Week 2 Tuesday Play-In Games Preview
MIES (Switzerland) - Week two of the Basketball Champions League Play-Ins continues on Tuesday January 10 and will feature three teams going for the sweep in Game 2 of their respective series. On the flip side, there will be three teams fighting to keep their season alive.
Here's a look at the three games on Tuesday:
Game 1: Igokea m:tel v Hapoel Atsmon Holon (Holon lead series 1-0)
Where: Laktasi, Bosnia and Herzegovina
When: 18:30 CET
In Game 1, Holon won 103-79.
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- Igokea have lost three of their last four home games in the BCL, including the most recent two, after winning eight of their first 10 games at home; they suffered their heaviest defeat in the BCL during the first leg against Holon (103-79).
- Bryant Crawford has scored 16+ points in three of his last four games with Igokea in the BCL; he is averaging 18.7 points and 7.3 assists per game in his three home appearances this season.
- Holon have lost their last two away games in the BCL but have not lost more in a row since losing their first nine away games in the competition, between October 2017 and November 2018; Holon have scored 100+ points in two of their last three BCL games, as often as in their previous 47 games in the competition.
- Holon have made 21.8 assists per 100 offensive possessions, the highest ratio of any team in the BCL this season; they are the only team to have 30+ assists in a league game this season and they did it twice, including in the first leg of these Play-Ins (33).
- Holon's Joe Ragland has 7.4 assists per game in the BCL, the highest average of any player with at least 15 games in the competition; Ragland needs three more assists to reach fourth on the all-time list in the league: he currently has 304 and Tamir Blatt, who also played for Holon, has 306.
Game 2: Peristeri bwin v JDA Bourgogne Dijon (Dijon lead series 1-0)
Where: Peristeri, Greece
When: 18:30 CET
In Game 1, Dijon won 89-80.
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- In the first game of this Play-In series, Peristeri conceded more than 80 points for the sixth BCL game in a row; they conceded fewer than 80 points in each of their previous five games before that run.
- Peristeri's Miro Bilan needs 10 points to reach fourth place on the BCL all-time scoring list; he currently has 729 points, while TaShawn Thomas has 738; Bilan has scored 15+ points in his last two league games but hasn't had a longer streak since March – April 2021 when he did so in four consecutive games.
- Dijon have won their three Play-In games played in the BCL, but each by margins of fewer than 10 points; they won their last away game 85-72 against Dinamo Sassari but have not won consecutive away games since January 2020, when they won two in a row, including a trip to Greece (84-77 v PAOK).
- Dijon has scored 77 points per game in the BCL this season, with 56.4 percent of those points being scored from two-point shots, the highest ratio in the league; Dijon have made the most shots from two-point in the BCL this season (21.7, also Darussafaka).
- Dijon's David Holston needs nine assists to become the first player in the BCL with 700+ points and 350+ assists; he also needs two more steals to become the first player with 100+ steals in league history.
Game 3: Filou Oostende v Bahcesehir College (Oostende lead series 1-0)
Where: Oostende, Belgium
When: 20:00 CET
In Game 1, Oostende won on the road, 76-72.
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- Oostende have won their last three games in the BCL, including the last game against Bahcesehir (76-72), but have not won four in a row since November 2018-January 2019 (6-0); Oostende have won their last home game (95-86 v Holon) but have never registered consecutive wins in their last 12 home games in the competition.
- Oostende have made 10 or more three-pointers in each of their last four BCL games, their longest such streak in the competition ever; in fact, the Belgians are averaging 10.3 made shots from behind the arc per game in 2022-23 after never averaging 9+ in any of their previous six seasons in the competition.
- Vrenz Bleijenbergh recorded 10+ points and 15+ rebounds in each of his last two BCL games with Oostende after averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in his previous 24 league appearances.
- Bahcesehir have lost four of their last six BCL games but have won their most recent on the road, 77-72 v Igokea; their last two away games have seen the team trailing at halftime winning the game.
- Bahcesehir's Jerry Boutsiele has combined for 16+ points and 8+ rebounds in four different BCL games this season, including in the first leg of these Play-Ins, more than any other player in 2022-23.
Play-In Game of the Week: Tofas Bursa v AEK (AEK lead series 1-0)
For the Game of the Week preview, click here.