Βy Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops chooses the match of the week, lists the full schedule of both days and stands out things you need to know about Euroleague’s tenth round.
Three spots remaining!
This week, Euroleague’s first phase comes to an end, as 13 clubs have already qualified to the top-16, with the last round determining the three remaining spots, as two places are still open in group A and one in group D. Some of the matches have no particular interest at all, while other games will determine the place the respective teams will claim.
Match of the week
Darussafaka vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
December 17 CET: 19.45 (Volkswagen Arena)
Darussafaka (4-5) welcomes Maccabi Tel-Aviv (3-6) in a “do or die” match for both teams. The hosts will certainly fight for the win, however a defeat by fewer than 11 points will also let them advance to the next phase. Oktay Mahmouti’s squad beat the Israelis 73-84 on the road and has a significant advantage regarding the battle of qualification. On the other hand, Maccabi is one of Euroleague’s traditional forces, has a more experienced team than its opponents and will fight tooth and nail to avoid being eliminated for the first time in the club’s history. The Israeli team plays better on both ends of the floor as of late, but the Turks have very talented players and will do their best to qualify to the next round.
Crvena Zvezda vs Bayern Munich
December 18 CET: 19.00 (Pionir)
If we assume that Strasbourg will not prevail over Real Madrid for a second time, things look pretty simple. The two rivals have the same record (4-5), so the winner of the match will advance to top-16, whereas the losing squad will play in Eurocup! The Serbians enter the game having two major advantages, namely their home court and the 11-point victory against their opponents on the road (79-90). However, it’s commonly known that Svetislav Pesic’s team is fully capable of earning the victory, but also one of Euroleague’s most unpredictable squads. Both clubs seem to be at the same playing level, so a great battle is expected!
December 17
Khimki vs Fenerbahce
CET: 17.45
Basketball Center
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Panathinaikos
CET: 18.45
Zalgirio Arena
Brose Baskets vs Dinamo Sassari
CET: 20.00
Brose Arena
Laboral Kutxa vs Cedevita
CET: 20.30
Fernando Buesa Arena
Real Madrid vs Strasbourg
CET: 20.45
Barclaycard Center
December 18
Lokomotiv Kuban vs Barcelona
CET: 18.00
Basket Hall
Zielona Gora vs Karsiyaka
CET: 19.00
Rekreacyjno Sportowe
Emporio Armani Milano vs Limoges
CET: 20.45
Mediolanum Forum
CET: 20.45
Stadium SEF
Unicaja Malaga vs CSKA Moscow
CET: 20.45
Martin Carpena
Things you need to know
-
Giannis Bourousis is still on top of Euroleague’s ranking system (averaging 23.6 points) after nine rounds, while he is also the first rebounder with 9.6 per game. Moreover, he needs one more block to climb second in the relative list with 163.
-
Strasbourg has lost 16 straight matches on the road.
-
Trey Thompkins has hit 33 straight free throws!
-
Lokomotiv Kuban has Euroleague’s best defence, as they concede just 67.7 points per game, while they are also first in steals with 8.7 per game.
-
Malcolm Delaney has more playing time than any other player in the competition, averaging 33:05 minutes per game.
-
Laboral Kutxa needs one more win to reach the 200 victories in the competition, a milestone that only Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel-Aviv have accomplished.
-
Giorgos Printezis has been in double digits for 12 straight games.
- Anadolu Efes has Euroleague’s best three-point shooting percentage, with 46.9%, having also hit the most three-pointers, 98!
-
CSKA Moscow has the best offence in the competition, averaging 91.4 points per game.
-
Dimitris Diamantidis needs 15 points to tie J.R Holden (2.388) in the seventh place of the all-time scoring list.