Euroleague Basketball Tips
Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.
Crvena Zvezda – Fenerbahce
Crvena Zvezda hosts Fenerbahce in its season opener in what is expected to be a packed Stark Arena on Thursday night. Both teams will try to avoid dropping to 0-2 after their respective comeback attempts fell short on the road in the opening round. Zvezda suffered an 87-82 defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, while a depleted Fenerbahce battled hard but lost 81-77 against Real Madrid.
Zvezda needs to enter the game with high energy. Fenerbahce might be short-handed under the rims, too, and if Zvezda can use that and get control of the boards that could open up a lot of things for the hosts. It would not only help Zvezda set its own pace for the game, but give it opportunities to run in transition, something this team likes to do. It could also get the fans engaged and with considering the energy from the stands, the team should try to run on the break early and often.
Big man Ognjen Kuzmic is the only sidelined player against Fenerbahce.
Defense has been the forte of Fenerbahce ever since Coach Obradovic took over at the helm and the team will need a solid performance on that end in this one, too. Historically, Fenerbahce has never allowed Zvezda more than 75 points in any of their eight head-to-head games in the competition since 2015, and it the same recipe in this road game once again could do wonders for Nando De Colo, Kostas Sloukas and company.
Big man Jan Vesely just started practicing with the group, but he travelled to Belgrade. Joffrey Lauvergne stayed in Istanbul to recover from injury.
Tip: 2/2 at HT/FT at 1.80 with bet365
(Price correct at 10/10/2019, 10:30 CET, could have changed)
CSKA Moscow v Bayern Munich
The champs welcome Bayern for their home opener on Thursday in a showdown between Round 1 winners. CSKA got big games from a pair of newcomers, Mike James and Darrun Hilliard, in a road win at Valencia Basket. Bayern rode Vladimir Lucic and Nihad Dedovic to a victory over AX Armani Exchange Milan. This will be the fifth meeting ever between the clubs and CSKA has won all four to date.
CSKA’s offensive efficiency was off the charts in its opener; the team shot 17 for 31 (54.8%) on both two-pointers and three-pointers. Such balance between two- and three-point attempts with such astounding accuracy will keep defenses on their heels. CSKA was also strong on the defensive glass (29 boards compared to 9 offensive rebounds for its opponent). That mix should put CSKA in pole position at home.
Much attention was paid to how Bayern upgraded its frontline over the summer, but in Round 1 it was the perimeter players who got the job done. The starting guards and swingman totaled 46 points and their back-ups added 18 more (though small forward Paul Zipser did play a few minutes at the ‘4’). If Maodo Lo, Nihad Dedovic and Vladimir Lucic can have a repeat presence against CSKA, Bayern will be in a good position, especially with the knowledge that the likes of Greg Monroe, Danilo Barthel and co. won’t be kept down for long.
Amazing stat: CSKA has hosted Bayern twice for the Euroleague. The final score in both games (2014 and 2019) was 77-70.
Tip: 2 (+9.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 10/10/2019, 10:30 CET, could have changed)
Villeurbanne – Panathinaikos
Two teams that got their campaigns off on the right foot clash for the first time ever in EuroLeague action. ASVEL made a triumphant return to the competition after a decade away with an 82-63 win over Olympiacos Piraeus last week and now welcomes another Greek powerhouse to its Astroballe. Panathinaikos had a winning start to the season by holding off Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 87-82 at home in the opening round.
Under head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, dating back to last season, ASVEL has been a defensive force that battles on the boards and takes care of the ball. The same was true in Round 1, when ASVEL was the only team that had less than 10 turnovers (9) while allowing just 63 points, the second-fewest in Round 1. The team will need all that discipline on both ends of the floor once again against Panathinaikos.
Theo Maledon, with injury, and Adreian Payne, who is ill, will not be available against Panathinaikos.
Panathinaikos scored 87 points but had just 14 assists compared to 13 turnovers in Round 1. Half of those 14 dishes were served up by the assist-master Nick Calathes. This week the Greens will have to make sure to have good ball movement in order to counter ASVEL’s athleticism, which the hosts have plenty of, both inside and on the perimeter. And there might not be a better player than Calathes to get the job done.
Tip: 2 (-5.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 10/10/2019, 10:30 CET, could have changed)
Real – Maccabi
Real Madrid will look to mark off back-to-back home wins to start the season when it hosts Maccabi on Thursday. Real held off Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 1 behind big games from Jeffery Taylor and Facu Campazzo. Maccabi will play its second straight road game after falling short last week at Khimki Moscow Region. Tarik Black and Omri Casspi were Maccabi’s top scorers in the loss.
Real was outrebounded 27-31 by a Fenerbahce team that was missing two of its top rebounders (Jan Vesely and Joffrey Lauvergne). No player collected more than 5 boards. Maccabi at full strength will not be as forgiving on the glass. Walter Tavares, Anthony Randolph and Jordan Mickey must be sure to fight for every rebound both to take advantage of second-chance buckets and on defense to fuel the transition game.
Trey Thompkins is the only player not available for coach Pablo Laso.
Maccabi played strong in the paint last week, but was unable to take advantage of good looks from the outside; the team was 4 for 22 on three-pointers (18.2%). The Israeli champs must raise their success rate from downtown to keep up with Real in the Spanish capital.
Tip: Under 167.0 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 10/10/2019, 10:30 CET, could have changed)
News Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster
