Euroleague Preview – Match Day 11 – Into the 2/3 of the road

Euroleague Preview & Tips

More vital wins will be up for grabs as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague heads into Round 11, featuring two of the competition’s highest-scoring teams going head to head and a Game of the Week between two teams looking to break into the all-important top eight.

On a sole Wednesday game Brose Bamberg made it to 3-8 with a win in Tel Aviv versus Maccabi, proving they are not a team to sit in the bottom of the table. They ended a 5-game losing streak and look into the future from a different perspective.

Thursday’s matches

Fenerbahce Istanbul (7-3) will aim to maintain its three-game winning streak by overcoming guest Crvena Zvezda (4-6). Zvezda, which has scored exactly 79 points in three of its last four games, has the lowest overall index rating of all teams, averaging 73.4 per game. But its strong defensive play is helped by the league’s highest tally of steals (7.4 per game). The contest could come down to shooting efficiency: only Zvezda (48.34%) has converted a lower percentage of two-point tries than Fenerbahce (48.98%). The game is split on 151.5 points and Under 151.5 would be our pick at 1.90 with bet365.

In Italy, expect offensive fireworks as the league’s top-scoring team, CSKA Moscow (9-1), visits the fourth-highest in that category, EA7 Armani Milan (4-6). The Russian team has averaged 93.3 points per game on the back of the competition’s best three-point (43.78%) conversion rate and second-best free throw percentage (81.48%). Milan, which has lost three games in a row, is dominant in the other scoring category, having hit the second-highest number of two-pointers in the competition – 23.6 per game. The hosts look in a bit of a mess with players ready to leave and the away win with a small handicap (-3.5) looks like the logical choice at 1.90.

Real Madrid (7-3) will be gunning for its fourth consecutive home win against an in-form Zalgiris Kaunas (4-6) which has won three of its last four games. Madrid’s efficiency is reflected in the league’s best assist-turnover ratio (184.4%), contributing to the second-highest scoring offense in the competition with an average of 89.5 points per game. Zalgiris will look to gain the physical edge, coming into the game ranked joint second in rebounding, with its 36.9 boards per game slightly better than Madrid’s average of 36.5. This should be another high scoring game and bet365 offers Over 170.5 points at 1.90.

Friday’s matches

The Game of the Week comes from Istanbul where high-scoring Anadolu Efes (5-5) and visiting FC Barcelona Lassa (5-5) will look to break into the top half of the standings. Efes, gunning for its fourth straight win at the Abdi Ipekci Arena, tops the league in rebounds (38.3 per game) and ranks third in scoring (87.4 points per game). The visitors have scored fewer points than any other team (70.6 per game) but also have the best defense, allowing an average of just 73.7 points. Under 158.5 points is our pick here in an expected tight tie.

Another team on 5-5, Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, will attempt to deny a first road win for visiting Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul (3-7). Expect plenty of exciting action around the rim – these teams have blocked more shots than anyone else, with only Galatasaray (4.2 per game) rejecting more than Panathinaikos (4.1 per game). They have also committed the fewest number of turnovers, with Panathinaikos conceding possession just 10.5 times per game, and Galatasaray turning it over slightly more, 10.7 per game. This will probably be a home win but we prefer the Over 157.5 points than the handicap on -9.5.

In Piraeus, Olympiacos (6-4) will seek to stay in the playoff places against a visit from Unics Kazan (3-7), which set a new club record by scoring 100 points last week. The two teams are tied for the fewest number of assists in the league, just 15.5 per game, but it should be a fierce battle under the boards with Olympiacos ranked second in defensive rebounds (26.1 per game) while Unics is placed third in offensive rebounds (11.9 per game). The 7.5 points handicap to the away team might prove too much for the hosts to cover.

And finally, two teams with big ambitions meet in Spain as Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz (6-4) welcome a Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul (5-5) side aiming to end a three-game losing streak. Baskonia has claimed more defensive rebounds than anyone else (26.3 per game) while Darussafaka is ranked next-to-last in that category (21.3 per game). But the visiting team has the clear edge in long-range shooting, tied for second in the league with 9.4 triples per game, with Baskonia sinking an average of just 7.5 three-pointers. No bet here. Anything could happen…

Statistics Source: euroleague.net
Tips: livetipster.com

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore

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