Barcelona at Baskonia
Date: 1/2
Time: 9:00 PM CET
Game Preview
Two teams nearly on opposite ends of the standings will square off in the final game of Thursday's EuroLeague action. A Baskonia team that went 1-5 in its last six Rounds and sits just two games ahead of last-place clubs Zalgiris and Zenit will take on a Bacelona team that won seven of its last eight games and is currently tied for first place. The superstars for both clubs have mimicked the trends of their teams, as Barcelona's Nikola Mirotic continues to shine while Baskonia's Tornike Shengelia's production has dwindled of late. Baskonia will have the advantage of playing Thursday's game at home, but they'll likely need Shengelia to be at his best in order to prevent Barcelona from picking up another win.
Injuries
FC Barcelona Lassa
Thomas Heurtel - OUT - Knee
12/7 11:35 PM IST - Heurtel (knee) has resumed taking jump shots, according to Barcelona's official Twitter account. Heurtel has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in August, but he has advanced to the point in his recovery where he can take part in on-court work. Heurtel still has a few steps to go before he will be ready to play again, but it appears he remains on track to return to action early in 2020.
Kevin Pangos - OUT - Toe
12/3 11:47 PM IST - Pangos is still dealing with soreness in his injured toe and will be evaluated on a "week-by-week" basis moving forward, according to eurohoops.net. It was anticipated that Pangos would return to action in 4-to-6 weeks after injuring his toe in September, but he has already missed two months and will need even more time to fully recover. A target date for his return has not been established, but based on this report, it seems safe to say he will not play in Barcelona's next EuroLeague game Friday against Khimki.
Kirolbet Baskonia
Patricio Garino - OUT - Knee
11/24 12:28 AM IST - Garino has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee. Garino left Friday's game and was sent to the hospital. It's been determined that he tore his ACL and that surgery is needed.
Jayson Granger - OUT - Achilles
10/1 3:36 AM IST - Granger will miss six months with a torn Achilles tendon, according to euroleague.net. Granger was injured in Baskonia's Spanish League opener, and will face a lengthy recover period after undergoing surgery. Assuming his recovery goes as planned, he should be able to rejoin Baskonia at some point during the second half of their season.
FC Barcelona Lassa Probable Starters
G - Cory Higgins
G - Adam Hanga
F - Victor Claver
F - Nikola Mirotic
C - Ante Tomic
Kirolbet Baskonia Probable Starters
G - Pierria Henry
G - Nik Stauskas
F - Shavon Shields
F - Tornike Shengelia
C - Micheal Eric
Top Picks
(C) Nikola Mirotic, BAR - Mirotic just keeps humming along, putting up big numbers just about anytime Barcelona takes the floor. He scored in double figures for the 15th time in 16 Rounds and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in Barcelona's last EuroLeague game. He's hands down the best captain option in this contest.
Tornike Shengelia, KB - Shengelia's scoring total slipped each of the last four Rounds, and he scored just one point in his team's last EuroLeague game. Chance are he won't score fewer points in a fifth straight game, and he still scored in double figures in every other EuroLeague game leading up to last week's. Expect a bounceback in Round 17.
Malcolm Delaney, BAR - Despite coming off the bench Delaney has played at least 20 minutes in six straight games, and he is averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 assists over that span.
Shavon Shields, KB - Shields played a bit role for a good portion of the season, but he has reclaimed a key spot in Baskonia's rotation, averaging 25 minutes over the last six Rounds while putting up 12.3 points on 10.5 field-goal attempts per game.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
PG: Malcolm Delaney
SG: Cory Higgins, Nik Stauskas
SF: Adam Hanga, Shavon Shields
PF: Nikola Mirotic (captain), Tornike Shengelia
C: Ante Tomic
Grand League Combination
Mirotic, Shengelia, Delaney, Shields
Small League Combination
Mirotic, Shengelia, Delaney, Shields
