Euroleague Basketball Predictions, News & Injury list

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Zalgiris – Crvena Zvezda

Two teams with three-game losing streaks will battle to get back on the winning track when Zalgiris Kaunas (3-6) hosts Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2-7) on Thursday of Round 10. Earlier in this double-feature week, Zalgiris fell to Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at home by a single point, 85-86, while Zvezda was defeated in Berlin by ALBA, 93-80. The win will be a breath of fresh air for whichever manages to come out on top from this duel.

Zalgiris has already lost four games at home this season, and the team will have to play hard to reverse the situation. Fortunately for the hosts, Zvezda has only won two games, both at home, and is still looking for its first road triumph. Zalgiris holds a small edge in the total calculation of points for and against, but Zalgiris will have to watch out for an aggressive defense that has Zvezda swiping 7.7 steals per game, second best in the league. Zalgiris, currently at the bottom of the rankings in steals and blocks, will want to try to match that intensity on defense. With a little bit more ‘D’ and the support of the hot fans at Zalgirio Arena, Zalgiris has a good opporunity to get back on a winning path.

With six losses in the last seven games, Zvezda needs a win badly. It’s never easy to triumph in Kaunas, but the numbers say that the guests could have a solid chance to steal a win. Zvezda has a small edge on Zalgiris in several statistics, especially on defense, but has lower shooting percentages from all ranges. Zvezda will be missing Stratos Perperoglou and James Gist, two of its best contributors, but if Derrick Brown, who returned against ALBA this week, gets up to speed soon, the guests could have a good tool to try to return home with the win.

Tip: 1 (-9.5) at 1.86 with bet365
(Price correct at 21/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)

ALBA Berlin – Olympiacos

Two teams with identical records but different trends face off on Thursday when ALBA Berlin (3-6) welcomes Olympiacos Piraeus (3-6) to the German capital. After dropping six straight games, ALBA seems to have found its pace with two wins in a row, the last one on Tuesday at home against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. All this despite having its two playmakers, Peyton Siva and Stefan Peno, injured. Olympiacos is still struggling with many changes in the roster, having lost five of its last seven games, including the last one at FC Bayern Munich. The Reds will try to put an end to their week in Germany with a new victory.

Strangely enough, ALBA has seemed to found its rhythm with both playmakers injured. The entire team has stepped up, and the hosts will look to keep that up against a team that has not found consistency yet this season, giving a chance for ALBA to equal its club record with a third consecutive win. ALBA averages 11 points more than Olympiacos, so we can expect the hosts deliver offense in spades. Defense will have to be the key for them, especially against Nikola Milutinov, considering that a new injury, to center Johannes Thiemann, will keep ALBA short-handed. Trying to force Olympiacos to shoot from beyond the arc, where the guests make a league-low 30.1% of their attempts, is one way for ALBA to win.

Olympiacos had not been in such a dire situation for many seasons, but the Reds retain the character and more than a few players that can get them out of the current situation. On paper, ALBA is more dangerous in offense and has better overall numbers than Olympiacos. Defense will be the key for the guests, as they will have to try to stop the ALBA shooters from running and taking the open shots. Look for them to concentrate on going inside to Milutinov and Printezis for points. The rest of the Reds will need to get their running shoes on, because even when not fastbreaking, ALBA moves the ball and its scorers quickly at all times. Keeping up with them is essential to having a chance to pull of a road win.

Tip: Over 163.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 21/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)

Milano – Anadolu Efes

At least a share of first place is up for grabs when league leaders AX Armani Exchange Milan (7-2) and visiting Anadolu Efes Istanbul (7-2) square off in the fashion capital on Thursday. The winner will share first place at game’s end with either CSKA Moscow or FC Barcelona, who both play on Friday. Efes is looking for its fourth consecutive victory, having won its last two away from Istanbul.

Both teams are without signature centers, as Milan has been missing Arturas Gudaitis and Bryant Dunston did not make the trip with Efes. The battle on the boards will be up for grabs, in that case, and in Milan’s case, defense of the rim will be key. Efes ranks second in the EuroLeague with 57.0% efficiency on two-pointers, and without Gudaitis to intimidate, others will have to step in. Kaleb Tarczewski and Paul Biligha are the next biggest bodies, and neither played much in Tuesday’s win over Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, but they might be called on to step up against Efes.

The visitors’ superfly backcourt of Micic and Shane Larkin is all the more important in the absence of Dunston. They rank among the EuroLeague top seven scorers, but their defense on the perimeter might be more of a key on Thursday. Milan is the runaway EuroLeague leader in three-point shooting efficiency, making 44.5% from the arc, and when that happens at home, the hosts will be hard to beat. Expect Efes to balance its own attack by going to the rim as well as almost any EuroLeague team so far and forcing Milan to defend every inch of the court.

Tip: 1 (-2.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 21/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)

Valencia – Khimki

A classic 7DAYS EuroCup duel makes its jump to the big stage as Valencia Basket (3-6) welcomes Khimki Moscow Region (6-3) to Spain on Thursday. After a struggling start, Valencia has managed to win three of its last four games, the last two in a row, the last one at home against Zenit St Petersburg in a thriller. Khimki seems much more consistent but comes off a blowout loss at Real Madrid and will look to get back on the winning track in its second game of the week in Spain.

Valencia is on a roll after a rough start, and will want to keep the party going at home. The first worry that coach Jaume Ponsarnau will have is Shved, of course. But Khimki is so much more than him. The guests boast the third-best offense in the league and basically outperform Valencia on all fronts except for steals. Valencia will have to look again for the collective effort and do many things right to defeat one of the top teams in the competition. La Fonteta will be there giving the extra push, the rest is up to Valencia and the focus that it brings to the game.

After a brilliant start, Khimki has dropped two of its last four games, and that is a wakeup call not to take any games in the EuroLeague for granted. Going into the game Khimki has the upper hand in virtually every aspect of the game, so the main trio of Shved, Jonas Jerebko and Devin Booker will try to remain the solid pillar they have been for Khimki. As of now, Khimki gives up more points per game than Valencia, but the hosts have the second-weakest numbers from beyond the arc in the league, so the guests will probably try to exploit that.

Tip: 1 at 2.50 with bet365
(Price correct at 21/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)