Round 20 is full of reunions, star-powered matchups and teams ...
Another double-round week is here, as the unrelenting Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season shows no sign of slowing down.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
After last week's record-breaking win over Maccabi, Fenerbahce (11-8) will look to continue its momentum against a Partizan (10-9) team eager to bounce back from its Belgrade derby defeat. November's meeting between the teams was a thriller, with Partizan winning 85-84 behind 15 points from Frank Kaminsky, who faces a good inside battle with Georgios Papagiannis after the Fener center scored 16 points with just one miss in last week's rout. Partizan has lost three out of its last four fixtures, averaging just 74 points in those losses, so home coach Sarunas Jasikevicius will look to again stifle the offense of his old mentor, Zeljko Obradovic.
AS Monaco vs. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Two teams currently tied at 10-9 and looking to get back to winning ways go head-to-head as Monaco hosts Baskonia. Monaco, which is set to be without Elie Okobo due to an internal suspension, will look for star point guard and league scoring leader Mike James to get the better of another long-range specialist, Markus Howard (fourth-highest scorer in the league). The two guards shined with 28 and 18 points, respectively, when the teams enjoyed a thrilling tussle in Round 10, which ended with Jaron Blossomgame netting a spectacular game-winning putback, 75-77, with 2 seconds remaining.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
Pablo Laso will look to boost Bayern's (8-11) playoff hopes by masterminding a victory against former club and league leader Real (17-2). Real enjoyed a comfortable win, 88-73, when the teams met in Madrid last month as Sergio Llull rolled back the years with 16 points. Bayern will have to find defensive solutions against Dzanan Musa after his 40 points in last week's historic showdown with Efes, and the German team will also hope that veteran leader Vladimir Lucic can start to find top form after working his way back from a long-term injury in the last five games.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul This week's theme of iconic coaches facing their former teams continues as Panathinaikos (11-8) boss Ergin Ataman prepares to welcome Efes (7-12). Last week's record-breaking loss to Real was the latest in a six-game losing slide from the Turkish team, which needs more than just Shane Larkin's scoring heroics to reignite its playoff hopes. Panathinaikos, which will play four out of its next five games in Athens, will have to do without Luca Vildoza, who scored a season-high 19 points in a win at Valencia last time out but suffered a knee injury over the weekend. The Greens may be able to welcome back Kostas Sloukas, however. Efes beat Panathinaikos 71-68 in Round 12 behind 21 points from Tyrique Jones.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan vs. ALBA Berlin
Milan (8-11) will look for another dogged defensive performance to secure a third consecutive home win against an ALBA team (3-16) which hasn't won on the road all season. A key individual battle will take place between three-point shooting big men who won the World Cup together last summer: Johannes Voigtmann and Johannes Thiemann. The latter netted 22 points, including 5 points in the last 2 minutes, when the German team overcame Milan, 85-82, in Round 5.
Valencia Basket vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Valencia (10-9) is aiming to keep its place in the all-important top ten with a visit from Zalgiris (6-13). Chris Jones was Valencia's top performer with 16 points when the Spanish side won easily, 72-87, in Kaunas earlier this season. His backcourt duel with Keenan Evans, who netted 18 points in that game, is sure to be a key feature of this meeting. Valencia will also hope for another strong performance in the paint from center Damien Inglis, who averaged 10.5 and 8.5 rebounds in last week's double-round week.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade
New ASVEL (3-16) boss Pierric Poupet will hope to make a winning start against a Zvezda team (8-11) boosted by last week's impressive triumphs over Fenerbahce and Partizan. The French club, which could give a debut to new signing Deshaun Thomas, has bitter memories from a 94-73 defeat in Belgrade in October. Rokas Giedraitis shined that night with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and he also hit top form last week with 19 and 14 points, plus 7 rebounds, in each of Zvezda's big wins. ASVEL is also coming off a big win, with 27 points from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot inspiring a much-needed triumph over Zalgiris.
FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos Piraeus
A high-powered matchup awaits at Palau Blaugrana as third-placed Barca (13-6) welcomes fast-rising Olympiacos (11-8). Jan Vesely was simply unstoppable in Barca's big wins against Real Madrid and Baskonia last week, netting 27 and 23 points, respectively, and his battle with Reds center Moustapha Fall could be pivotal. Olympiacos will be full of confidence after winning four straight games, and it will look to manage the tempo of the game through the all-round leadership skills of Thomas Walkup, who threatened a triple-double with 9 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in last week's win over Monaco.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna
Another showdown between playoff-chasing rivals takes place in Belgrade as Maccabi (11-8) welcomes second-placed Virtus (14-5). Maccabi needs to respond from a 35-point mauling at Fenerbahce last week, while Virtus has won seven of its last eight games. Marco Belinelli drained 22 points when the Italian team beat Maccabi in Round 13, and he'll be looking to extend a run of seven straight games netting multiple triples. Maccabi loves to crash the boards and leads the league in offensive rebounding, so Toko Shengelia and co. will have to work hard to protect their backboard.
