By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The time has come for the Gameday 2 of Basketball Champions League quarterfinals which will decide the Final Four participants.
Four teams have created their respective advantages in the first game but it will be for nothing if they don’t hold on in Game 2 as well and keep a better aggregate score.
All four games are scheduled for Wednesday (3/4) and here is a closer look at the matchups:
AEK – Brose Bamberg (18:30 CET)
AEK and Brose Bamberg will kick off the show in Greece as the home team tries to nullify the four-point deficit from Game 1 (71-67). It could’ve been worse for the reigning champions as Bamberg had a nine-point lead near the end but AEK managed to cut the gap in the last minute and increase their chances. Let’s not forget that AEK overcame a ten-point deficit against Nymburk in the Round of 16 last season and went on to become the champions.
Both squads put on steel defense in the first game and successfully cut off each other’s best scorers in Vince Hunter and Tyrese Rice respectively. Another tough game is to be expected but the duel between Hunter and Rice could very well be the key this time around.
Telenet Giants Antwerp – Nizhny Novgorod (20:00 CET)
Antwerp has been the biggest surprise of this BCL campaign and they don’t show any signs of stopping. The youngest squad in BCL ever has already made history and they are in great position to reach the Final Four thanks to an 83-68 road win over Nizhny in Game 1. Apart from winning their previous nine home games in all competitions, the tradition is also on Belgians’ side as no team has overcome a 15-point difference in BCL playoff history.
However, Nizhny is no stranger to winning by a big margin. Their last two road wins were by 20 or more points but they will have to stop Paris Lee in order to have any chance at an upset. Lee has been averaging 19.7 points in the playoffs and banked 24 against Nizhny in Game 1.
Iberostar Tenerife – Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem (20:30 CET)
Tenerife will host Hapoel as they try to draw energy from the home crowd and turn the situation in their favor. The Spaniards have won only two out of their last ten games in all competitions but they seem to step up in BCL when most-needed. They were down at halftime but opened the second half with a 17-o run and went neck-to-neck against the athletic Israeli squad, especially in the paint which is impressive considering Hapoel’s the best rebounding team this season.
Colton Iverson was the reason for that as the ‘big man’ notched a double-double dominating the boards but J’Covan Brown and James Feldeine managed to save Hapoel from ‘drowning’ and secured a two-point lead (75-73) in front of the rematch. Three-point shooting and paint control are important in every game but they will be the primary focus and probably decide the outcome of this matchup.