### High-Gravity Matchups
In a rematch of last spring's semifinal opener at the Final Four, CSKA Moscow earned a hard-fought 100-96 victory over reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul on the road in Sinan Erdem Sports Hall to avenge their 89-86 loss five months ago in Cologne. The difference for CSKA was apparent in what wound up being an equally competitive contest. Scoring around 1.05 points per possession in half-court situations in both games, CSKA tallied 15 points over 8 transition possessions on Friday compared to just 7 points over 4 such possessions back in May. Doing a better job turning defense into offense, CSKA's opportunism switching ends off steals and creating advantages off rebounds ultimately tipped the scales in its favor to stave off a comeback effort sparked by Vasilije Micic's 32 points and 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc for Efes.

### Barcelona's fearsome fivesome
While Efes fell to 0-2 with that loss, the champions' resume from last season offers plenty of reasons not to panic. They set the EuroLeague standard on the offensive end and came around defensively in the second half of the season to close out one of the most competitive seasons in league history as the titleholders. While Efes has stumbled early, last season's runner-up FC Barcelona has found itself on the opposite end of the spectrum. Finishing the 2020-21 regular season with the best record and top point differential, Barca has taken a head-start on achieving both feats again this year, thanks in large part to a five-man unit that is establishing itself as the league's one watch through two rounds.

Last year, the four-man unit of Nick Calathes, Cory Higgins, Pierre Oriola and Alex Abrines were on the floor for only 12% of Barcelona's possessions but produced a +79-point differential over the course of the season. That was a higher mark than 12 entire teams and one of the top such point differentials for one unit in recent history. It is still too early to buy into any surefire trends this season, but as the graphic above illustrates, the five-man group of Calathes, Higgins, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies is already a +21 through two games.

Given the continuity between these groups – indeed, Mirotic and Davies filled a lot of the wildcard minutes as the fifth player in last year's unit – it is not particularly surprising that Barcelona has been able to lean on a familiar recipe for success. However, with this group being on the floor for 27% of all Barca's possessions so far, it is worth wondering if this lineup's early dominance and heavy usage are a sign of things to come for Sarunas Jasikevicius's club and how he will adjust his rotation when Alex Abrines returns from injury.

### Looking ahead to Round 3
Conveniently, Barcelona will host the team currently sitting second in the standings, Olympiacos Piraeus, in Round 3. Allowing opponents to score just 0.72 points per possession, top-ranked among all teams through two rounds, Olympiacos has relied on a strong ability to get stops in taking home wins against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Real Madrid. Going on the road now against Barcelona's lineup of doom, the Olympiacos defense will be put to the test again. It will be particularly interesting to see how Greek powerhouse approaches guarding Nikola Mirotic, who is coming off one of the most efficient individual offensive seasons in EuroLeague history and has scored an absurd 33 points over only 16 possessions to start the 2021-22 campaign.

It only took only two rounds for a marquee matchup to deliver a thriller and for one five-man lineup to emerge as a difference-maker.

Stats Review: Barca's lineup of doom

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens added another weapon to its backcourt on Sunday by signing Yogi Ferrell for the remainder of the season. 

Greens ink playmaker Ferrell

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens added another weapon to its backcourt on Sunday by signing Yogi Ferrell for the remainder of the season. Ferrell (1.83 meters, 28 years old) has spent the past five seasons in the NBA, where he played for Brooklyn, Dallas, Cleveland, Sacramento and Los Angeles Clippers. For his career he averaged 7.7 points and 2.3 assists in 259 games. Ferrell also spent time in the G-League with Long Island and Salt Lake City. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2017. Ferrell will make his European basketball debut with Panathinaikos.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is Sunday a good day to announce a point guard?🤔<br><br>Sure, why not?<br><br>Welcome <a href="https://twitter.com/YogiFerrell11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YogiFerrell11</a> ☘<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panathinaikosbcopap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#panathinaikosbcopap</a> <a href="https://t.co/OepS03BJDP">pic.twitter.com/OepS03BJDP</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1447147543121510400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So what does this 37 represent? The combined number of points that Chris Jones and Elie Okobo have scored in both of the team’s wins.

A week after Okobo poured in 23 points and Jones had 14 in an opening night victory over Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 1, on Friday night it was Jones's turn to lead the scoring with 24 points while Okobo pitched in 13 points in ASVEL’s 67-71 road victory over ALBA Berlin.

"Elie Okobo and Chris Jones are the top two choices to run the backcourt this year in ASVEL. I have full confidence in them," Parker said after the Zalgiris game.

Both guards talked after that game about the bond that is forming between them, and it showed again in Round 2 in the German capital. They both know how to take games over for significant stretches, demonstrated when Okobo scored 6 straight points in a big 0-13 run which turned ALBA’s 24-17 lead into a 24-30 ASVEL advantage.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chris Jones from way downtown with the dagger three 💦🗡️<a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@albaberlin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7DAYSMagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7DAYSMagicMoment</a> <a href="https://t.co/ag2V9rnu7S">pic.twitter.com/ag2V9rnu7S</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1446566017900154887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And it was Jones who shined in the fourth quarter. His two layups pushed the lead out to 43-57 early in the final frame. ALBA tried to come back and twice got the deficit to 7 points, only for Jones to drain three-pointers each time. The host still refused to give up and the gap was down to 6 points with just more than 2 minutes left when Jones knocked down another long three-pointer. And he then finished off the game for good with 2 free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining.

"We believe in each other. We have confidence. We’re trying to build something right now," said Jones after the road win.

To this point, ASVEL’s guards have built a pretty strong connection which is showing to be the key to the team’s undefeated start. While both can light up the scoreboard in bunches, it might be a big ask for Jones and Okobo to combine for 37 points each game. But it has worked out that way so far. Next up? No less than reigning champion and so far winless Anadolu Efes Istanbul, at home on Tuesday.

The number 37 has been a special one for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne so far this season. It signifies a major new trust that head coach TJ Parker has quickly developed, and has helped the French club surge to a 2-0 record to start the season.

Chris Jones and Elie Okobo's special 37 connection

ALBA Berlin v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2021-10-08T18:00:00.000Z)

Look back at all the action in the regular season Round 2 by checking out its best photos. Don't miss it!

Cory Higgins and Nick Weiler-Babb - FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona

Tornike Shengelia - Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. CSKA Moscow

Mathias Lessort - Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Simone Fontecchio with Devon Hall  - Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. AX Armani Exchange Milan

Oscar Da Silva and Charles Kahudi - ALBA Berlin vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Donta Hall - UNICS Kazan vs. AS Monaco 

Bryant Dunston - Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. CSKA Moscow

Kostas Sloukas - Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Real Madrid

Joffrey Lauvergne - Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Zenit St Petersburg

Nemanja Nedovic - Panathinaikos OPAP Athens vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Top 10 Photos, Regular Season Round 2

Zalgiris Kaunas announced on Saturday that veteran center Joffrey Lauvergne wil be out for up to six weeks with a shoulder injury.

Zalgiris loses big man Lauvergne to injury


A day after announcing a change on the bench, Zalgiris Kaunas has learned on Saturday that veteran center Joffrey Lauvergne wil be out for the foreseeable future with a shoulder injury. Lauvergne (2.11 meters, 30 years old) had put up 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game over the first two rounds in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, both of which Zalgiris lost. He hurt his right shoulder during the second of those, at home against Zenit St Petersburg, colliding with an opponent shortly after halftime. He returned to the court but could not continue, and subsequent tests have put his recovery time at four to six weeks.  

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tough news, as Zalgiris loses Joffrey Lauvergne for the foreseeable future. Get well, <a href="https://twitter.com/1JOLOLO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@1JOLOLO</a>! ❤️‍🩹<br><br>📰: <a href="https://t.co/Bu0YPSHyep">https://t.co/Bu0YPSHyep</a> <a href="https://t.co/5njL6EVjkr">pic.twitter.com/5njL6EVjkr</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1446853207414788100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Lauvergne has been a fulltime starter since arriving to the club in the summer of 2020, averaging 10.7 points, a team-high 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season, when he ranked as the competition's eighth-best rebounder. 


Zalgiris Kaunas announced on Saturday that veteran center Joffrey Lauvergne wil be out for up to six weeks with a shoulder injury.


Zalgiris Kaunas v Zenit St Petersburg (2021-10-07T17:00:00.000Z)

AX Armani Exchange Milan stayed undefeated by downing Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 64-78 in front of over 7,000 fans at Buesa Arena on Friday. Milan improved to 2-0 while Baskonia dropped to 0-2. Malcolm Delaney led the winners with 13 points, Shavon Shields and Devon Hall added 12 points apiece while Nicolo Melli had 10 for Milan. 

Milan shows Baskonia no mercy, 64-78

Shields also contributed 10 rebounds for a double-double. Simone Fontecchio led Baskonia with 16 points. Wade Baldwin and Rokas Giedraitis each added 14 while Steven Enoch had 10 for the hosts. Melli took over early in the game and Hall struck twice from beyond the arc to help Milan get a 17-19 lead after 10 minutes. Delaney and Hall fueled a 0-10 run which boosted the guests' margin to 30-38 at halftime. Nothing changed after the break, as Milan boosted its margin to 58-68 at the end of the third quarter and then again to 51-66 with under 7 minutes left, enough to seal the outcome long before the final buzzer. 

Gallery

Melli beat the shot clock with a rainbow jumper immediately after the break and soon added a dunk for a 33-42 Milan margin. Hall insisted from downtown and Shields added a reverse layup that broke the game open, 33-47. Fontecchio banked in a jump hook, and got help from Jayson Granger to give the hosts hope at 39-49. Ricci and Rodriguez each struck from downtown, before Fontecchio and Enoch tried to change things for Baskonia, bringing the hosts within 47-57 after 30 minutes.

Enoch, a new fan favorite in Baskonia

Enoch only stepped on court for 12 minutes, but he finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds - three of those on the offensive end. Enoch also ignited the crowd with his energy and with one of the most spectacular plays of the night, a high-flying alley-oop slam, proving that his connection with Jayson Granger can pay dividends in the near future.

Long-distance shooting and ball movement made the difference in this game. Milan buried 12-of-27 shots from downtown (44.4%) and finished the game with 17 assists. 

Milan shoots better, circulates the ball

On the other hand, Baskonia hit 4-of-26 three-pointers, with the lowest shooting percentage from downtown at home (15.4%) since November 13, 2014 (15.0% 3FG vs. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade). Baskonia was also limited to just 7 assists, tying the team’s fourth-worst mark at home in EuroLeague history. 

This is what the protagonists of the game had to say after the dust settled.

Messina on win over Baskonia: "My players defended like crazy"


### Ettore Messina, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"I think my players had a very good defensive game. They defended like crazy for 40 minutes and rebounded pretty well. On offense, I think we shared the ball enough to win. It was a good shooting night for us but we kept moving the ball and made some important shots down the stretch, when it was very important. To win in Vitoria is always very difficult, and it is an important win for us. We are very, very happy. It is good that they followed my instructions - I would be in trouble if they wouldn't do that! Seriously speaking, in these days, the EuroLeague so challenging. You see there has been already a coaching change after two games. Two games, a coach has already been fired. This is not a good day for coaches, and of course, clubs are fully free to do whatever they think it is right to do, I am not questioning that. I am just saying that the EuroLeague is so challenging that every game is so important, every possession is so important, that to come out with a win tonight from my players means a lot and I am very, very grateful."



### Dusko Ivanovic, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
"It was a tough game. From the very beginning, Milan played well, better than us. They played defense that gave us trouble on offense from the very beginning. We didn't circulate the ball well and didn't find clear options on offense, but even with all that, we were almost in the game. We had a very bad shooting percentage, outside shooting, and needed to hit more. We needed to score 75 points to win. With so few points, it is very difficult to win. It is clear that the best way [to solve this situation] is playing better defense, run the break and find easy fast break points and the the game is much easier. I believe that we had one fast break tonight, off a steal. This is very difficult. We need to play faster to have these 10-15 easy points."



### Shavon Shields, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"They are a really tough team. They play well and were taking away what we like to do but I think everybody contributed tonight, which was good. This is a tough place to play, a tough place to win, but we got the job done. That was amazing [Baskonia fans giving him an ovation after the game]. I am really grateful for the love that they showed me. I really loved my time here. We ended with a championship, so I think I brought something pretty nice to the city, I was a part of something, so I appreciate my time here and I look back on it, it was really fun."


### Nicolo Melli, AX Armani Exchange Milan
"I am happy because we won, because the team played well. This is the most important thing. Why we came here, why we practice. This is the only thing that matters. Every time you come to Vitoria and play against Baskonia, it is very tough. The gym is a tough gym, plus with the fans back in the arena, it was a special game. But we came here and approached the game well besides maybe the first minute, when the other team impacted more the game, but we handled the game very well."

