Euroleague basketball predictions included under each mini game preview.
November’s first two-round week starts with Round 7 and will feature a rematch from the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game between Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus. Elsewhere, Alex Tyus and DeShaun Thomas of Maccabi FOX will welcome their former team, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, to Tel Aviv, and in a clash of Spanish League foes, Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz hosts Real Madrid and Coach Pablo Laso, who played for his opponent in the past.
Friday’s matches
Fenerbahce vs Olympiacos
The hotly awaited rematch from last season’s Championship Game offers the added incentive for Olympiacos (4-2) of attempting to avoid a third consecutive loss, while Fenerbahce (4-2) is gunning for its third straight win. The home team leads the league in both two and three-point conversion rate, at 57.4% and 43.8% respectively, but that accuracy will be seriously challenged by an Olympiacos team that has allowed the second-fewest points in the competition – 70.8 per game. Indeed, the only team with a better defense than the Greeks has been Fenerbahce with just 69.5 points per game conceded. And after scoring just 51 and 62 points in its last two losses, Olympiacos desperately needs to find a spark for its offense.
Tip: 1 (-6.5) at 1.90 with bet365
Crvena Zvezda vs CSKA Moscow
League leading CSKA (5-1) will go in search of its fifth straight win with a trip to face a Zvezda team (2-4) that will require all its famous defensive resolve to stop Nando de Colo, who has averaged 22 points in his last three games. Zvezda has struggled offensively in recent weeks, losing two straight after mustering just 69 and 65 points. CSKA leads the league in scoring (88.2 points per game) and overall performance index rating (104.2 per game), but Zvezda could profit from long-range against a CSKA team that has allowed the second-highest number of three pointers in the competition (9.3 per game).
Tip: Under 163.5 at 1.90 with bet365
Brose Bamberg vs Barcelona
Two teams looking to bounce back from defeat meet in Germany as Brose (3-3) welcomes a Barcelona team (2-4) looking to kick start its season. The home side, which is staging this week’s contest in Nuremburg, will need to slow down the league’s assists leader, Thomas Heurtel (7.3 assists per game), and the battle of the boards could also be crucial: Barcelona has claimed the second-highest number of defensive rebounds in the league (27.5 per game), while Brose has pulled in the second-lowest number (21 per game). Barcelona is ranked last, however, in offensive boards with just 7 per game.
Tip: 2 (-2.5) at 1.90 with bet365
Valencia vs AX Olimpia Milan
Round 7 action concludes in Valencia (3-3), where Milan (1-5) will look for a serious response after the shock of last week’s 62-94 home loss against Zalgiris. Partly as a consequence of that defeat, Milan has the worst defensive record in the competition with an average of 88.7 points conceded. Valencia is third-best in that category, allowing just 72.5 points per game. Valencia also has the edge over Milan in most statistical categories, but Milan’s Kaleb Tarczewski is emerging as one of the league’s top rebounders and his battle with Tibor Pleiss and Bojan Dubljevic could be key.
Tip: Over 153.5 at 1.90 with bet365
Thursday’s matches
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Anadolu Efes
After breaking into the win column last week, Efes (1-5) will look for its second victory of the season with a trip to face a Maccabi (4-2) team that has won three of its four home games. Maccabi set a club record with 53 rebounds in last week’s triumph over Real Madrid, and has a big edge over Efes in that category with an average of 41.8 boards per game compared to 36.8 for the visitors. Efes converted 10 of 22 (45.5%) three-point attempts in its Round 6 victory at Barcelona, a big improvement on its overall season long-range percentage of 29.6%, and may need similar shooting accuracy to triumph in Tel Aviv.
Tip: 2 (+6.5) at 2.00 with bet365
Panathinaikos vs Khimki Moscow
Pace-setting Khimki takes its table-topping 5-1 record to face a Panathinaikos (3-3) team that has blown hot and cold all season, with the Greek team precisely alternating wins with losses throughout the first six games. By that logic, Panathinaikos is due a defeat after beating local rivals Olympiacos last week, but Coach Xavi Pascual’s men will look to reproduce their good shooting accuracy – 54% of two-pointers and 37.6% of three-pointers – as they try to secure a second straight win for the first time. If the game goes down the wire, Khimki has shown it knows how to win a close one: all the Russian team’s victories this season have been by 8 points or fewer.
Tip: Under 157.5 at 1.90 with bet365
Baskonia vs Real Madrid
Two Spanish rivals go head to head with Madrid (4-2) looking to end a two-game losing run at Baskonia (1-5). Injuries haven’t helped the cause of Coach Pablo Laso’s team, and with Gustavo Ayon and Ognjen Kuzmic both sidelined Los Blancos will give a EuroLeague debut to Walter Tavares, who was signed to add much-needed presence in the paint. Madrid, which will have Fabien Causeur going up against his old team, is the second-highest scoring side in the competition with an average of 86.7 points per game, while Baskonia is languishing in 14th place in that category with just 73.7.
Tip: 2 (-3.0) at 1.90 with bet365
Unicaja Malaga vs Zalgiris Kaunas
Fresh from setting a club record by gaining a 32-point victory in Milan last week, Zalgiris (3-3) is back on the road to face a Unicaja team (3-3) that has won its last two. Unicaja is the EuroLeague’s second-lowest scoring team with an average of 71.7 points per game, but stays competitive through its defense and has allowed just 67, 74 and 65 points in its three wins this season. Zalrigis has averaged nearly 10 points per game more than the host, partly thanks to possessing the league’s second-best three-point conversion rate, 41.3%.
Source: euroleague.net
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