Verona are playing their first home game in Serie A after three seasons in A2, and they look better than their opening loss suggests. Milano come in between two hard EuroLeague nights and a trip to Maccabi. Their league opener was far from dominant. I expect Verona to keep this a lot closer than Milano's name suggests.
Start with Verona's opener. They lost 93-101 at Tortona, but they scored 93 without their foreign players, and Mike Tobey had a double-double. Experienced playmaker Andrew Andrews is back for this one, so the guard line finally has its organiser.
Milano's week has been heavy. They beat Virtus Bologna 87-85, then lost 76-86 at Baskonia, two physical games only days apart. Next up is Maccabi Tel Aviv away, part of a run of five games in two weeks. Back in the league opener they only beat Trieste 83-79 at home, against a side priced as a huge outsider.
The style matchup helps too. Verona like to play fast, with plenty of players who can create off the dribble and attack the rim. Milano's own staff called that the thing they have to watch most closely. Chasing quick guards around is the last thing a tired team wants.
Milano are deeper and more talented, and several of their players, like Tonut, Flaccadori and Ricci, sat out or played little at Vitoria. But add a full home crowd, a returning playmaker and Milano's next EuroLeague trip already coming up, and I see Verona hanging around for most of the game.
