By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The first round of Top16 is coming into an end and, especially in the “Group of Death”, every game counts. However, while Khimki is hosting Real Madrid in Moscow in their third duel for the season and Panathinaikos has a do or die game at OAKA against Anadolu Efes, the game between CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos is as big, as it gets.
Game of the week
CSKA Moscow – Olympiacos (12/2, 18.45 CET)
Τhe “Army team” (4-2) will host Olympiacos (3-3) for the first time ever in the Megasports Arena. Two Euroleague giants are squaring off, bringing back memories from the two semifinals of 2013 and 2015 and the final of 2012, their only three Final Four games.
They are quite the opposite of each other. Olympiacos has one of the best defenses in Euroleague, letting the opponents score just 71.4 ppg, while CSKA Moscow has the best offense, averaging 90.3 ppg! It’s obvious that it will be a game of tempo, with both teams trying to impose their style. It will be all about defense for the Greeks, still CSKA Moscow is the favorite always on its own home court.
Honorable mention: Panathinaikos – Anadolu Efes (12/2, 20.45 CET)
Panathinaikos (3-3) beat Cedevita on the road and is now facing Anadolu Efes (3-3) in a crucial game for both teams. The Greens will try to play excellent defence against a squad, which has hit the most three-pointers and has the best percentage from the three-point range.
The Turkish club is very effective offensively, however they play mediocre on the other end of the floor, so Sasa Djordjevic’s players will try to take advantage of it, in order to earn a big victory.
Thursday, 11 February
Khimki vs Real Madrid (18.00 CET Time)
Fenerbahce vs Unicaja Malaga (20.00 CET Time)
Crvena Zvezda vs Cedevita (20.00 CET Time)
Laboral Kutxa vs Brose Baskets (20.45 CET Time)
Friday, 12 February
Lokomotiv Kuban vs Darussafaka (17.00 CET Time)
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas (21.00 CET Time)
Things you need to know
Nick Calathes has made the most steals in the entire Euroleague, averaging two per game.
Anadolu Efes has hit the most three-pointers (160) and also has the best three-point percentage in the entire league (42.9%)
Dusan Ivkovic has been Sasa Djordjevic’s head coach not only in the Yugoslavian national team in 1991, but also in the Serbian national team, four years later (1995).
Giannis Bourousis has made a tremendous season with Laboral Kutxa so far, being 9 for 15 from deep in the Spanish team’s home games.
Lokomotiv Kuban is the only team in the competition that has three players in its roster, namely Delaney, Brokhoff and Claver, who have played in all games this season.
Nando De Colo has scored in double figures 19 straight times.
Sarunas Jasikevicius played for Barcelona for four years (2000-03, 2012-13), having won the Euroleague in 2003 as well as two championships and three Spanish Cups, as a member of the “Blaugrana”.