ASVEL vs Alba Berlin

Asvel faced a tough defeat in their last EuroLeague matchup against Partizan, falling 93-62 on home turf. This marked their 12th loss of the season, leaving them with a 9-12 record. Despite standout performances from Melvin Ajinca, who scored 14 points, and Shaquille Harrison with nine, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide in their favor.

This season, Asvel has taken a fresh approach compared to previous years. Once considered a lower-tier team alongside Alba Berlin, often serving as a stepping stone for other clubs in the standings, the French squad has made significant strides. They’ve elevated their game while also nurturing young talent, including rising star Melvin Ajinca, who’s poised to become the next big name in French basketball.

Much of Asvel’s transformation can be credited to Theo Maledon, whose stellar season has established him as one of the EuroLeague’s most valuable players. At the helm, Pierric Poupet has brought a clear and effective philosophy to the team, with the season’s progression further solidifying his reputation as a promising coach.

Asvel faced a tough blow in their last game against Partizan, delivering what many would call their weakest performance of the season. Partizan, fired up and fully in control, dominated the game from the opening whistle. The tone was set early, with Partizan racking up 31 points in the first quarter and establishing a double-digit lead that they carried comfortably into halftime. Things went from bad to worse for Asvel in the third quarter, as they were outscored 29-9, effectively putting any hopes of a comeback to rest.

One of the biggest letdowns was Theo Maledon, who struggled offensively, failing to score a single field goal and finishing with just seven points—far from the level needed to challenge an on-fire Partizan squad. On top of that, Asvel gave up 14 turnovers and got out-rebounded on their home court, leaving them with little chance of flipping the script.

Looking ahead to their matchup with Alba Berlin, Asvel needs to address some critical areas. Rebounding has to be a priority, as it was a glaring issue against Partizan. Additionally, they’ll need to slow the game down, limiting possessions and avoiding the fast-paced transition play that works in Alba Berlin’s favor. If they can tighten up their strategy and control the tempo, Asvel stands a much better chance of bouncing back with a win.

Milano is coming off from their match against Alba Berlin in which they had a comfortable victory, winning 100-68 on the road. This was the 18th defeat for the team in the elite competition recognizes them as the last ranked team with a record of 3-18. Leading the scorer’s list for the visiting team were Yanni Wetzell and David McCormack, who put 13 and 11 points on the board, respectively.

The only major shift in Alba Berlin’s form remains at the bottom of the soort adjacent to that it has not been able to move up for several seasons. This has raised increasing speculations of the team’s transfer to the EuroCup because it is evident that the team from Germany is a mere pushover in the EuroLeague. Their successes look like incidental events and the fact proves it because of their record.

Alba Berlin’s biggest loss was a loss of their best player Johannes Thiemann who left to play for a Japanese team due to monetary issues. To date, the team has not found a replacement for him. Trevion Williams got a chance when it was early in the season and delivered well, but his good shows helped him transfer to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Therefore, Alba Berlin lost one of the most talented players and consequently any realistic chance of a serious performance in the rest of the regular season which of course was not determined anyway. This they had no chance of doing so in their last game against Milano because their opponent does not grant any chance.

The first 20 minutes can be counted as decent, however, in the second half Alba Berlin just fell to pieces. The Italians saw this, and in the second half put 53 points on the board to comfortably see out the rest of the game. Alba Berlin made 4 of 22 three-point attempts, and teams don’t perform that poorly on 3-pointers and expect to come out on top.