Euroleague Tips with Previews – Play Offs 28/4

Kevin Pangos shined with 19 points and 9 assists as Zenit stunned Barcelona 74-76 in the series opener. Zenit took control in the second quarter when its lead reached 17 points, but Barcelona fought back to go ahead in the penultimate minute. K.C. Rivers and Pangos answered to help Zenit capture the win. In Game 2, Barcelona edged Zenit 81-78 in an overtime thriller. Brandon Davies led the winners with 22 points and Adam Hanga came up big in overtime with 5 points and a couple of critical steals.

Zenit St Petersburg, the only team to win on the road in the first week of the playoffs, will look to make it stand up when it hosts FC Barcelona in Game 3 of their best-of-five Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs series on Wednesday. Whichever team wins Game 3 will then play for a spot at the Final Four already from Game 4 on Friday, while the Game 2 loser will be with its back to the wall, so an intense contest can be expected, even more than the entertaining first two games on the series.

Losing Mateusz Ponitka before Game 1 and Arturas Gudaitis during the series opener to injuries have put a strain on the Zenit bench. Coach Xavi Pascual’s squad has accounted for just 21 points off the bench in Game 1 and 13 in Game 2. Getting more production from the likes of Billy Baron, Alex Poythress and Andrey Zubkov could make a big difference in Game 3.

Even though Barcelona boss Sarunas Jasikevicus spent two years coaching Kevin Pangos and turning him into an All-EuroLeague level point guard, he has not found the answers to stop the Zenit ace in this series. What’s more, Zenit has made 59.4% of its two-point shots so far in the series, while Barcelona has shot a subpar 42.1%. Finding a way to slow down Pangos and playing better at both ends in the paint are critical for Barcelona.

CSKA took control of the series at home, but had to work hard for its two wins. It trailed entering the fourth quarter in Game 1 before taking charge with a 28-10 finish to the game. CSKA held on in Game 2 with an 18-12 fourth quarter. Daniel Hackett has averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 20 steals to lead the hosts so far.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul will look to extend its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign for at least 48 hours when it hosts CSKA Moscow in Game 3 of their best-of-five playoff series on Wednesday. CSKA won both games in the Russian capital and another victory will send it to its ninth consecutive Final Four. Fenerbahce, which has been to six straight Final Fours, must win out to make another one.

Fenerbahce came into the series knowing that rebounding would be an issue and so far, CSKA has dominated the boards 62-46. That includes 23 offensive rebounds which have been converted into 21 second-chance points. Fenerbahce will need to take care of business at home in that department to strengthen its chances of winning Game 3.

CSKA has moved the ball better than at any points all season in the playoffs. After averaging 15.8 assists per game in the regular season, that number has jumped to 20.5 in the postseason. The better ball movement has resulted in better looks, which CSKA has cashed in at 28 for 64 (43.8%) on three-pointers. If CSKA continues to stretch Fenerbahce’s defense and make its threes, it is tough to stop.