One-third
of the way into the Top 16 and NIKEid
Fantasy Challenge is anybody’s ballgame. Five teams are separated
by less than 50 points for the grand prize, while the weekly winners continue
to climb the ladder. In Week 2, a player with experience in both categories
had the best squad, as Jorge Martinez of Spain, the 2007 grand prize winner
and the Week 4 champ this season, " racked up 218.3 points with his team "SOMOS
UNO" – nearly 4 more points than the next-best team – to repeat as a weekly
winner. For his great effort, Jorge wins an official Euroleague game ball and
this season's official Media Guide on DVD. And he'll be entered in the end-of-season
drawing for more prizes. Meanwhile, the overall leader of NIKEiD
Fantasy Challenge remains unchanged, but Vidas Kaluzevicius’s team,
"Lithuania 37th", saw its lead shrink to just 14.7 points. With four games to
play, there are many still in the thick of the battle for the grand prize, the
chance to be Euroleague Basketball's VIP guest at the 2009 Final Four in Berlin,
including a spot on the o2 World floor to witness the new champions celebrating
the Euroleague title! The next NIKEiD
Fantasy Challenge deadline will be on Wednesday, February
11 at 18:45 CET, one hour before the first game of Top 16 Week 3, which
features Asseco Prokom vs. Olympiacos Piraeus. So get you lineups set and keep
playing for your chance to win one of dozens of exciting prizes.
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FANTASY CHALLENGE RUNDOWN
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GROUP E
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Tau Ceramica:
- Center Tiago Splitter suffered a muscle tear in his left leg, which
will keep him out. |
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Olympiacos:
- Forward Josh Childress has undergone a hernia operation and could miss the entire Top 16.
- Guard Milos Teodosic is ready to play after sitting out last week’s game. |
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AJ Milano:
- Sharpshooter Jobey Thomas’s participation for Wednesday’s game at Tau Ceramica is in question due to an ankle injury.
- Big man Mason Rocca sat out Sunday’s Italian League due to a knee injury and he is doubtful for the game at Tau.
- Big man Pape Sow has been troubled by his broken nose, but is expected to play on Wednesday.
- Forward Mike Hall is a game-day decision after taking a hit that caused him to leave Tuesday’s practice.
- Guard Ariel Filloy is still rehabbing after undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his right hand.
- Sharpshooter Marco Mordente has returned to practice after recovering from a broken hand. His participation against Tau will be a game-day decision. |
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Asseco Prokom:
- Head coach Tomas Pacesas has a full squad available for Wednesday’s game against Olympiacos. |
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GROUP F
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Regal FC Barcelona:
- Guard Jaka Lakovic will miss the rest of the Top 16 after undergoing nose surgery to remove a benign tumor. |
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Real Madrid:
- Guard Raul Lopez is doubtful for Thursday’s game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He suffers from a small hamstring muscle tear in his right leg. However Lopez could play for limited minutes if needed. |
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Maccabi Electra:
- Center Yaniv Green left Tuesday’s practice with back pain, but is expected to be available for Thursday’s game at Real Madrid. |
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Alba Berlin:
- Center Patrick Femerling remains sidelined after undergoing knee injury.
- Forward Ansu Sesay twisted his ankle on Sunday in the German League and is questionable for Thursday's game in Barcelona. |
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GROUP G
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Unicaja:
- Guard Carlos Cabezas suffered an injury to his right leg and will miss Wednesday’s game against Partizan. |
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Lottomatica Roma:
- Head coacg Nando Gentile has a full squad available for the trip to Athens. |
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Panathinaikos:
- Head coach Zeljko Obradovic has a full squad available for Thursday’s game against Lottomatica. |
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Partizan Belgrade:
- Center Slavko Vranes and big man Jan Vesely both missed Saturday’s Adriatic League game and several days of practice with fever. They are questionable for Wednesday’s game against Unicaja. |
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GROUP H
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CSKA Moscow:
- Head coach Ettore Messina has a full squad available for the trip to Siena. |
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Montepaschi Siena:
- Point guard Morris Finley continues to rehabilitate from a calf injury and is not expected to take part in Wednesday’s game against CSKA Moscow. |
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Fenerbahce Ulker:
- Center Omer Asik remains sidelined after undergoing surgery this summer to repair damaged ligaments in his knee. |
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Cibona:
- Head coach Velimir Perasovic has a full squad available for Thursday’s game against Fenerbahce Ulker. |