Euroleague Basketball Tips
Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.
Darussafaka – Fenerbahce
Two teams with mirror images from opposite ends of the standings meet in this Istanbul derby. First place Fenerbahce has already clinched a playoff berth and now has its eyes on wrapping up a top-four spot and with it home-court advantage for the playoffs. Darussafaka is in last place, three wins out of 15th and has been formally eliminated from playoff contention. Fenerbahce, which has lost two of its last three road games, will look to boost its record in a road game as close to home as possible. Darussafaka may begin to give its home-grown players more and more minutes in the tail end of the season.
Facing the toughest defense in the competition, Darussafaka must be more efficient than usual to compete with Fenerbahce. To date, Darussafaka ranks 15th among the league’s 16 teams in both two-point (50.7%) and three-point (31.7%) shooting. Toney Douglas will play a key role both as a scorer and playmaker and a big night for him could give Darussafaka a shot.
Fenerbahce is on a roll after clinching a playoff berth and over the weekend winning the Turkish Cup. To keep the momentum going Fenerbahce must get contributions from Nicolo Melli, Joffrey Lauvergne and Ahmet Duverioglu to help make up for the absence of the injured Jan Vesely. After the long weekend with three games in four days in the Turkish Cup, Fenerbahce’s depth could be important this time.
Tip: 1 (+10) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 22/02/2019, 12:30 CET)
Zalgiris – Buducnost
Two teams in the bottom half of the standings hoping to boost their fading playoff hopes meet when Zalgiris hosts Buducnost. Zalgiris has lost three straight games and seven of its last eight to fall back to 13th place, but is only three wins behind seventh-place FC Bayern Munich. Buducnost won three in a row before losing its last two games and another winning streak could give Buducnost a fighting chance in the final rounds of the regular season.
In mid-December, Leo Westermann was playing some of his best basketball over a three-game stretch that included 14.0 points on 9-of-16 three-point shooting and 4.0 assists as Zalgiris won two of three games to climb to sixth in the standings. When he went out, the team fell backward. Now that the tall playmaker is back to give the team a second top-level point guard alongside Nate Wolters, Zalgiris has more ways to attack its opponents.
When Buducnost has held teams to less than 80 points this season, its record is 7-5. When it has allowed at least 80, the record is 1-9. So first and foremost, Buducnost must focus on defense. After allowing the third-most rebounds (34.8 rpg.) this season, the addition of rebounding stud Devin Williams at power forward could boost the frontline.
Tip: Over 154.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 22/02/2019, 12:30 CET)
Panathinaikos – Khimki
There will be a playoff-like atmosphere in the Greek capital when Panathinaikos hosts Khimki. Both teams have the same records and are two wins out of the playoff zone. A loss to a direct rival – and the possible loss of a tiebreaker against that same team – could be a devastating blow. Panathinaikos is in good spirits after winning the Greek Cup on Sunday and is 3-0 at home since the arrival of Coach Rick Pitino. Khimki continues to find ways to compete despite injuries to two of its top players and has won its last two EuroLeague games.
The Greens should have their strongest lineup available for this game with Keith Langford and Sean Kilpatrick on the wings together for the first time. Coach Pitino will surely have a plan for how to best use his attack-minded assets while keeping the sweet-shooting big men and his low-post muscle involved. If Nick Calathes can keep all four players around him involved in the offense, Panathinaikos will be tough to stop.
Khimki has won three times on the road this season and its average output in those games has been 93.7 points. In its eight other road games, Khimki has averaged a mere 71.3 points per game. Coach Rimas Kutinaitis must his full arsenal at work in Athens and maybe it should start from the perimeter; in Khimki’s last two games – both wins, the team has averaged 42.4% on three-point shots and that has opened the floor for Jordan Mickey to total 45 points. A similar recipe could work again.
Tip: 1 (-7.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 22/02/2019, 12:30 CET)
Real Madrid – Bayern
Real Madrid will look to lock up its place in the playoffs already this week when it hosts Bayern, which has its sights on reaching the playoffs for the first time. Madrid will advance if it wins, but will have to wait at least another week if it loses. Bayern leads a pack of six teams within two wins of each other between seventh and 12th place and a loss could see it slip out of the playoff zone depending on other results.
Madrid has as strong a frontline as there is in the league with Gustavo Ayon and Walter Tavares at center and Anthony Randolph and Felipe Reyes at the 4. Bayern ranks last in the league in rebounding (29.9 rpg.) and allows teams to shoot 57.2% on two-pointers, which is second-highest in the competition. If the Madrid can take advantage of those Bayern weaknesses to dominate the glass and score easily inside, it will be in a good position to collect its sixth straight home win.
It will be tough to slow down a Madrid attack which is averaging the third-most points (85.8 ppg.) in the league, but it is worth noting that Bayern in 7-3 this season when limiting the opponent to less than 80 points. In fact, in its three road wins this season, Bayern has held the opponent to just 70.7 points on average. To make that happen, Bayern will need Stefan Jovic and co. to slow the pace on offense and for Derrick Williams, Danilo Barthel and Vladimir Lucic, among others, to battle hard on the glass and deny Madrid many transition opportunities.
Tip: Over 163.0 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 22/02/2019, 12:30 CET)
Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster
