Euroleague Basketball Predictions, News & Injury list

Euroleague Basketball Tips

Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.

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Zenit – Olympiacos

Zenit St Petersburg returns to the competition after missing four rounds and hopes to remain undefeated. Kevin Pangos (19.0 ppg.), KC Rivers (12.5 ppg.) and Alex Poythress (11.5 ppg.) have been its pillars until now. Olympiacos Piraeus has lost its last two games and is looking for its second road win of the season. Georgios Printezis (9.8 ppg.) has been its top scorer until now, followed by Hassan Martin (9.2 ppg.) and Aaron Harrison (8.8 ppg.). Expect an interesting tactical showdown at Sibur Arena.

First and foremost, Zenit must play with the right rhythm, setting up its half-court offense to make the most out of Pangos’s pick-and-roll skills. Zenit relies on Ponitka and Poythress to make the difference at forward due to their versatility, athleticism and intensity. Olympiacos has a well-balanced offense with 10 players averaging more than 5 points. Identifying the players finding advantages and reacting to stop them on defense, reading the game the right way as a team, is very important for the hosts.

Olympiacos is not rebounding well under its rim, ranking 15th in defensive boards (21.8 drpg.) while allowing opponents 9.7 more rebounds on average. Octavius Ellis and Martin may have a size advantage if Arturas Gudaitis remains sidelined. Olympiacos relies on Kostas Sloukas and Vassilis Spanoulis to dictate the game tempo, allowing Kostas Papanikolaou, Shaquielle McKissic and Ellis to run in transition. Charles Jenkins may have a critical role on defense as Zenit runs its offense through Pangos.

Tip: 2 (+3.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/11/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)

Efes – Maccabi

Anadolu Efes Istanbul comes off a big road win against Olympiacos Piraeus. Shane Larkin returned and scored 15 points in 20 minutes. Vasilije Micic shined with 20 points and Rodrigue Beaubois also had 15 for the Turkish powerhouse. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv looks for its second road victory. Scottie Wilbekin (18 ppg.) has been Maccabi’s top scorer until now, followed by Ante Zizic (11.5 ppg.) and Tyler Dorsey (10.7 ppg.). Expect a great showdown between two EuroLeague powerhouses eager to climb in the standings.

Everything changes for Efes with Larkin back in action: its offense is more unpredictable and he has made his backcourt mates better: Micic and Beaubois each had season-highs in scoring last week. Stopping Zizic and Hunter in the paint is mandatory, but Efes relies on Bryant Dunston, Chris Singleton and Tibor Pleiss to do so. Krunoslav Simon is in great shape and must use his experience and all-around scoring skills against Tyler Dorsey and Elijah Bryant. As always, Efes must play up-tempo and get its many scorers involved.

Despite the loss, Maccabi had 21 offensive rebounds against Fenerbahce – 1 shy of its club record. Having that blue-collar mentality against an aggressive team like Efes is mandatory, as the Turkish powerhouse needs to rebound well on defense to get its transition game going. Maccabi only made 5 of 26 shots from downtown, so it needs to find good shots for its best shooters: Wilbekin, Dorsey, Bryant and Angelo Caloiaro. Chris Jones may see extended playing time to guard Micic in what is one of the keys to this game.

Tip: Under 162.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/11/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)

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ALBA Berlin – Barcelona

ALBA Berlin looks for its first home win this season. Former Barcelona guard Marcus Eriksson leads ALBA in scoring (14.8 ppg.), followed by Simone Fontecchio (12.3 ppg.) and Peyton Siva (8.5 ppg.). FC Barcelona is on a four-game winning streak and comes off a huge come-from-behind win in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Nikola Mirotic (16.3 ppg., 7.0 rpg.), Brandon Davies (13.8 ppg.) and Cory Higgins (10.7 ppg.) have been its pillars this season. Expect a fun-to-watch, exciting showdown at Mercedes-Benz Arena.

ALBA relies on Peyton Siva to dictate the game tempo; ALBA is at its best when it is able to run the floor and get shooters like Eriksson, Neils Giffey and Fontecchio involved. The hosts need to prevent Davies and Mirotic from scoring around the basket and need Ben Lammers, Sikma and Tim Schneider to protect the paint. Maodo Lo has to be ready for a scoring battle against Abrines in one of the intriguing matchups in this game. If ALBA rebounds well under its rim and is able to run, it should have a better chance to win.

It all starts from defense when it comes to Sarunas Jasikevicius’s teams. Barcelona is allowing only 73.0 points per game with its opponents making just 49.8% of shots inside the arc and 32.7% from downtown. Keeping that defensive focus is critical against a defensive-minded team. On offense, Mirotic must lead the way, but Barcelona has enough weapons to choose from. Calathes and Thomas Heurtel must make sure that three-point bombers Abrines, Kyle Kuric and Higgins find open shots. If they do, any team is in trouble against Barcelona.

Tip: 1 (+11.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 05/11/2020, 10:30 CET, subject to change)

Baskonia – Villeurbanne

In a clash of teams longing for a win, TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday night. Baskonia comes off a tough 71-72 loss against FC Barcelona. It was the team’s lowest-scoring output of the season. ASVEL returns to action last week after being idle for three rounds due to COVID-19 infections in the team. Despite leading after three quarters, it fell 74-83 to Zalgiris Kaunas.

Baskonia has allowed the second-fewest points (71.3 ppg.) in the EuroLeague this season and ASVEL is bottom of the scoring charts with 70.0 points per game. If Baskonia’s defense is up to par, the task will be on the offensive end, where the team’s 47.6% two-point shooting is third-lowest in the competition. It’s never easy to attack the ASVEL paint when the 2.18-meter Moustapha Fall is there, but if anyone has the answer it may be Baskonia with the 2.21-meter Youssoupha Fall and starting center Tonye Jekiri who started for ASVEL last season.

ASVEL has plenty of power inside, but its perimeter players have not taken advantage; the team is last in the league in three-point accuracy (31.0%) and its 7.3 triples made per game are second-fewest. It will be important for the likes of David Lighty, Amine Noua and Matthew Strazel to connect from behind the arc to boost ASVEL’s chances.