VILLEURBANNE (Interstat) — ASVEL will host Partizan on Wednesday at Astroballe in Villeurbanne, France, in a matchup of two teams with strong early-season records. ASVEL is 7-5 as the home team, while visiting Partizan is 8-3. The game will be played at Astroballe, and both clubs will look to build momentum in a busy stretch of their schedules.

Partizan enters after an 82-80 win at Spartak Subotica in its most recent result. Ethan Thompson led Partizan with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists. Kevarrius Hayes added 11 points and five rebounds, and Antonio Reeves scored 11. Thompson is the player to watch for Partizan. He also scored 13 points at Fenerbache Koleji and six against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in recent games. Partizan’s other recent results include an 85-82 overtime win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, an 89-84 road win at Bosna, a 74-65 loss at Fenerbache Koleji and a 72-55 loss to Panathinaikos.

ASVEL enters after a 78-74 home win over Nancy. Yves Pons led ASVEL with 11 points and five rebounds, while Hugo Besson scored 11 and Both Gach added nine points and eight rebounds. Pons is the player to watch for ASVEL. He had six points and three rebounds against Crvena Zvezda and two points and four rebounds at Real Madrid in recent games. ASVEL’s recent results include a 105-85 loss at Zalgiris, a 97-94 overtime win at Limoges, a 111-92 loss at Real Madrid and an 84-82 loss to Crvena Zvezda.

Partizan has been productive on the road and will test an ASVEL side that has shown scoring punch at home. ASVEL will need to contain Thompson while getting production from Pons and its supporting cast. Partizan will aim to use its recent winning form to challenge the home team. Both teams have had little separation in recent form, with Partizan riding a tighter defensive effort in its latest win and ASVEL relying on balanced scoring in its most recent home victory.

The game simulator projects a final score of ASVEL 96, Partizan 93. ASVEL has been installed as a 1.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 169.