Euroleague Tips with Previews – Round 11 – Friday

Fenerbahce (4-6) is on a three-game losing streak in which it was without scoring leader and former Valencia guard Nando De Colo. Without him, Lorenzo Brown (12.4 ppg.), Jan Vesely (10.7 ppg.) and Jarell Eddie (7.8 ppg.) have been leading the team. Valencia (6-3) comes off back-to-back home wins and looks for its third road victory this season. Klemen Prepelic (12.3 ppg.) has been its top scorer followed by Bojan Dubljevic (11.6 ppg.) and Nikola Kalinic (9.4 ppg.). Expect a thrilling showdown at Ulker Sports and Event Hall.

Fenerbahce has allowed 92.3 points on average in its last three losses, so a defensive improvement is required to be more competitive. In Fenerbahce’s case, more efficient offense would lead to better defensive numbers. Fenerbahce ranks last in offensive rebounds (7.4 orpg.) and fourth in turnovers (14.9 per game). Having more second-chance options and taking better care of the ball are keys for Fenerbahce to avoid easy points in transitions, so intangibles like focus and intensity are required.

De Colo will be sidelined until early December with a calf muscle injury.

Former Fenerbahce players Kalinic and Williams give Valencia a lot of versatility at forward and the visitors have to make the most out of it. Prepelic has been on fire lately, breaking his EuroLeague career-bests several times, and Dubljevic set personal-best marks in assists last week. Valencia must keep sharing the ball well – its 1.66 assist-to-turnover ratio is the second-best in the competition. Stopping Vesely and Ahmet Duverioglu is also important for the Spanish powerhouse.

Joan Sastre is sidelined with a partial tear to the internal lateral ligament of his right knee.

Panathinaikos (2-6) is currently on a four-game losing streak and hopes to put an end to it at OAKA. Nemanja Nedovic (14.0 ppg.), Ioannis Papapetrou (13.0 ppg.) and Shelvin Mack (11.7 ppg.) have been its top scorers so far this season. Bayern (7-3) is off to its best start in the EuroLeague despite coming off a home loss against CSKA Moscow. Vladimir Lucic (14.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg.), Wade Baldwin IV (13.9 ppg., 4.1 apg.) and Jalen Reynolds (12.7 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) have been its pillars until now.

Panathinaikos has a size advantage in the paint with Georgios Papagiannis and Dinos Mitoglou down low and must make the most of it. The Greens can rely on Papapetrou and Howard Sant-Roos not only to stop Lucic, but to generate advantages on offense with their one-on-one skills. Panathinaikos has a lot of firepower with players like Nedovic, Mack and Marcus Foster, but ranks 11th assists at just 16.5 per night. If the Greens can control the game tempo, the offense will come, as the team is full of great shooters.

Bayern has excelled on three-point defense, allowing scorers to make just 31.0% of their shots from downtown. If the German powerhouse can keep Panathinaikos close to that number, it will be on the right path. Bayern ranks 13th in fouls drawn (19.7) but fifth in free throws attempted (18.9), which says a lot about the team’s basketball IQ and overall aggressiveness. As always, getting Baldwin and Lucic involved on offense is critical for Coach Andrea Trinchieri’s team.