Euroleague Basketball Predictions
Week 3 of the Euroleague regular season is here, and is already an exciting one. There are a few new teams, some old favourites and -most importantly- many great games ahead. So, let’s dive straight into our Euroleague picks for the first week:
Our EuroLeague basketball tips appear under each mini game preview.
Anadolu Efes – Valencia
The season’s first double-round week will begin for both defending champion Anadolu Efes (1-1) and its visitor on Tuesday, Valencia (0-2), who were both one shot away from victory in Round 2.
In order to boost its scoring, Efes has so far positioned itself behind the triumvirate of Clyburn (23.5 ppg), Micic (18.0), and Beaubois (10.0). While holding Crvena Zvezda to 59 points at home before giving up 95 points to AS Monaco on the road, the Efes defence is still difficult to evaluate. With 5.0 blocks per game (of which guards Beaubois and Bryant have made half), Efes stands out statistically as the third-best shot-blocking club so far. They are also third in terms of reducing turnovers (10.0).
Tip: Over 159.5 at 1.90
Zalgiris – Virtus Bologna
Tuesday night’s match between the home club and Virtus Bologna is guaranteed to draw a fervent and enthusiastic home crowd to Zalgirio Arena. The No. 13 jersey that Paulius Jankunas wore for 18 EuroLeague seasons will be lifted to the rafters and retired as part of the celebration of one of Kaunas’s favourite sons.
After losing its first two games on the road in Tel Aviv and Piraeus, Zalgiris will attempt to capitalise on the opportunity and secure its first victory of the campaign on the court. This will be the first meeting between the teams since Zalgiris won 102-82 in December 2007. Five Zalgiris players scored in double figures that evening, including Jankunas.
Tip: 3-way winning margin 1-5 points at 2.65
Fenerbahce – Asvel Villeurbanne
ASVEL Villeurbanne (1-1) will be welcomed by Fenerbahce (2-0), which will attempt to maintain its excellent record. In the first two rounds of the season, Fenerbahce is one of five unbeaten clubs and will face a team that is on a high after a thrilling road victory.
Nando De Colo scored 16 points and Youssoupha Fall dominated the post with a double-double (10 p.,13 r.) as ASVEL defeated Valencia Basket 76–77 on Friday. De Colo will be facing his old coach Itoudis, with whom he won two EuroLeague championships for CSKA Moscow, as well as his former team in Istanbul, where he spent the previous three seasons wearing a Fenerbahce shirt.
Tip: 2 (+9.5) at 1.91
Maccabi Tel Aviv – Monaco
Many of Monaco’s greatest athletes do not get shivers at the notion of entering Menorah Mivtachim Arena as a visitor, despite the fact that for some, it might. Over the years, a few of them have experienced notable success against Maccabi.
James, Loyd, and Okobo the guards have all produced issues for Maccabi. In his first game with ASVEL Villeurbanne against Maccabi in Round 4 of the previous season, Okobo scored 23 goals. In two games versus Maccabi with Crvena Zvezda two seasons ago, Loyd averaged 22.5 points. And when James gave up 13 assists in a game last season, he was just one assist shy of his career high. While Loyd split his two games with Maccabi in the 2020–21 season, James led Monaco to an 82–76 victory in the aforementioned matchup, despite Okobo’s 0–2 record versus Maccabi.
Tip: 2 at 1.95
Bayern – Barcelona
Tuesday night’s Round 3 EuroLeague matchup between Bayern Munich (0-2) and Barcelona (1-1) at Audi Dome is a rematch of their epic five-game playoff series from last season. Barca won that series 3-2 to go to the Final Four despite a close call.
Bayern under coach Andrea Trinchieri has not had the best of beginnings to this season, suffering consecutive losses to Virtus Bologna and Fenerbahce. With 62.5 points per game this season, Bayern is averaging the fewest points in the EuroLeague, and if its offence does not go up, it will be very difficult to keep up with Barca. Bayern’s most dependable player up to this point has been Weiler-Babb, who averages 14.0 points on 44.4% two-point shooting and 54.5% three-point shooting in addition to 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Getting other players to emulate Weiler-Babb will be crucial for Bayern.
Tip: Under 151.5 at 1.90
Partizan – Milano
When Partizan (0-2) hosts Milan (1-1) on Tuesday night in the Serbian capital, it is anticipated to be a celebration of basketball. Partizan will be playing its first EuroLeague home game in eight years.
Furthermore, Zeljko Obradovic of Partizan and Ettore Messina of Milan, who have won nine and four EuroLeague championships respectively, are competing in this matchup. However, their teams just suffered heartbreaking overtime losses. Partizan lost at Baskonia 103-96 after allowing a buzzer-beating three-pointer to force overtime. Punter and LeDay, two former Milan players who assisted Messina in leading the team to the 2021 Final Four, scored 26 and 23 points, respectively, and Mathias Lessort stood out with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Tip: Partizan Over 81.5 points at 2.55
(All prices correct at 18/10/2022, 09:00 CET, subject to change)
News Source: Euroleague.net
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