Partizan opened the competition with an 11-point loss at Zalgiris, but always gives his best in front of its diehard fans. BC Khimki, which reached the 2010-11 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season by going unbeaten in the Qualifying Rounds, has already downed Asseco Prokom at home in its opener. It will be a new experience – a Partizan Euroleague home game – for playmaker Oliver Lafayette, who has to bring his “A” game if the hosts want to beat Khimki. Backup Petar Bozic offers defense, leadership and the occasional three-pointer off the bench. Lafayette faces a tough mismatch against tall, talented point guard Zoran Planinic. Meanwhile, Bozic will use his on-the-ball defense against creative playmaker Raul Lopez. Partizan relies on young talents Dragan Milosavljevic and Branislav Djekic and veteran swingman Dusan Kecman to make the difference at the wings. Kecman faces a key matchup against Keith Langford, who has been in great shape recently. Kecman is more experienced and has become Partizan's first option in crunch time, but Langford is more athletic and can score in many ways. Jaka Klobucar offers size and determination off the hosts' bench. With Thomas Kelati is still sidelined, Langford and Vitaliy Fridzon will see most playing time at the wings for the visitors. Fridzon is set for a very interesting matchup against Djekic in which he will have to use his mobility and penetration skills. Vadim Panin may see extended playing time to guard Partizan superstar Jan Vesely when he plays small forward. The athletic and versatile Vesely leads a frontcourt that also features old-school center Nathan Jawai and hard-nosed rebounder Rasko Katic. Vesely faces a very interesting matchup against Sergey Monya, who has the size and quickness to guard him. Aleksey Savrasenko and Kresimir Loncar are ready to battle in the paint against Katic and Jawai. Fedor Dmitriev can be Khimki's X-factor with his shooting range and experience. Khimki must run its offense through Planinic and Langford, get its men involved and try to get Jawai into foul trouble. Partizan must lock down the defensive boards, play with high intensity and find good options for Vesely and Kecman. With the Euroleague back at Pionir, fans can expect a great atmosphere and an exciting game between two teams with lofty goals.

REFEREES: Christos Christodoulou, Eddie Viator, Oscar Perea


Game notes, Partizan mt:s Belgrade

Dusan Kecman scored the 1,000th point of his Euroleague Basketball career last week.

Kecman has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last 10 Euroleague appearances.

Partizan lost its home opener for the first time since 2005 last season against Unicaja.

Partizan and BC Khimki are set to meet for the first time in their respective histories this week.

Game notes, BC Khimki Moscow Region

Zoran Planininc needs just 5 more points to reach 1,000 for his Euroleague career.

Ben Eze blocked 3 shots last week against Asseco Prokom to move into the top 10 on the career list of Euroleague shot blockers. Eze has blocked 91 shots, tying him with injured CSKA Moscow forward Viktor Khryapa for ninth place. Tiago Splitter is in eighth place with 93 career blocks, however Barcelona big men Terence Morris (90) and Erazem Lorbek (89) are close behind.

Raul Lopez has at least 1 steal in each of his last 10 Euroleague appearances.

Vitaly Fridzon has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last nine Euroleague games.

SCARIOLO, SERGIO
BC Khimki head coach
“Partizan is a traditional Euroleague team and a Final Four participant last season. They have a good mix of young talents and experienced players. They signed a very interesting player in Jawai. The atmosphere at Patizan home matches is very tough for opponents, who must play with firm nerves to have chances to win. We have slowly improved, but we need to play with concentration and intensity.”

PLANINIC, ZORAN
BC Khimki guard
"I have had the experience of playing against Partizan, even with CSKA. Their roster has changed but the mentality is still the same. They are a very aggressive team, especially at home. And for sure their fans will be an important factor in the game – they really are the sixth, the seventh and the eighth players as well. Serbian fans are well known all over Europe: in football matches as in basketball ones, they are really vehement. We’ll try to be calm, have cool heads and not make mistakes. This game is crucial for us, particularly on the road. Last season I saw some games with Partizan in the Euroleague and I can say it played equally with the European grands, reached the Final Four and lost only in overtime. I’ll try to do all my best to help BC Khimki win the game. The importance is high!"