Euroleague Tips with Previews – Round 33- Friday

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CSKA Moscow – Khimki

A new edition of the Leningradka Derby comes to the EuroLeague on Friday as already-qualified CSKA Moscow (21-10) welcomes last-place Khimki Moscow Region (4-27) for Round 33. CSKA is currently on a three-game winning run and another victory on Friday would secure the team home-court advantage in its upcoming playoff series. If Anadolu Efes Istanbul and AX Armani Exchange Milan were to both lose on Thursday, however, CSKA would already have that goal met and this game would be about finishing as high as possible for the hosts. In another Russian derby earlier this week, CSKA defeated host Zenit 74-86 to punch its playoffs ticket. Khimki is enduring one of its worst seasons ever and was eliminated weeks ago. However, it managed to stop a four-game slide with an overtime win over ASVEL at home, 87-85, on Wednesday.

CSKA has punched its playoffs ticket and is now focused on nailing down home-court advantage. The hosts have the best offense in the league and they are also the top-rebounding team. Khimki cannot compare numbers-wise before tipoff, but the rivalry and its win earlier this week against ASVEL will surely fuel the visitors’ fire. Just playing the spoiler against one of its biggest rivals is always incentive enough for motivation. CSKA knows Khimki well, including the visitors’ league-low three-point shooting accuracy, so expect CSKA’s defense to try to maintain that and punish such misses with strong fastbreak basketball.

  • Nikola Milutinov could miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
  • Mike James has been suspended by head coach Dimitris Itoudis.

It has not been an easy season for Khimki, whose playoffs options faded weeks ago. However, the guests are still putting up a fight and managed to win their fourth game earlier this week. They are the top shot-blocking team in the league and are also dishing more assists than CSKA, who has the second-worst register in the league in that department. It will all start from defense for Khimki, especially guarding CSKA’s snipers, who are firing on all cylinders this season. A win on Friday would sweeten Khimki’s rough season a bit.

  • Devin Booker has missed the last 11 games.
  • Stefan Jovic has not played in the last 10 games.
  • Janis Timma has not played in the last seven games.

basketball prediction Tip: 2 (+16.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 02/04/2021, 09:30 CET, subject to change)

Zenit – Villeurbanne

Playoffs hopeful Zenit St Petersburg (17-14) welcomes already-eliminated LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (12-19) on Friday in an attempt to keep its goal alive. Zenit still cannot qualify this week, and it’s important to remember that it still has a game pending from Round 6 at home against already-eliminated Panathinaikos, scheduled for April 12. Zenit has lost four of its last five games in the final stretch of the season, including one earlier this week against CSKA, 74-86. After a solid winning streak, ASVEL has dropped its last five games, including in overtime at Khimki, 87-85 on Wednesday. Zenit has everything at stake with this duel, while ASVEL will try to play the spoiler.

Many of Zenit’s playoff options rely on winning this game. The team has one of the worst offenses in the league, but also one of the best defenses. ASVEL is as athletic as opponents come, so the hosts will have to adapt to and match that intensity. That adaptation will have to start on the boards, so Zenit limits the visitors’ possessions and controls the tempo. But Zenit also needs to watch the ASVEL snipers, who rank seventh in the league but can get hot quickly. Zenit will have to focus all over the court and not let any details escape in this duel. A misstep here could be fatal for its playoffs aspirations.

ASVEL dropped its last game at Khimki in overtime and surely will not want to leave Russia empty-handed. The team is eliminated already, but despite its late slide, has shown all season that it belongs in the EuroLeague. The French team will try to make that point once again by playing the spoiler for a Zenit team that has been struggling of late. The guests will have to try to fortify their defense – the EuroLeague’s fifth-worst – and build from there. The offensive resources for ASVEL are plentiful, so the main caveat will be watching the 56.2% for two-point accuracy that makes Zenit so dangerous if not guarded closely.

basketball prediction Tip: Over 155.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 02/04/2021, 09:30 CET, subject to change)

ALBA Berlin – Valencia

It’s all but a do-or-die situation for Valencia Basket (17-15) as it visits already-eliminated ALBA Berlin (11-21) on Friday for Round 33. With just two games to go, Valencia’s best hope for reaching the playoffs is to win both games, though it still might need help from other results. A loss to ALBA combined with Real Madrid and Baskonia wins would mathematically eliminate Valencia. ALBA is currently on a three-game slide, the last loss coming on the road against Zalgiris, 96-86, on Tuesday. Valencia was doing well on a three-game winning streak that came to a halt on Wednesday at home against already-eliminated Olympiacos, 79-88, considerably crimping its playoffs aspirations.

ALBA is already eliminated from the playoffs race, but will look to play the spoiler part against a historically difficult foe. Valencia has the third-best offense in the league, and both Valencia and ALBA stand in the top two spots in the league in assists, respectively. As such, we could expect an offensive showdown. However, ALBA will have to pay close attention to defense as Valencia also boasts the EuroLeague’s best shooting percentage in two-pointers.

Valencia will be thinking that it has to win this game to amplify its playoff possibilities. The guests have the third-best PIR average in the league, meaning that it is one of the three teams with the most well-rounded performances. ALBA is already eliminated and will play with no pressure. The guests will have to stay alert for the hosts’ singular playing style and be careful with details. In a close ending, ALBA could prove hard to beat as it has the second-best percentage in the league for free throws.

  • Martin Hermannsson missed last two games.

basketball prediction Tip: 2 (-5.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 02/04/2021, 09:30 CET, subject to change)

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Fenerbahce – Barcelona

Two playoff-bound teams will square off for better positions in the final standings when Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (20-12) welcomes leader FC Barcelona (23-9) in Round 33 on Friday. Fenerbahce reached the playoffs on Tuesday thanks to its 15th win in the last 17 games, this one by 68-77 on FC Bayern Munich’s court Barcelona was the only qualified team before Round 32 and has already clinched home-court advantage the playoffs. Its next victory would lock up first place after it missed the chance in a 99-94 overtime defeat at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on Tuesday, ending Barcelona’s five-game winning streak.

After dealing with a rough first half of the season, Fenerbahce found its bearings and started an epic winning run after the new year to finally earn a place in the playoffs. The Turkish team is now playing for home-court advantage in its series, so the stakes are high against the team that has owned first place for a long time. Barca has the EuroLeague’s fourth-best offense and its best defense, so it will not be easy for the hosts. Fener has the league’s second-best team two-point accuracy, so its plan will be to keep finding inside shots while trying to limit all the Barcelona stars who are coming to Istanbul with the intention of clinching first place with a win.

  • Edgaras Ulanovas has missed the last three games.

Barcelona lost in overtime in Maccabi and surely will want to get back on the winning track not to both nail down first place and restart its momentum going into the playoffs. Fener will surely want to get some revenge from the bad loss they suffered in Spain, but the hosts seem to be struggling under the boards, with the second-worst rebound numbers in the league. Expect Barca to test that weakness by crashing the boards on both ends, which would also let the visitors dominate the tempo of the game.

basketball prediction Tip: 1 (+3.0) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 02/04/2021, 09:30 CET, subject to change)

Real Madrid – Olympiacos

It is a last push for the playoffs for Real Madrid (18-14) when Los Blancos host already-eliminated Olympiacos Piraeus (15-17) on Friday for Round 33. Real can qualify with a win but would also need Zenit St Petersburg and either Baskonia or Valencia to lose. The hosts have dropped three of their last four games, including on Tuesday against Efes, 83-108, at home. Head coach Pablo Laso was ejected from that game and sanctioned with a one-game suspension, as well. The Reds have won four of their last five games, including the last one at Valencia, 79-88, on Wednesday. They will now look to spoil the chances of a team that they have waged many great battles with over the decades.

Real has been struggling lately, but still has the playoffs in its reach. This win would certainly help that plan to work, while a defeat might prove eventually fatal. Both teams stand close on most statisitics, but they are experiencing different dynamics, and that could play an important part in the game. Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas are shining lately for the Reds, so stopping them must be the main goal of the hosts if they want to take this win. Then it will be a matter of hoping for other results or play for their lives in Round 34.

  • Anthony Randolph is out with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
  • Sergio Llull is sidelined after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The Reds are on a winning trend lately. They are already eliminated, but they always play with the heart of champions and this game will be no exception. Olympiacos has been one of the most consistent teams in steals in the last three games, and that aggressiveness in defense will surely be a thing to use against Los Blancos. Winning in Madrid is always a good bounty, but the hosts have a deep, talented roster that knows what it takes to win and the urgency of the moment. It will be a battle of wills from two teams that have prospered in such battles over the years.

  • Kostas Papanikolaou has missed Olympiacos’s last 17 games.
  • Hassan Martin is sidelined with a knee injury.

basketball prediction Tip: Over 159.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 02/04/2021, 09:30 CET, subject to change)

News Source: Euroleague.net

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