Euroleague Tips with Previews – Round 10 – Thursday

Two teams in need of wins face each other on Thursday for Round 10 when Khimki Moscow Region (2-6) hosts Anadolu Efes Istanbul (4-4). After starting with five losses, Khimki has won two of its last three games, including one earlier this week at Zenit, 83-88. On the other side, Efes saw its three-game winning streak snapped at home as it lost to Bayern, 71-74.

After starting the season with severe roster problems, Khimki is rounding into its intended form little by little. Shved is back to his former self, but the team is missing top contributors Devin Booker and Jonas Jerebko. Efes is one of the two bottom teams in the league regarding rebounds, so securing those, especially on defense, will grant Khimki a head start in this game. On the other hand, Khimki is the worst team in the league in steals per game, so the hosts will have to tighten their defense and aggressiveness if they want to beat a team that will go to Moscow hungrier than ever.

Despite having the trio of Shane Larkin, Vasilije Micic and Tibor Pleiss back in action, Efes suffered a painful defeat at home this week. The team will look to bounce back in Russia, and it will do well to push inside shots, as its third-best two-point accuracy in the league, 57.5%, attests. Khimki seems to be struggling a bit on defense, so if Efes manages to circulate the ball the way has done well when everything is clicking, the guests will have a good shot at a recovering win.

Two teams in a sweet moment will play to stay that way on Thursday when FC Bayern Munich (7-2) welcomes CSKA Moscow (6-3) in Round 10. Bayern sits second in the standings and rides a three-game winning streak after dumping host Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Tuesday, 71-74. CSKA’s winning burst is now up to four games after it defeated Zalgiris 78-87 on the road, also on Tuesday. A tie for second place on wins for CSKA or better separation for Bayern are the stakes.

Bayern is on a roll and bursting with self-confidence, especially after knocking off mighty Efes in Istanbul. This time, facing the last EuroLeague champions, the test will be great. CSKA is also on the rise and has the EuroLeague’s second-best percentage from beyond the three-point arc, at 40.2%. The hosts will have to pay attention to those CSKA snipers and put its top-notch defense to the test from the very beginning.

CSKA lands in a city where no team has been able to win since Milan’s overtime escape from Munich in Round 1. The guests have the second-best offense in the league, scoring 82.3 points on average, but it will be facing one of the finest and most aggressive defenses. Bayern plays like a block of players, so CSKA would be wise to pay attention to all of them, all the time. Whether it’s Vladimir Lucic, Paul Zipser, Jalen Reynolds or Baldwin, the damage can come from any direction. Being ready for anything, especially late in the game, will require CSKA’s premium focus if it wants to tie the hosts in the standings.