With Crvena Zvezda’s clash with Darussafaka Dogus highlighting the final round of regular season action on Friday, you could be forgiven when you realise that there are other important clashes as well as the one in Istanbul as well.

Fenerbahce knows that a win against Barcelona at the Ulker Sports Arena will give them hope of home-court advantage in the Playoffs but they must wait on other results.

The injury-hit Turkish team have been struggling in recent weeks, losing its last three games, while Barcelona is aiming to finish by stringing together a three-game win streak for only the second time this season. Barcelona has the fourth-best defence in the competition (75 points allowed per game). Rediscovering its offence is the biggest challenge for Fenerbahce, which has scored more than 80 points only once in the last nine games.

“Last game in the regular season, and we know that we need to win to see how we end up for the Playoffs,” said Fenerbahce coach Zeljko Obradovic. “We have to fight in this game until the last second. That is what we need.”

However, Panathinaikos knows that victory on the road to Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv will secure fourth place and home-court advantage in the Playoffs. The red-hot Greek team is looking for a fifth consecutive win. Panathinaikos ranks second of all teams in three-point conversions (9.5 per game) and fewest turnovers committed (11.2 per game).

Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 83-75 in Athens back in November. Photo: EuroLeague Basketball.

Maccabi may struggle to change that last statistic, as the Israeli team ranks 14th in the league in steals with just 5.5 thefts per game.

Playoff-bound Baskonia knows it can place anywhere between fifth and eighth, and will attempt to finish as high up as possible by closing the regular season with a home win against Zalgiris.

Baskonia ranks fourth in scoring with an average of 81.6 points and has also claimed more defensive rebounds than any other team (25.7 per game). But Zalgiris is the more accurate shooting team, ranking fourth in true shooting percentage with a 49.7% conversion rate.

“We have to show from the beginning that they cannot win in this game. We are a serious team and we want to win all games, especially if we can end the regular season with a win.” — Adam Hanga. Photo: EuroLeague Basketball.

“Zalgiris is a team that always fights,” admitted Baskonia forward Adam Hanga.

“We have to show from the beginning that they cannot win in this game. We are a serious team and we want to win all games, especially if we can end the regular season with a win.”

Two eliminated teams aiming to finish on a high note meet as Brose Bamberg hosts Galatasaray. The teams are currently tied with 10-19 records, but Bamberg has fond memories of their last meeting after gaining a 90-75 win in Istanbul in round 15.

Bamberg though has lost five consecutive home games, and will have to be careful when attacking the rim against a visiting team that has blocked more shots (3.9 per game) than anyone else.