Euroleague This Week: Big names aim for win streaks

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague returns to action on Thursday with Round 7’s match-ups headlined by a clash between the current standings leader and a perennial title candidate aiming to continue its upward trajectory. Here are the best of the storylines to follow.

Zalgiris set sights on Real

Zalgiris Kaunas (5-1) sitting in joint first place while Real Madrid (2-4) languishes outside the playoffs positions might seem like a complete role reversal, but that shifting status is a fair reflection of the opening weeks of the season. The Lithuanian side has played consistently good basketball at both ends of the court under impressive new coach Martin Schiller, while Real has badly struggled to find its rhythm, making Friday’s meeting in Kaunas is a tough one to call. Real, however, did boost its confidence by holding off a challenge from streaking FC Bayern Munich last week, and the return to fitness of Anthony Randolph will provide another dimension to Pablo Laso’s team. Randolph was restricted to a combined total of just 10 points in his first three appearances of the season, but looked much more like his old self by providing 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot last week. On the other side of the ball, the game will be another opportunity for October MVP Marius Grigonis to boost his rapidly growing reputation after a sparkling start to the season. The 26 year-old guard has averaged 15.5 points per game, also contributing 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds to suggest he is on track to become one of the EuroLeague’s elite offensive performers in his third season in the competition. Downing the mighty Real Madrid to keep Zalgiris in first place would be the ideal next step.

Can Efes topple rebounding experts Maccabi?

Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2-3) shooting star Shane Larkin made a triumphant return to action last week by guiding his team to a much-needed victory at Olympiacos Piraeus. In Round 7, Larkin will play his first home game of the season with a visit from Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2-4). Both teams are currently achieving below the high expectations they set coming into the season, and Maccabi is seeking a swift return to form after losing to the other club from Istanbul, Fenerbahce, at home last week. Although the focus will be on Larkin, a key role could also fall to another of last week’s headline makers, his teammate Bryant Dunston. The veteran big man became the competition’s all-time leader in blocked shots and will now attempt to overcome a physically powerful Maccabi frontcourt which is ranked second in the league in rebounding with 37.3 boards per game, way more than Efes’s league-low tally of 27.8 on average. If Maccabi can establish inside dominance it would become easier to close down Larkin on the outside, so Dunston and fellow big man Tibor Pleiss could hold the key to the outcome.

Master aiming to upset pupil

It’s fair to say the opposing coaches will have a fair understanding of each other’s intentions when co-leader FC Barcelona (5-1) travels to ALBA Berlin (1-3) on Thursday, with the German team’s Aito Garcia Reneses and visiting Sarunas Jasikevicius continuing a close relationship which dates back more than 20 years.

Jasikevicius joined Barca, led by Garcia Reneses, as a fresh-faced young point guard in 2000, and immediately played a key role in a domestic league and cup double at the end of what proved to be their first and only season together. Although their time as player and coach soon passed, their relationship has endured and Jasikevicius has regularly expressed his admiration for the ALBA play caller. But their mutual appreciation will be temporarily halted in the German capital this week, when ALBA returns from a two-week Covid-19-enforced break to attempt an upset against the high-flying Spanish side. Barca has won four games in a row but ALBA will be fresh and confident after overcoming CSKA Moscow in its last game, so this one could go either way.

De Colo and Shved to be overshadowed by supporting cast?

Two of the most prolific scorers recent EuroLeague history go head to head in Istanbul on Friday as Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (3-3), featuring Nando De Colo, goes up against Alexey Shved-inspired Khimki Moscow Region (1-5). It’s more than obvious that those two former Top Scorer Trophy winners possess the quality to deliver decisive performances, but they will receive plenty of assistance from teammates looking to build on last week’s promising wins. Khimki’s first win of the season owed a lot to the scintillating debut of Errick McCollum, who shone alongside Shved by blasting 23 points to help beat Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. And the key man in Fenerbahce’s Round 6 victory over Maccabi was Muhammed Ali, who rolled back the years with 17 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Khimki also presents tough defense close to the basket, blocking a league-high 4.3 shots per game, which could lead to an exciting battle against Jan Vesely, Fener’s expert dunker and blocker. Expect an intense battle between two teams looking to maintain momentum.

Can CSKA keep building?

Another team coming back from an unscheduled break in action is Panathinaikos OPAP Athens (2-2), which will return to the floor with a tasty home game against CSKA Moscow (3-3) on Friday. It has taken a while for the new-look CSKA team to find its feet, but Dimitris Itoudis’ men emerged from a two-game losing streak to overcome Valencia Basket last week and will now look to put together a customary long winning run. Any return to Athens is, of course, a special occasion for Greek native and former Panathinaikos assistant Itoudis, and the same applies to CKSA’s scoring ace Mike James, who enjoyed two excellent seasons with the Greek giant between 2016 and 2018. But the visiting team will face a Panathinaikos team boosted in confidence by a strong home win over Fenerbahce in its last outing, and the emergence of Nemanja Nedovic – who fired 28 points in that game – as a true team leader will provide a major test to CSKA, James and co.