Euroleague Preview & Tips – Round 30 – Playoff Puzzle Completes

Euroleague basketball predictions included under each mini game preview.

The eight playoff teams are now known, but the games of Round 30 will determine the four playoff matchups. Only one game will pit two playoff sides against one another, Olympiacos Piraeus against Zalgiris Kaunas, while Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens’s visit to Milan and Real Madrid’s home game against Brose Bamberg will decide which team finishes in the top four and gains home-court advantage for the playoffs.

Friday’s matches

Olympiacos vs Zalgiris

Two teams with differing fortunes last week go head to head for a possible playoff matchup in Piraeus. Olympiacos (19-10) suffered an overtime loss in Malaga, which leaves a third-place finish not yet secure, while Zalgiris (17-12) gained a morale-boosting home win over CSKA. The Lithuanian champion can still finish anywhere between fifth and eighth, so it has every incentive to claim another famous victory. Olympiacos has a significant edge in rebounding (36.4 rpg. against 33.3 rpg.), but Zalgiris is more efficient in every other offensive performance category.

Tip: 1 (-4.0) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 06/04/2018, 09:55)

Valencia vs Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv

Valencia (11-18) will seek to close out an injury-hit campaign on a high against a visiting Maccabi (13-16) team that will aim to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on the playoffs. Maccabi leads the league in rebounding with 36.9 boards per game, while Valencia is third-last in that category (31.7 rpg), but the home team will look to counter that physicality with its dangerous long-range shooting; Valencia has made an average of 9.8 three-pointers per game, the second-highest tally in the competition.

Tip: Over 167.0 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 06/04/2018, 09:55)

Real Madrid vs Brose Bamberg

Madrid’s (18-11) seeks to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory against a Brose (11-18) team winless on the road in its last 11 games. The visitors will have to find a way of slowing a Madrid offense that has exceeded 80 points in each of its last seven outings and averaged 85.2 points per game over the season – the second-highest in the competition. Brose is also the second-weakest rebounding team in the league, averaging just 31.6 boards per game, so it will have to try to challenge the inside dominance of Walter Tavares (5.9 rpg).

Tip: 1 (-15.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 06/04/2018, 09:55)

Let’s summarize our Euroleague tips today and for the current match day.

Euroleague Basketball Tips

DateLeagueEventPickTypeOddsBookieBet+/-
20/05/2018EL - F4Real Madrid v Fenerbahce1Pre2.10
(20/04/2018 at 09.20)
novibet30
18/05/2018EL - F4CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid2 (+3.5)Pre1.90
(18/04/2018 at 09.15)
bet365100+90
18/05/2018EL - F4Fenerbahce v ZalgirisOver 155.5Pre1.90
(18/04/2018 at 09.15)
bet36550-50

Thursday’s matches

CSKA Moscow vs Crvena Zvezda

After suffering a rare defeat last week, league-leading CSKA (23-6) will look to end its regular season campaign on the right track by getting back to its winning ways against visiting Crvena Zvezda (11-18), which has never won in Moscow. CSKA struggled offensively in last week’s loss at Zalgiris, making just 5 of 23 three-point shots, but has won nine in a row at home and scored at least 89 points in the last four. Zvezda is seeking its first road win of 2018, but will need to tighten up the fourth-leakiest defense in the league (83.6 points per game allowed) to do so.

Tip: No Bet

Fenerbahce vs Unicaja Malaga

Reigning champion Fenerbahce (21-8) has already locked up a second place finish and will attempt to head into the playoffs on the back of four straight wins. Unicaja (12-17) has won two of its last three games, but has not won on the road since Round 15. A key to the game could be the inside battle, where league-leading rebounder James Augustine (6.9 rpg) will give plenty of presence to the visitors. But Fenerbahce boasts the best defense in the competition and will again attempt to make itself hard to beat after restricting opponents to an average of just 66.7 points in the last three games.

Tip: 1 (-10.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/04/2018, 09:30)

Olimpia Milan vs Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos (18-11) needs a road victory to retain any hope of a top-four finish as it travels to face a Milan team hoping to break a two-game losing streak at home. The masterful Nick Calathes, who leads the league in assists with 8.2 dishes per game, will coordinate the Greens’ attack. The game should feature plenty of big collisions ins the paint, with Milan’s rebounding aces Arturas Gudaitis (6.2 rebounds per game) and Kaleb Tarczewski (5.6 rpg) trying to get the better of high-flying Panathinaikos duo James Gist and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

Tip: Over 161.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/04/2018, 09:30)

Barcelona vs Khimki Moscow

Another road team in need of victory is Khimki (16-13), which could finish the regular season anywhere between eighth place and sixth, but would definitely be in the lowest of those positions with a loss. It won’t be easy for the Russian team to overcome a Barcelona (10-19) team that must wish the regular season was only just starting rather than concluding; the Spanish side has won three of its last five games, averaging 89.8 points per game in the process. The game will see former Barca coach Georgios Bartzokas return to Palau Blaugrana for the first time since his tenure ended.

Tip: 2 at 2.50 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/04/2018, 09:30)

Baskonia vs Anadolu Efes

Red-hot Baskonia (16-13) will look to add further momentum to an already outstanding conclusion to the regular season by recording a seventh straight victory with the visit of rock-bottom Efes (6-23). Toko Shengelia will lead his team against an Efes outfit that has lost eight games in a row and not tasted victory on the road since Round 7. In addition to Shengelia, Baskonia also has big man Vincent Poirier in outstanding form with an average PIR of 17.4 over the last five games.

Tip: Over 171.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/04/2018, 09:30)

 



Source: euroleague.net

Basketball Tips: livetipster.com

* Odds are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore