.1%), with Arnas Butkevicius going 9-of-11 from deep in the last three games. Partizan, meanwhile, ranks next-to-last (34.1%), and needs other to follow the recent improvement of Isaac Bonga, who has multiple triples in five of the last seven games.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (20:45 CEST)
Zvezda (20-16) will keep pushing for a top six finish as it travels to face rock-bottom ASVEL (8-28). The visiting team will hope Codi Miller-McIntyre can keep pulling the strings as he did to inspire Tuesday’s key win over Paris (16 points, 14 assists), and the Serbian team will look to repeat the collective intensity that delivered 16 offensive rebounds in that victory. Ognjen Dobric is aiming to stay hot from long-range after draining 5 triples earlier this week, and his shooting duel with Shaq Harrison (5-of-7 in ASVEL’s loss at Monaco on Wednesday) could be crucial. That defeat condemned the French team to a guaranteed last-placed finish, so matching Zvezda’s must-win motivation could be a challenge for the host as a difficult season approaches its conclusion.
Photo Euroleague Basketball
