Euroleague Preview & Tips – Round 19

Euroleague Predictions

Euroleague Basketball Tips

Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.

Anadolu Efes – Darussafaka

The latest edition of the Istanbul derby will open Friday’s slate of EuroLeague action with Anadolu Efes against Darussafaka. Efes comes into the game on a three-game winning streak, sitting in fourth place in the league and owning a 7-2 home record. Darussafaka is on a three-game losing streak, last in the standings and winless on the road this season. Efes is 5-0 in EuroLeague games against Darussafaka and also won their Turkish League game earlier this season.

Turning this game into a shootout would work to Efes’s benefit since Coach Ataman has a deeper squad that has scored at least 90 points seven times this season – and has won each of those games. Efes is averaging 89.4 points in wins, while Darussafaka has averaged 75.0 points in its wins. Efes also leads the league in three-point accuracy (43.8%) and Darussafaka is last (30.4%).

Darussafaka leads the league in offensive rebounds this season (12.3 orpg.) and Efes is last (8.1 orpg.). Coach Ernak’s men – led by Micheal Eric and Jeremy Evans – must turn that rebounding advantage into second-chance points to improve their chances of scoring an upset win.

Tip: Over 165.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 18/01/2019, 13:30 CET)

Buducnost – Real Madrid

Buducnost will try to turn its latest victory into a winning streak when it hosts the champs on Friday. Buducnost has been revitalized by a mid-season coaching change and the signings of Norris Cole at guard and Goga Bitadze at center and will now be tested by Real Madrid, which has won three in a row and seven of its last eight. Madrid has won all five of its previous EuroLeague games against Buducnost.

Though Buducnost is last in the league in scoring at 74.1 points per game, that number has jumped to 83.3 over the team’s last four appearances. The offensive improvement must continue for Buducnost to gather more wins. The team must also match its stellar three-point shooting from earlier in the season to catch Madrid.

Madrid is not only one of the top offenses in the league, but is also second in terms of points allowed (75.8 ppg.). Depth is one of the keys to Madrid’s success and the fact that the team has six players averaging at least 9 points per game is tough to match. Getting strong performances off the bench and making Buducnost’s top players work hard every minute they are on the floor would point the game in Madrid’s direction.

Tip: 1 (+9.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 18/01/2019, 13:30 CET)

Zalgiris – Panathinaikos

Two EuroLeague classic teams meet again when Zalgiris (7-11) tries to snap a four-game losing streak and catch Panathinaikos (8-10) in the standings. After going 13-4 at home last season, Zalgiris is 3-7 in front of its diehard fans in this one. Brandon Davies (15 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by Nate Wolters (12 ppg.) and Aaron White (9.1 ppg.). Panathinaikos carries a six-game road losing streak. Its last win away from Athens was against Buducnost on November 2. Nick Calathes (11.2 ppg., 8.1 apg.) has been its main pillar until now, but the Greens expect a lot from recent signing Sean Kilpatrick, a scoring guard who is set to make his EuroLeague debut in Kaunas. Big man Adreian Payne, who was with the Greens last season for 12 games, has signed with them again and might be available on Friday, as well.

Zalgiris is averaging 78.4 points per game at home this season, third worst in the league. Only Darussafaka and Buducnost score less at home. Zalgiris is shooting the ball well (54.9% 2FG, 38.8% 3FG) but picking up a lot of turnovers (14.4, first overall) at Zalgirio Arena. It will need better ball circulation in general, so Wolters and Derrick Walton must keep control of the game tempo against two more experienced players like Calathes and former Zalgiris playmaker Lukas Lekavicius.

Since Coach Pitino arrived, Panathinaikos has averaged 86.5 points at home but just 66.5 on the road. Barcelona pulled down 15 offensive rebounds against the Greens last week, so controlling its own board is mandatory for Panathinaikos. Once it has those defensive rebounds, Panathinaikos can run its transition offense through Calathes, Lekavicius and Nikos Pappas, generally finding better shots.

Panathinaikos is without Langford.

Tip: 2 (+2.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 18/01/2019, 13:30 CET)

Baskonia – Milano

In this key game in the EuroLeague Playoffs race, Baskonia (8-10) and Milan (8-10) will break their share of a three-way tie for all-important eighth place. Baskonia comes off a convincing win against Gran Canaria, overcoming injuries and using a shorter rotation to win the game. With Toko Shengelia and Jayson Granger out, Vincent Poirier (20 points), Ilimane Diop (13 points, 10 rebounds, 25 PIR) and Marcelinho Huertas (24 points, 29 PIR) stepped up big. Milan needs to bounce back from two losses in a row. Two former Baskonia players – Mike James (19.8 ppg) and Vladimir Micov (14.6 ppg.) – have been Milan’s leaders along with center Arturas Gudaitis (13.4 ppg., 7.6 rpg.), so expect an intense, thrilling showdown at Fernando Buesa Arena.

Last week, Baskonia was heavily outrebounded, allowing 20 offensive boards, but forced Gran Canaria into 15 turnovers and low shooting percentages (43.9% 2FG, 27.6% 3FG). If Johannes Voigtmann is finally back in action after a sickness, Baskonia should be more powerful under the baskets. On offense, Huertas and Luca Vildoza will try to keep everyone involved, finding good shots and creating for themselves, too.

Baskonia is without Toko Shengelia, Jayson Granger and Tadas Sedekerskis. Patricio Garino, Voigtmann and Janning are questionable.

Milan is the highest-scoring team in the competition (87.3 ppg.) but ranks second in points allowed (86.8 ppg.). Milan allows opponents to shoot with very good percentages – 56% inside the arc and 39.7% from downtown – which is dangerous against a team full of experienced players like Baskonia. On offense, Milan will keep running its offense through James and Micov, and will look to Gudaitis and Alen Omic for easy points down low.

Milan travelled to Vitoria-Gasteiz without Nemanja Nedovic and Kaleb Tarczewski.

Tip: Under 169.0 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 18/01/2019, 13:30 CET)

 


CSKA Moscow – Bayern

Two teams currently in the playoff zone will face off in Round 19 when CSKA Moscow hosts FC Bayern Munich in the Russian capital. CSKA arrives from a severe home loss to Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv last week despite 16 points apiece by Will Clyburn and Nando De Colo. It was CSKA’s first home loss since Round 8 of last season. Bayern got back to its winning ways with a prestige home win over AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan thanks to 18 points apiece by Maodo Lo and Nihad Dedovic.

CSKA boasts the third-best offense in the league and its major firepower will still be its main asset for this game. On paper, CSKA outdoes Bayern on almost every front, especially rebounds (33.7 rpg. to 29.6.), but that did not happen the last time these teams met, so the hosts will have to pay special attention to that.

Bayern seems to have found its rhythm in the competition, but one of the toughest trips in the league awaits the German champs this week, especially after CSKA suffered a home loss already last week. Bayern’s main job will be stopping the many resources that the hosts have on offense, which can be a daunting task. The visitors will also have to focus on rebounds to try to even the numbers between the teams, just like they did at home in Round 7

Tip: Over 168.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2019, 12:00 CET)

Olympiacos v Khimki

This game presents two teams with much in common. Both Olympiacos and Khimki have split their last four games and each team won the first game of last week’s two-round week at home and lost the second game on the road. Olympiacos comes into the game one win out of fourth place, while Khimki is one win outside of the playoff zone. The Reds will welcome back center Nikola Milutinov, who missed the last through games through illness, but has otherwise dominated in the paint this season. Khimki hopes to have reigning Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner Alexey Shved back this week after missing six weeks with a broken finger.

Olympiacos leads the league in rebounding (36.4 rpg.) and has the league’s top rebounder in Nikola Milutinov (8.4 rpg.), while Khimki is second-to-last in rebounding (30.1 rpg.) and has only one player (Jordan Mickey, 4.9 rpg.) averaging more than half as many boards as Milutinov. Continued domination of the glass and the put-backs that come with it could propel the Reds to another win on Thursday.

If Alexey Shved is available for the game, his return would be an immediate boost for the team both as a scorer and to deflect attention from the other scorers. With or without Shved, the key to victory for Khimki is outside shooting. Coach Bartzokas’s side leads the league in three-point shots attempted (29.4 per game) and has attempted the fewest two-pointers (31.1). For that to work, the extra threes have to go in.

Alexey Shved is still sidelined for Khimki.

Tip: 2 (+8.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2019, 12:00 CET)

Maccabi – Barcelona

Two teams in great spirits meet on Thursday when Maccabi hosts Barcelona. Both sides swept their games in the two-round week. Maccabi ended a 15-year drought in Moscow by routing CSKA, while Barcelona bested AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens to take its winning streak to five in a row. Their recent successes have Maccabi one victory outside of the playoff zone and Barcelona back in the hunt for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Seven of the last eight games between these historic clubs have been won by the home team.

Barcelona has held its opponents to 70 points or less in six of its last eight games. In that same period, Barcelona has scored more than 80 only twice and lost in one of those. Accordingly, setting a more-measured pace that gets the team’s deep frontcourt involved and thus creates space for outside shooters like Heurtel and Kyle Kuric would put Barcelona in a stronger position.

Maccabi has found many different ways to win recently by playing smart. Against CSKA, that included finding the best shots available even if the shooter was not a go-to scorer and happily going away from three-pointers when the shots weren’t falling and instead setting a team record with 35 two-pointers. Against Barcelona, Maccabi must add avoiding foul trouble to give Coach Sfairopoulos a full roster down the stretch for what promises to be a close game.

Tip: Winning margin 3-way: Any other result (1-5 points) at 2.65 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2019, 12:00 CET)

Gran Canaria – Fenerbahce

Two teams from opposite ends of the table meet on the Canary Islands when Gran Canaria takes on Fenerbahce. Granca has lost three in a row and five of six to slip back to 14th in the standings, though it is still only two wins behind the team in eighth place. Fenerbahce leads the standings and has only lost twice all season. Their defenses tell the stories of their seasons; Granca allows the most points in the league (87.5 ppg.) and Fenerbahce allows the fewest (75.1 ppg.).

Gran Canaria has held opponents to less than 80 points only four times this season, but is 3-1 in those games. So first and foremost, Coach Garcia’s men must play exceptional defense. Fenerbahce’s standout defense does not block a lot of shots (1.9 bpg.) and allows teams to shoot an above average 54.8% on two-pointers, so Gran Canaria would be wise to look early and often to its big men, Ondrej Balvin and Anzejs Pasecniks, which might have an added bonus of drawing some fouls from Fenerbahce’s interior stars.

Fenerbahce has cracked the 90-point mark five times this season, but all of them have been on the road. Thus, despite facing the most porous defense in the league, Coach Obradovic’s men are best playing their brand of basketball, which is slower-paced. Focusing on defense and keeping Gran Canaria to a low score is the safest game plan for Fenerbahce to notch another victory.

Tip: Over 160.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2019, 12:00 CET)

Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore