Euroleague Basketball Tips
Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.
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CSKA Moscow – Baskonia
CSKA (13-6) comes off a hard-fought victory against Real Madrid and wants to keep its momentum going. Baskonia (7-12) has only won twice in the last nine games and arrives in Moscow after a road loss against Zenit St Petersburg. Mike James (20.8 ppg.) has been CSKA’s top scorer until now, followed by Darrun Hilliard (10.8) and Kyle Hines (9.2). Toko Shengelia (16.7 ppg., 6.0 rpg.), Nik Stauskas (9.7) and Shavon Shields (8.3) have led Baskonia’s offense until now.
CSKA limited Real, one of the best offenses in the competition, to just 55 points, and will need the same defensive mentality against Baskonia. After pulling down 44 against Real, CSKA now leads the rebounds standings at 38.1 per night, getting 26.2 defensive boards on average. That is mandatory for CSKA to get going in transition, making the most out of mobile big men like Nikita Kurbanov, Johannes Voigtmann and Hines.
Baskonia allowed Zenit to score 77.4% of its two-point shots, the second highest percentage in the EuroLeague this season. Protecting the paint will be mandatory for Baskonia. Its big men – Michael Eric, Youssupha Fall and Ilimane Diop – must be ready to be aggressive down low. Baskonia keeps struggling from the three-point line (28% against Zenit, 32.5% overall) and only improving those shooting numbers will make the team more competitive.
Tip: Over 159.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
Zenit – Valencia
Zenit (6-13) has won consecutive games for the first time this season, using great defense to do so. Valencia (9-10) is also in a good moment, coming off a road victory against Khimki Moscow Region. After a 0-5 start, Valencia is 9-5 in the last 14 games. Gustavo Ayon (12.3 ppg.) is Zenit’s top scorer this season, followed by Will Thomas (10.9) and Mateusz Ponitka (10.0). Jordan Loyd (11.2), Fernando San Emeterio (7.9) and Alberto Abalde (7.3) will be Valencia’s leaders in this game.
Zenit is allowing 79.4 points per game this season but has dramatically improve those numbers in the last four games, allowing just 71.3 on average. That defensive improvement has allowed the team to find more balance on offense, hitting 77.4% of its two-point shots against Baskonia this week. Without Dubljevic and Tobey on court for Valencia, Zenit must get Colton Iverson and Ayon involved to make the most of its size advantage and depth in the paint.
Valencia has averaged 91.5 points over the last four games, winning three of them, and must try to speed up the game tempo against a defensive-minded team like Zenit. It is mandatory for Valencia to make the most out of its depth at point guard, with Sam Van Rossom, Quino Colom and Guillem Vives giving coach Jaume Ponsarnau plenty of options. Stopping Will Thomas down low and getting Fernando San Emeterio and Alberto Abalde involved at both wings will be other keys for the Spanish powerhouse.
Tip: 2 (+2.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
Crvena Zvezda – ALBA Berlin
After four consecutive wins, Zvezda (9-10) suffered a home loss against Zalgiris Kaunas on Wednesday and wants to bounce back right away. ALBA (6-13) comes off a brilliant road victory against Olympiacos Piraeus and wants to keep its momentum going. Lorenzo Brown (14.1 ppg.) has been Zvezda’s top scorer until now, followed by recently signed Kevin Punter (12.7) and Vladimir Stimac (12.3). Rokas Giedraitis (13.8), Marcus Eriksson (10.9) and Luke Sikma (9.9, 6.2 rpg.) are leading ALBA right now.
Zvezda has averaged 81.0 points since Punter joined the team, as he has made the team’s offense more unpredictable. Zvezda is struggling to shoot the ball with high percentages at home (49.1% 2FG, 34.7% 3FG in Belgrade) and has a good opportunity to improve those numbers. Stimac and Kuzmic have a size advantage in the paint while Brown, Baron, Punter and Dejan Davidovac give coach Dragan Sakota more options. Charging the offensive glass will be important to stop ALBA’s transition game.
ALBA is one of the highest-scoring teams in the competition (84.3 ppg.) and leads the 2019-20 EuroLeague in assists (19.8 apg.). The German powerhouse, however, hits just 49.8% of its two-point shots on average and has struggled to rebound the ball under its own rim, grabbing just 22.6 defensive rebounds per game while allowing 10.3 offensive boards to its opponents. Boxing out and locking down the glass will lead to more transitions, in which players like Giedraitis, Niels Giffey and Peyton Siva feel most comfortable.
Tip: 1 (-5.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
Olympiacos – Bayern
Olympiacos (7-12) comes off a tough home loss against ALBA Berlin and has only managed to win twice in the last eight showdowns. Bayern (6-13) is on a five-game losing streak, its longest in the competition since 2014, and needs a victory as soon as possible. Georgios Printezis (12.1 ppg.) has been Olympiacos’s top scorer until now, followed by Nikola Milutinov (10.7) and Vassilis Spanoulis (10.6). For Bayern, Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg.), Vladimir Lucic (11.7) and Maodo Lo (9.3) have been leading the offense until now.
Olympiacos has struggled on defense, allowing 92.7 points on average in the last six games. Head coach Georgios Bartzokas has a reputation as a defensive coach and is expected to bring those numbers down. Olympiacos relies on its legendary core of players (Spanoulis, Printezis, Milutinov, Kostas Papanikolaou) to step up at both ends, preventing Bayern from running the floor, and to play with extra patience on offense.
Bayern has struggled to protect its paint, as opponents hit 55.6% of their two-point shots and grab 10.9 offensive rebounds on average. Its big men – mainly Monroe, Barthel, Mathias Lessort and Leon Radosevic – must make an extra effort to box out, as getting in transition will benefit Bayern’s many fast perimeter players such as Lo, Lucic and Nihad Dedovic. Josh Huestis gives Bayern extra explosiveness, much needed against a deep team like Olympiacos.
Tip: 1 (-6.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
Panathinaikos – Zalgiris
Zalgiris (6-13) is arriving in Athens running high on confidence after having won three of its last four games, but Panathinaikos (11-8) and its high-scoring offense intend to keep protecting the home floor. Nick Calathes is running the show for Panathinaikos with 13.6 points, 9.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds, but the Greens’ two best scorers are Jimmer Fredette (14.5 ppg.) and DeShaun Thomas (14.1). Zalgiris is missing its top scorer, Marius Grigonis, and has big men Zach LeDay (11.0 ppg. 4.7 rpg.) and Jock Landale (10.7 ppg. 4.4 rpg.) carry the biggest load. Thomas Walkup who does a bit of everything with 9.6 points, 4.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
No team allows more offensive rebounds (13.2) or more three-pointer per game (10.7) per game than Panathinaikos. If the team can control either of the two defensive segments, it will have an opportunity to get its offense in transition and running, and no one this season does it better than Panathinaikos, the best scoring team in the competition, averaging 88.6 points.
It is imperative for Zalgiris to keep Panathinaikos from running and engaging in a shootout. The hosts have the highest-scoring offense, but also one of the most porous defenses, which allows 85.8 points on average. That’s where Zalgiris’s chances lie, playing long and patient possessions and attacking the offensive glass. If Zalgiris also gets an efficient three-point shooting night, it will have its chances in OAKA.
Tip: Under 163.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
Anadolu Efes – Villeurbanne
Efes is in its best moment of the season, overcoming injuries to lead the standings (16-3). It is on a four-game winning streak. ASVEL (8-11) has lost its last three EuroLeague games and its only road victory, against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, was in mid-November. Shane Larkin (20.7 ppg., 3.9 apg.), Krunoslav Simon (9.3) and Tibor Pleiss (8.6) are Efes’s leaders in this game. Adreian Payne (11.0 ppg.) is ASVEL’s top scorer, followed by David Lighty (10.3) and Tonye Jekiri (9.0).
Efes is the second-highest scoring team in the competition (86.6 ppg.) and has been equally unstoppable (87.0) in the last two games without Micic. Its outstanding ball circulation (1.76 assists per turnover) allows Efes to shoot the ball with high percentages (57.0% 2FG, 39.9% 3FG). Running its offense through Larkin is where it all starts for Efes, as he opens all sort of options for its many talented players.
After a strong defensive start to the competition, ASVEL is allowing opponents to shoot the ball with great effectiveness (54.5% 2FG, 39.0% 3FG), so lowering those numbers would be a first step for the French champs. ASVEL has to make the most out of its athleticism in the paint, trying to get Pleiss into foul trouble, and need Diot and Taylor to put Larkin into some sort of trouble at both ends of the floor, especially on offense.
Tip: Over 158.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 17/01/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)
News Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster
