The 4th round of the EuroLeague wraps up tonight (10/09) with three games on the schedule.
Aside from Olympiacos’s big game against Efes (9:15 p.m.), attention turns to the two matchups on Spanish soil.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Barcelona vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Barcelona will be looking for its second home win of this year’s EuroLeague when it hosts Zalgiris Kaunas at 9:30 p.m. The Catalans are coming off their first road win in the competition, having defeated Besiktas in Istanbul, with Kevin Punter leading the offensive effort with 16 points. The American tops the EuroLeague scoring leaderboard, averaging 20 points per game.
On the other side, Zalgiris is looking to put last week’s two narrow losses behind them and get back on the winning track immediately. The Kaunas team is the league’s top force in offensive rebounds, with Azoulas Tubelis making a significant contribution, as he is the league’s leading rebounder with 8.7 per game.
Injury issues on both sides—with Barcelona having limited options in the frontcourt and Zalgiris on the perimeter— add an extra layer of intrigue to a matchup that is expected to be particularly competitive.
Baskonia vs. Besiktas
Boosted by its first victory in this year’s EuroLeague, Baskonia hosts Besiktas at 9:30 p.m., aiming to build on the positive result from the previous game. The Spanish team handily defeated Armani Milan last week, with A.J. Lawson scoring 16 points and recording double-digit scoring for the third consecutive game.
Beşiktaş, on the other hand, has already suffered two losses in as many home games, but away from Istanbul, it has shown a different side. Their only road game so far resulted in an impressive 16-point victory over Maccabi in Belgrade. Despite Ante Zizic’s strong performance in the paint, however, the team was unable to avoid a loss to Barcelona last game.
The two teams have faced each other only twice before in the EuroLeague, both times in 2013, with Baskonia and Maccabi each claiming one victory.
Today’s schedule:
9:15 p.m. Olympiacos – Anadolu Efes
9:30 p.m. Baskonia – Besiktas
9:30 p.m. Barcelona – Zalgiris Kaunas
*photo source: KYPE
