Panathinaikos at CSKA
Date: 1/3
Time: 6:00 PM CET
Game Preview
It seems nearly every week a pair of the league's best point guards are squaring off, and that will again be the case in Round 17 as Nick Calathes and Panathinaikos head to Russia to take on Mike James and CSKA. Besides the two top point guards, this matchup also features two of the healthiest teams in the league, as no players who have filled rotation spots of late are even questionable. CSKA has been rolling at home, winning four straight and all but one game in Megasport Arena this season, so Panathinaikos will need Calathes and the rest of its top players to perform well to come away with a victory.
Injuries
Panathinaikos
None
CSKA Moscow
Will Clyburn - OUT - Knee
11/11 8:25 PM IST - Clyburn underwent surgery Monday to repair the torn ACL in his right knee, John Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. The operation officially spells an end to Clyburn's season after the 29-year-old injured his knee during CSKA Moscow's Round 4 game in EuroLeague play. Clyburn will return to Moscow to continue his rehab and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Mikhail Kulagin - OUT - Calf
12/12 3:15 AM IST - Kulagin (calf) will not play Thursday against Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to CSKA's official website. Kulagin has missed nearly two months as a result of his injury, and it remains to be seen when he will be ready to return to action.
Panathinaikos Probable Starters
G - Nick Calathes
G - Jimmer Fredette
F - Deshaun Thomas
F - Ioannis Papapetrou
C - Georgios Papagiannis
CSKA Moscow Probable Starters
G - Mike James
G - Daniel Hackett
F - Nikita Kurbanov
F - Johannes Voigtmann
C - Kyle Hines
Top Picks
(C) Mike James, MOS - James has been a big-time contributor all season for CSKA, and he has been particularly productive of late, averaging 24.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists over his team's last three EuroLeague games.
Nick Calathes, PAN - Calathes does not score as much as James, but he is averaging more rebounds (5.1) and assists (8.6) per game over the entire season than James put up in his recent three-game stretch. He's a triple-double threat each time he takes the court, making him a fine option for the captain spot if that doesn't go to James.
Jimmer Fredette, PAN - Fredette has been a bit inconsistent lately, but he has averaged 2.4 more points per game since Rick Pitino took over as head coach and has started to do more than simply score the ball, grabbing a season-high nine rebounds last week and stealing more passes over his last four games than his first 11.
Johannes Voigtmann, MOS - It was around this time last year Voigtmann started putting up big numbers for Baskonia, and he has started to do the same this season, averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the last two games after averaging just 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds prior to that.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 team:
PG: Nick Calathes (captain), Mike James, Daniel Hackett
SG: Jimmer Fredette
SF: Nikita Kurbanov
C: Georgios Papagiannis, Joel Bolomboy
Grand League Combination
Calathes, James, Voigtmann, Fredette
Small League Combination
Calathes, James, Voigtmann, Fredette
