Euroleague Basketball Predictions, News & Injury list

Euroleague Basketball Predictions

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Fenerbahce – ALBA Berlin

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (14-10) has won its last nine games and has the longest active winning streak in the competition, led by Nando De Colo (13.8 ppg., 3.9 apg.), Jan Vesely (13.0 ppg., 5.1 rpg.) and Marko Guduric (12.2 ppg.). ALBA Berlin (8-16) has registered only one victory in its last seven games. Simone Fontecchio (10.1 ppg.), Peyton Siva (10.1 ppg.) and Marcus Eriksson (10.0 ppg.) have been the German champs’ top scorers until now.

Fenerbahce has climbed to third place in three-point shooting percentage (40.7%) and is effective inside the arc, ranking second at 56.8%. The team, however, still allows a competition-high 11.5 offensive rebounds per night. Better boxing out would make Fenerbahce even more competitive and it relies on Vesely, Kyle O’Quinn and Ahmet Duverioglu to be more aggressive under the defensive glass.

Niels Giffey has been missing in action since Round 17 with an injury.
Jayson Granger is sidelined after having hand surgery.

ALBA has allowed opponents to make 56.6% of their two-point shots so far this season. It must protect its paint a bit better with shot-blockers such as Lammers and Thiemann and avoid easy points in transition by cutting down its turnovers; ALBA ranks second at 14.9 per night. The German champs are making just 51.1% of their two-point shots and still rank second in assists (19.7 apg.). Running the offense through Siva and Luke Sikma should be mandatory for ALBA to be more effective.

Tip: 1 (-9.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 19/02/2021, 10:00 CET, subject to change)

Crvena Zvezda – Zenit

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (7-16) is on a three-game losing streak, but comes off a big weekend in which it lifted the Serbian Cup trophy. Jordan Loyd (16.9 ppg.), Ognjen Dobric (7.2 ppg.) and Dejan Davidovac (6.6 ppg.) are leading the team right now. Zenit St Petersburg (13-9) has lost its last three EuroLeague games. Kevin Pangos (11.7 ppg., 6.2 apg.), Arturas Gudaitis (10.7 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) and Will Thomas (8.9 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) have been its pillars this season.

Marko Simonovic, who has missed the last seven games with an injury, is expected back this week.

Zvezda has been without Corey Walden, Langston Hall, Quino Colom, Landry Nnoko and O’Bryant lately, but some players may return to the team against Zenit. Marko Simonovic is back in action, giving Coach Dejan Radonjic a reliable scoring option from beyond the arc. Zvezda allowed 83.5 points in its last two losses and must bring that number down to be more competitive. On offense, Duop Reath and Ognjen Kuzmic should be ready to attack Thomas and Gudaitis in the low post.

Alex Poythress has been unavailable for Zenit’s since Round 17.

Zenit has some of the best defensive numbers in the competition, allowing just 75.0 points per night. Opponents have made only 52.4% of their two-point shots on average and struggle even more (36.2%) from downtown. Zenit, however, has allowed 86.3 points in its last three losses and opponents hit shots with higher percentages (54.6% 2FG, 48.1% 3FG). Being loyal to its defensive identity should be Zenit’s number one priority, as it has enough talented players to make the difference on offense.

Tip: 1 (+7.5) at 1.95 with bet365
(Price correct at 19/02/2021, 10:00 CET, subject to change)

Villeurbanne – Bayern

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (10-14) has won its last four games. That is its longest in-season winning streak in the competition. Norris Cole (13.5 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by David Lighty (11.4 ppg.) and Guerschon Yabusele (9.8 ppg.). FC Bayern Munich (15-9) is on a three-game winning streak. Vladimir Lucic (13.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg.), Wade Baldwin IV (14.3 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) and Jalen Reynolds (14.5 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) have been its pillars throughout the season.

ASVEL has shot the ball really well in its last two games, combining to make 47 of 71 two-pointers (66.2%) and 16 of 36 threes (44.4%). Getting close to those numbers may be critical against a first-class defensive team like Bayern. On defense, stopping Lucic is important and ASVEL can rely on Lighty and William Howard to give him trouble at both ends. If Cole and Antoine Diot can push ASVEL to play up-tempo and find easy shots in transition, the French powerhouse could be on its way to another win.

Robin Amaize and Zan Mark Sisko have missed the last seven games.

Bayern only allows 77.7 points on average, mainly because of its excellent three-point defense. Opponents score only 33.7% of their shots from downtown and that should be important against a team with good shooters such as Diot, Matthew Strazel, Lighty and Howard. Stopping Moustapha Fall down low should be a priority for Bayern, which can count on Reynolds and Radosevic to play physical against him. Running its offense through Reynolds and Lucic, looking for advantages in one-on-one situations, should be critical, too.

Tip: Under 155.0 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 19/02/2021, 10:00 CET, subject to change)

Valencia – Real Madrid

Before the recent break, Valencia Basket (12-12) scored a double-overtime home win against CSKA Moscow and hopes to build on that, led by Bojan Dubljevic (10.3 ppg., 5.5 rpg.), Nikola Kalinic (10.3 ppg.) and Klemen Prepelic (12.4 ppg.). Real Madrid (15-9) last EuroLeague game was an ugly home loss against TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and it looks to bounce back. Walter Tavares (11.5 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 1.9 bpg.), Trey Thompkins (10.4 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) and Sergio Llull (8.9 ppg.) are leading the team right now.

Bringing Tavares out of his comfort zone should be important and Valencia relies on Tobey and Dubljevic, a pair of centers with deep shooting range, to do so. Valencia should control the game tempo through Sam Van Rossom and Martin Hermannsson, preventing Llull and Carlos Alocen from starting Real’s transition game.

Anthony Randolph is out with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

Real did an excellent job against Valencia last week, playing with a high tempo and running its offense through an unstoppable Deck, whose versatility and effectiveness made the difference. Deck, Abalde and Thompkins must open the floor to give Tavares more room to play in the low post against Dubljevic and Tobey. As always, Llull and Jaycee Carroll should be ready to dynamite the game if their team is stuck on offense. If Real rebounds well and runs the floor, not many teams can stop Los Blancos.

Tip: 1 at 2.20 with bet365
(Price correct at 19/02/2021, 10:00 CET, subject to change)