FC Barcelona Regal are at home on Thursday in Group H of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 when they lock horns with Zalgiris Kaunas.
Two Turkish Airlines Euroleague powerhouses go face to face in a pivotal contest in Top 16 Group H, as FC Barcelona Regal welcomes Zalgiris Kaunas on Thursday.
Both teams have faced each other 15 times and none was more important then the first one, when Barcelona edged Zalgiris in the 1985 Cup Winners' Cup final. Barcelona has a 6-1 home record against Zalgiris, whose only win at Palau Blaugrana came in the 2004-05 season.
The hosts have the best defence in the competition (59.6 ppg.) and only Montepaschi Siena has been able to score more than 70 points against them. Zalgiris leads the 2011-12 Euroleague in fouls committed (290).
Zalgiris may be without Marko Popovic, who missed a domestic game this weekend due to a hamstring injury. The Lithuanian champs released Reeves Nelson. Juan Carlos Navarro, Pete Mickeal and Boni Ndong sat out in a Spanish League game on Sunday but all are probable on Thursday.
Both teams have deep frontlines and the battle in the paint promises to be the biggest key to this game. Barcelona's main frontcourt reference is Erazem Lorbek, who comes off a very good game against Maccabi.
Kosta Perovic offers size and post moves, Boni Ndong and Fran Vazquez are great rebounders, shot blockers and mid-range shooters, while C.J. Wallace can open the floor with his outside jumper. Perovic and Ndong may see extended playing time against shot-blocking ace Robertas Javtokas and physical big man Milovan Rakovic.
Zalgiris has very good offensive re-bounders in Paulius Jankunas and Tadas Klimavicius, so boxing out will be critical for the hosts. Jankunas must try to use his mid-range shots against Vazquez, the Euroleague's all-time shot blocking leader.
Of course, Zalgiris must find the way to stop Navarro, who rarely has a bad game against the Lithuanian powerhouse. His records in scoring (32) and performance index ranking (35) came against Zalgiris. Navarro must find his magic against Tomas Delininkaitis and Vytenis Lipkevicius, who will see extended playing time if Popovic doesn't travel.
Chuck Eidson and Pete Mickeal can be a factor at the wings. Both must try to slow down Sonny Weems, whose athleticism and one-on-one skills can impact the outcome of a game. Mantas Kalnietis has to use his physical skills, but he won't have it easy against defensive stopper Victor Sada.
Marcelinho Huertas must step up against DeJuan Collins, who has scored in double digits in both Top 16 games so far.
Euroleague Live Streaming Schedule:
- 16:15 - CSKA Moscow vs Galatasaray
- 18:30 - Fenerbahce vs Panathinaikos
- 19:45 - Barcelona vs Zalgiris
- 19:45 - Cantu vs Maccabi Electra
- 19:45 - Unicaja vs Montepaschi Siena
