Real Madrid at Panathinaikos
Date: 12/26
Time: 8:00 PM CET
Game Preview
Two teams that lost a combined three games over the last 10 Rounds will meet in Greece as Panathinaikos hosts Real Madrid. The away team did not account for any of the three losses mentioned previously and will look to extend its winning streak to 11 games in Round 16. Panathinaikos has played since head coach Rick Pitino returned, and they will need to do the same Thursday to come away with a victory against the league's hottest team. Thursday's contest will feature a star-studded matchup at point guard, as MVP candidates Nick Calathes and Facundo Campazzo go head-to-head.
Injuries
Real Madrid
Jaycee Carroll - OUT - Personal
12/25 10:58 PM IST - Carroll (personal) will not play Thursday against Panathinaikos, according to Planetacb. Carroll is still tending to a personal matter at home in the United States, and he will miss a second straight EuroLeague game. Head coach Pablo Laso indicated Carroll could return to Spain this weekend, so he could be back in action for Madrid's Round 17 matchup with ASVEL.
Sergio Llull - OUT - Thigh
12/23 5:51 AM IST - Llull (thigh) is not expected to play Thursday against Panathinaikos, according to Carlos Sanchez Blas of Pobla FM. Madrid is being more cautious with Llull's return after he suffered a setback earlier this month, and it appears his absence will be extended at least until Round 17.
Felipe Reyes - OUT - Thigh
12/9 10:55 PM IST - Reyes will miss several weeks after suffering a right thigh injury in Sunday's domestic league game, according to marca.com. Reyes returned to action Sunday after missing nearly two months with a shoulder injury, but he is now facing another absence after suffering a different injury. A timeline for Reyes' return has not been revealed, but he may not play again until 2020.
Panathinaikos
Jimmer Fredette - GTD - Shoulder
12/23 5:55 AM IST - Fredette suffered a shoulder injury in Thursday's game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to eurohoops.net. It's not yet clear how long Fredette will be out, but he was unable to play in Panathinaikos' domestic league game Sunday, and is uncertain for the club's next EuroLeague game Thursday against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid Probable Starters
G - Facundo Campazzo
G - Fabien Causeur
F - Gabriel Deck
F - Anthony Randolph
C - Walter Tavares
Panathinaikos Probable Starters
G - Nick Calathes
G - Jimmer Fredette
F - Deshaun Thomas
F - Ioannis Papapetrou
C - Georgios Papagiannis
Top Picks
Nick Calathes (C), PAN - Calathes is coming off his least-productive game of the season, but he still generated 15.6 fantasy points. He is averaging a stellar 28.9 fantasy points per game, and odds are he won't have two poor showings in a row.
Facundo Campazzo, RM - Campazzo had a down game in Round 15, too, but he put up at least 30 fantasy points in six of the seven games before that. Like Calathes, he's a good bet to bounce back, as well.
Deshaun Thomas, PAN - Thomas has been as steady as they come and has scored in double figures in all nine games he has played 30 minutes in this season.
Rudy Fernandez, RM - Fernandez was more involved on both ends in Round 15 with Sergio Llull (thigh) and Jaycee Carroll (personal) unavailable, and that figures to be the case again with both players still out.
Tyrese Rice, PAN - Rice's stock would really get a boost if Jimmer Fredette (shoulder) is unable to play, but even in the event Fredette takes the court, Rice could see extra minutes and scoring opportunities to ease the workload on his injured teammate.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
PG: Nick Calathes (captain), Facundo Campazzo, Tyrese Rice
SG: Rudy Fernandez, Fabien Causeur
PF: Deshaun Thomas
Grand League Combination
Calathes, Campazzo, Thomas, Rice
Small League Combination
Calathes, Campazzo, Thomas, Tavares
