20 October, 2020
09 May, 2021
10 Sasu Salin (TENE)
08/03/2021
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Play-Offs Week 2 Tuesday games preview

MIES (Switzerland) - Tuesday ushers in the second week of action in the 2020-21 Basketball Champions League Play-Offs with a five-game slate, which includes the eagerly-anticipated all-Spanish clash of Group J.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from the five Tuesday games:

Tofas Bursa (0-1) vs. Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon (1-0) -- Group I, 18:00 CET

  • Tofas are coming off a 77-78 loss to Ormanspor on the road in Turkish BSL league action on Saturday, despite a 19-point, 5-rebound display by DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.

  • Holon meanwhile were also in domestic league action on Saturday and they picked up an 82-80 win over Gilboa Galil for the Israeli Winner league, behind 19 points, 4 assists and 3 steals from Tyrus McGee.

  • Tofas have won just one of their three home games in the BCL this season, with both of their two losses coming in overtime.

  • Holon are currently riding a four-game winning streak in the BCL, their longest in competition history. Three of those four wins have come on the road.

  • Holon scored 10 or more three-pointers in each of their last five games, after having done so in only two of their previous 10 games.

  • The Israeli team gave up fewer than 10 three-pointers in each of their last 10 BCL games.

  • Tomislav Zubcic of Tofas is averaging a BCL career-high 16.5 points per game. The Croatian big man averaged 13.4 points per game in 2016-17 and 11.1 points per game in the 2017-18 BCL season. Zubcic made three or more triples in each of his last two BCL games, a feat he had achieved in two of his previous 13 games in the competition.

  • Guy Pnini has played a club-record 47 BCL games with Holon. No other player has featured in more than 36 BCL games for Holon. The Israeli international, who scored 11 points in last week's win against Happy Casa Brindisi, is looking on Tuesday to score in double digits for the first time this season.

VEF Riga (0-1) vs. Igokea (0-1) -- Group J, 18:00 CET

  • VEF have not seen action since their narrow overtime loss to Burgos in the Group J opener, last week.

  • Igokea on the other hand were in ABA League action on Saturday and clinched an 87-82 win at FMP Belgrade, behind 19 points from Steven Gray.

  • VEF have won both of their last two home games in the BCL, after losing seven of their previous eight games at home. The Latvian side have the best defense at home in the league this season, giving up just 64.7 points per game at home.

  • BCL debutants Igokea have lost all four games in which they gave up 80 or more points and won the three games in which they gave up fewer than 80 points.

  • Igokea are yet to win a road game in the BCL, they have three losses in as many games on the road.

  • VEF had 5 or more blocks in four games this season, a joint league-high alongside Casademont Zaragoza and Brose Bamberg. VEF didn't have a single game of more than four blocks in 14 BCL games last season.

  • VEF's Kyle Allman is averaging 16 points and 6 assists per game as the only player in the league this season to average more than 16 points and 5 assists. Allman had more than 17 points and 7 assists in each of his last two home games in the competition.

  • Marko Josilo has tallied 42 rebounds so far and is the only Igokea player to have posted 10 or more rebounds in a BCL game, a feat he actually achieved twice. However, Josilo is the only player this season with as many rebounds and not a single block.

Hereda San Pablo Burgos (1-0) vs. Lenovo Tenerife (1-0) -- Group J, 18:30 CET

  • Burgos are coming off a comfy 82-68 win over Andorra in Spanish Liga Endesa action on Saturday, as Thad McFadden collected a game-high 20 points on 4 of 7 three-point shooting. Tenerife were not in Liga Endesa action this weekend.

  • The two teams clashed in Tenerife on December 12 for the domestic league, and the yellow-blacks won 85-79 behind 21 points from each of Marcelinho Huertas and Giorgi Shermadini. They also crossed paths in the Quarter-Finals of the Copa del Rey on February 11 and Tenerife won yet again, this time 87-76 as Sasu Salin and Bruno Fitipaldo led the way with 18 points apiece.

  • Burgos have an 11-1 record at home in the BCL and are currently riding a 9-game winning streak (including the last five home games of the previous season). This season, Burgos gave up 75 or fewer points in each of their four home games.

  • Tenerife will face a fellow Spanish team for the fourth time in BCL history, with the 2017 champions winning only one of the previous three.

  • Burgos and Tenerife lead the league in points off the bench, as the Burgos second unit is contributing 45.6 points per game and Tenerife's bench is averaging 43.7 points per game.

  • Xavi Rabaseda is still unbeaten in the BCL, with nine wins in as many appearances. The Spanish international joined Burgos in the summer, and the only game he missed is the 2021 season opener at Filou Oostende, which Burgos lost 97-96. That defeat in Belgium though is the only loss Burgos have suffered in the BCL since January 29, 2020, when they lost at Hapoel Jerusalem in the 2019-20 Regular Season.

  • Giorgi Shermadini came off the bench in Tenerife's last three BCL games but still averaged 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in those three encounters. The Georgian center is leading the league in scoring among players with fewer than 25 minutes per game, as he is averaging 15.7 points in 23 minutes and 7 seconds per contest.

ERA Nymburk (1-0) vs. Dinamo Sassari (0-1) -- Group L, 18:30 CET

  • Nymburk's latest outing was a 99-74 rout of Opava on the road in Czech league action on Saturday, as no less than six Nymburk players scored in double digits.

  • Sassari meanwhile are coming  off an 89-74 loss at Varese in Italian Serie A action on Saturday, despite 19 points from Marco Spissu.

  • This will be the third encounter between Nymburk and Sassari in BCL history, with each team winning its respective home game back in the 2017 Play-Offs.

  • Nymburk have scored 90 or more points in each of their last six BCL games, putting together the longest such streak in the history of the competition. The Czech side are leading the league in fast-break points, averaging 17.9 per game.

  • Sassari have a 1-3 record on the road in the BCL Play-Offs, with each of their defeats coming by double-digit point margins.

  • Retin Obasohan registered his only double-double in the BCL in Nymburk's most recent road game, as he had 14 points and 10 assists in the win at Keravnos. The Belgian has won all seven of the BCL games he's played as a starter, while he has 15 wins in the 27 games he came off the bench.

  • Sassari's Miro Bilan scored 20 or points in two of his last three BCL games - including a BCL career-high 26 points in the loss to Casademont Zaragoza last week - after scoring 20+ points in only one of his first 36 games in the competition.

Happy Casa Brindisi (0-1) vs. Pinar Karsiyaka (1-0) -- Group I, 20:30 CET

  • Brindisi are coming off a 95-70 win at Fortitudo Bologna in Italian Serie A action on Sunday, behind 20 points from new arrival Joshua Bostic.

  • Karsiyaka were also victorious at the weekend, as they enjoyed a 117-82 rout of Büyükçekmece at home in Turkish BSL league action, behind 26 points from Amath M'Baye.

  • Brindisi are 0-2 in their last two home games in the BCL, as many losses as they had in their first nine home games in the competition.

  • Brindisi are playing host to a Turkish team for the third time since they joined the BCL. The Italian side won by double digits both of the previous two games (against Besiktas in 2019-20 and against Darussafaka in the 2020-21 season opener).

  • Karsiyaka are currently riding a 4-game winning streak in the BCL, their longest in competition history. The Turkish team gave up 70 points per game in these last four encounters, after giving up 80.3 points in their previous 20 games in BCL history.

  • Karsiyaka now have the best defense in the league, as they give up 73 points per game on average. They allow opponents a league-best (fewest) 68 possessions per game.

  • Brindisi's Riccardo Visconti posted his BCL career-high 20 points in the season opener against another Turkish team, Darussafaka Tekfen. The Italian youngster is one of two Brindisi players, alongside Ousman Krubally, to have already faced Karsiyaka. Visconti played against the Izmir team back in October 2016, when he was at Reyer Venezia, and he had 2 points and 1 rebound.

  • Karsiyaka's Raymar Morgan is leading the league in scoring since New Year's Day, as he has scored 77 points in 2021. Morgan is averaging 18.9 points per game for the season.