Second week of December features two matches in Group A. Spartak Pleven host Uniclub Casino Juventus Utena on Tuesday and then will travel to Denmark to face the Bakken Bears Aarhus on Friday.
Spartak Pleven vs Uniclub Casino Juventus
Series history: Spartak Pleven and Uniclub Casino Juventus will face each other for the first time.
Key matchup: Nikolay Stoyanov averages 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Small forward has best efficiency rating in the team (16.6), followed by a power forward Bryant Thomas and point guard Stanimir Marinov.
Billy Ivey averages 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Uniclub Casino Juventus.
A former San Jose State University point guard has the highest efficiency rating (17.0).
National championships: Spartak Pleven has a 7-4 record at the Sesame NBL.
Lyubomir Minchev`s men trail only to Chernomorets (11-0) and CSKA Sofia (8-3).
Pleven is 4-1 on the home floor and defeated Rilski Sportist, 97-95, on December 8.
Spartak men are on a 4-0 winning streak at the Sesame NBL.
Uniclub Casino Juventus has a 8-5 record at the Betsafe LKL.
Wolves Vilnius, Žalgiris Kaunas and Rytas Vilnius lead the pack with 11 wins.
Lietkabelis Panevežys is in the fourth place.
Utena club posted two wins at home recently, defeating Jonava, 96-63, and Wolves Vilnius, 96-68.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Stefan Stefanov (Bulgaria) – referee from 2011, FIBA referee from 2019, top division in Bulgaria from 2018.
Umpire 1: Gabrielius Simonavicius (Lithuania) – LKL referee from 2020, FIBA referee from 2023; has worked at the Women`s Baltic Basketball league Final 4; the 2023 ENBL Final 4 referee.
Umpire 2: Serafim Petrov (Bulgaria) – Bulgaria top league from 2018, FIBA referee from 2021; has worked at the FIBA U16 Division B final in Sofia and the Bulgaria Supercup Final.
Observer: Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube live stream
Bakken Bears Aarhus vs Spartak Pleven
Series history: Bakken Bears Aarhus and Spartak Pleven will face each other for the first time.
Key matchup: seven Bears (!) average 10.0 or more points at the Basketligaen.
Deandre Pinckney leads the way with 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Small forward Skyler Bowlin averages 10.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Nikolay Stoyanov averages 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Spartak Pleven.
Small forward has best efficiency rating in the team (16.6), followed by a power forward Bryant Thomas and point guard Stanimir Marinov.
National championships: the Bakken Bears recently improved to 10-0 at the Basketligaen.
Anders Sommer`s men defeated Copenhagen, 102-92, on Saturday, December 9.
Spartak Pleven has a 7-4 record at the Sesame NBL.
Lyubomir Minchev`s men trail only to Chernomorets (11-0) and CSKA Sofia (8-3).
Spartak is on a 4-0 winning streak at the Sesame NBL, including road wins at Shumen and Beroe.
Know your referees
Crew chief: Christian Hansen (Denmark) – FIBA referee from 2021, Denmark Basketball highest leagues from 2015.
Umpire 1: Stefan Stefanov (Bulgaria) – referee from 2011, FIBA referee from 2019, top division in Bulgaria from 2018.
Umpire 2: Andrada Csender (Denmark) – Romania top league referee, FIBA referee from 2012, Denmark top league referee from 2019, has worked at the EuroBasket Women and EuroLeague Women Final 4.
Observer: Oskars Lucis (Latvia).
ENBL access: follow the game on YouTube live stream