Euroleague Preview & Tips – Round 5

Euroleague basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.

Thursday’s Basketball Tips

CSKA Moscow – Olympiacos

A marquee duel will be taking place in Round 5 in Moscow when undefeated CSKA welcomes Olympiacos. The hosts come off a commanding road win at Gran Canaria, led by MVP of the Round Nando De Colo and his 22 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. The Reds also won at home against Maccabi behind Vassilis Spanoulis and his 16 points and 5 assists. The winner of this prestige face-off will come out reinforced and with confidence through the roof.

CSKA seems to be doing everything right at the start of the season. Its 92.3 points per game is the second best mark in the league, and the team is also the best under the boards (39.0 rpg.) and the third-best in cumulative PIR (105.0). De Colo surely is the main reference for the team, but the rest of his teammates provide support on a roster that seems to have no bottom. Aside from De Colo, five more players average 9.5 points or more, so there will be no shortage of scoring for the Russian champs, who always like to make their way through the regular season like a steamroller. However, the Reds will be a tough as they come obstacle.

Coach David Blatt has managed to inject new life into Olympiacos without sacrificing its trademark style. Nikola Milutinov has emerged as a surprise force leading in points (12.3) and rebounds (8.3). He will be watched closely by CSKA’s big men, but will have top-notch support from Spanoulis, Printezis, Nigel Williams-Goss and Sasha Vezenkov. The Reds are struggling a bit under the glass (28.7 rpg.) so they will have to keep a close eye on that department, because in Moscow all mistakes are paid with the iron price. More rebounds would surely also improve the league-lowest 13.5 assists per game, so despite its legendary fighting spirit, Olympiacos will need to work hard in Moscow against such a formidable foe.

Tip: Over 168.5 at 1.92 with Novibet
(Price correct at 01/11/2018, 10:30 CET)

Baskonia v Darussafaka

Two teams standing at 1-3 in the standings face each other in Vitoria-Gasteiz on Thursday when Baksonia welcomes Darussafaka for Round 5. Baskonia comes off a painful road loss at FC Bayern Munich despite Vincent Poirier’s 24 points and 11 rebounds. Darussafaka also lost at home against Barcelona in spite of Micheal Eric’s 17 points and 9 rebounds. Both teams are in danger of falling into a deep hole, so at this point of the season, the winner of this game will get a confidence boost.

Baskonia started the season on the right foot, but has dropped three straight games since then. The team needs a shot of morale and a win in front of its fans would be the perfect remedy. So far, only two big men – Poirier and Shengelia – are averaging double digits in points, so the team will need backcourt names like Granger, Janning and Huertas to kick it up a notch and bring in those points from the perimeter to help lift the team. Baskonia is one of the five teams averaging less than 80 points per game and that is not a usual thing for the team.

Dacka has lost its last two games by a combined 12 points, so it’s apparent that the team is at the level to compete but, somehow, it is missing the final push down the stretch. Eric and Stanton Kidd are averaging one third of the team’s 77.5 points per game, so the Istanbul squad is in dire need of more contributions from names like Diebler and Peiners and especially the group of native Turkish players on the roster. Darussafaka also boasts the second fewest assists in the league (13.5 apg.) so the team will have to play harder on defense in order to obtain the offensive flow it desperately lacks.

Tip: Over 158.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 01/11/2018, 10:30 CET)

Fenerbahce v Bayern Munich

Two teams coming off different results will clash in Istanbul on Thursday when Fenerbahce hosts Bayern Munich in Round 5. Fener lost its first game of the season in Round 4 in a derby against Efes, despite 24 points, 8 boards and 7 assists by Jan Vesely. On the other hand, Bayern won its second game against Baskonia, thanks to 22 points by Derrick Williams. The hosts will try to get back on track as soon as possible, especially playing at home, while the visitors will try to get their second straight win to keep going up.

Fenerbahce features the third best offense in the league (88.7 points) and the fourth best defense (80.2 points against). The loss to Efes only developed in the final minutes, so Coach Obradovic’s team is still on the right track. In the rebounding category, Fenerbahce should try to crash the boards more aggressively as it currently sits in the third-lowest position in the league. Lucky for the hosts, Bayern is second lowest, so there’s some respite there also. In any case, should Fenerbahce display its usual performance, the hosts will have solid chances of taking the W.

Bayern is also struggling big time with rebounds (27.7 rpg., second lowest in the league), but its defensive effort pays off with the highest steals mark of the competition (8.5 spg.). The team has won two home games and has yet to pull out a road win. Fenerbahce can be a tough place to pull it off, but if Dedovic, Williams and Lucic keep singing and names like Booker, Lo and Barthel step up a bit, Bayern can be a solid threat for any team in the competition.

Tip: Fenerbahce Over 83.5 at 1.90 with Novibet
(Price correct at 01/11/2018, 10:30 CET)

Barcelona v Maccabi

Barcelona will look to keep the momentum going after back-to-back wins when it hosts Maccabi on Thursday. Coach Pesic’s starting big men, Ante Tomic and Chris Singleton, combined for 35 points in a 71-79 road win at Darussafaka Istanbul last week, while short-handed Maccabi fell at Olympiacos Piraeus despite a strong showing from DeAndre Kane. Frontcourt production will play a big role in the game; Barcelona leads the league in offensive rebounding (14.5 orpg.) and Maccabi is third in two-point accuracy (60.4%).

Barcelona has two of the premier point guards in the EuroLeague with Thomas Heurtel and Kevin Pangos. It has taken Pangos a little while to adjust to his new surroundings, but he seems to be coming around. When both are on, they use their outside shooting and penetration skills to put opposing defenses on notice and can pass to open men both in the paint and on the perimeter.

A healthy Scottie Wilbekin is a priority for Maccabi, but finding lineups where Wilbekin can also help Michael Roll, Tarick Black, Alex Tyus and others score makes Maccabi much more dangerous. Maccabi needs a balanced attack to bring down Barcelona and that starts with Wilbekin and Roll.

Tip: 1 (-4.5) at 1.76 with bet365
(Price correct at 01/11/2018, 10:30 CET)

Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster

Standings provided by Sofascore LiveScore