Euroleague Basketball Tips
Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.
Open an account with bet365 today (T&Cs apply)
Khimki – ALBA Berlin
Khimki will try to recapture its early-season winning form when it hosts ALBA Berlin, which has been on a roll recently. Khimki has lost four consecutive games and seen its record slip to 6-6 and the edge of the playoff zone. ALBA has won three of its last five and its most-recent defeat, last week on the road at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, went to overtime. This will be the first game between these teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Alexey Shved is third in the league in scoring this season with 19.6 points per game, but it is when he is passing more that Khimki is at its best. Shved passes often; he is 10th in the league with 4.9 assists per game. When he has delivered more than 5 assists per game, Khimki is 5-0. When he has less than 5, Khimki is 0-4. Shved is such a difficult player to stop, but perhaps the key for Khimki in this game is Shved getting his teammates involved as much as possible.
ALBA not only leads the league in assists (20.1 apg.), but also in turnovers (14.7). In a game between high-scoring teams, every extra possession can be valuable. ALBA is also second in the EuroLeague in steals (7.4 spg.), so if the team can continue to amass steals and deliver assists while limiting its turnovers, it will be in a good position to claim a valuable road win.
Tip: Over 176.5 at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 12/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)
Fenerbahce – Anadolu Efes
Both teams arrive at this Istanbul derby in good shape. Efes leads the competition and is on a six-game winning streak. After a 2-7 start, Fenerbahce has won its last three games and is back on track, getting closer and closer to the top half of the standings. Shane Larkin (22.2 ppg.), Vasilije Micic (15.2 ppg.) and Sertac Sanli (11.5 ppg.) have led Efes so far. Nando De Colo (20.5 ppg.) has been Fenerbahce’s top scorer until now, followed by Derrick Williams (11.3 ppg.) and Kostas Sloukas (10.6 ppg.).
Fenerbahce has solved its scoring problems in recent weeks. It is averaging 77.7 points per game, but that number rises to 94.7 on its current three-game winning streak. In those three showdowns, Fenerbahce has managed to get excellent shooting percentages (61.8% 2FG, 52.4% 3FG), so if Coach Zeljko Obradovic’s team keeps finding good shots, it will have a good chance to win. Finding a way to stop Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin, however, is the biggest key for Fenerbahce.
Efes is the second-best scoring team in the competition (86.4 ppg.) mainly because of its excellent shooting percentages; it is averaging 58.8% inside the arc and 37.4% from downtown. Efes ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.633) but has struggled to power the boards since Bryant Dunston was injured. Efes only grabs 9.4 offensive rebounds on average and will need extra aggressiveness under the baskets to steal a road win at Ulker Sports Arena.
Adrien Moerman and Bryant Dunston are still sidelined and won’t play against Fenerbahce.
Tip: 1 (-2.5) at 2.00 with bet365
(Price correct at 12/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)
Crvena Zvezda – Baskonia
Zvezda arrives to this game in its best moment this season as the Serbian powerhouse is on a three-game winning streak that includes victories in Kaunas and Milan. Baskonia needs to bounce back right away after consecutive losses by an average margin of 28.5 points. Billy Baron (11.8 ppg.) has been Zvezda’s top scorer until now, followed by Lorenzo Brown (11.7 ppg.) and Stratos Perperoglou (10.0 ppg.), who is currently injured. Toko Shengelia (18.8 ppg.), Nik Stauskas (9.6 ppg.) and Pierria Henry (7.5 ppg.) have led Baskonia so far.
Zvezda ranks 17th in scoring this season (72.5 ppg.) mainly because it ranks last in two-point shooting percentage (46.6%). Zvezda is not very effective from downtown either (33.2%) but makes up due to its great defensive numbers, allowing 75.3 points on average and forcing opponents to hit just 31.4% of their shots from beyone the arc. Zvezda needs to control the tempo, trust its defense and expect Brown to make the difference in crunch time.
Stratos Perperoglou is still recovering from a knee injury.
Baskonia leads the EuroLeague in offensive rebounds (12.1 orpg.) and that kind of blue-collar mentality will be needed to get a chance to win in the Serbian capital. Baskonia is struggling from beyond the three-point line (32.9%) and faces against a team with great perimeter defense. It has a size advantage in the paint with Youssoupha Fall and Michael Eric, and a difference-maker in Shengelia at power forward, so getting its big men involved will be critical for the visitors.
Tip: 2 at 2.25 with bet365
(Price correct at 12/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)
Maccabi – CSKA Moscow
An age-old rivalry will write a new chapter on Thursday when Maccabi hosts CSKA Moscow. It is not quite the matchup fans might have expected before the season as Maccabi comes in without three key players due to injuries – Omri Casspi, Nate Wolters and John DiBartolomeo – the latter two of whom were lost in its last game. Nevertheless, Maccabi remains undefeated at home this season. CSKA seems has already adjusted to life without Final Four MVP Will Clyburn, who may be lost for the season, and matches Maccabi with an 8-4 record, including 4-3 on the road.
This season Maccabi has one of the deepest rosters in club history and its current injury crisis is proving why management built such a deep team. Three of the team’s top four players in assists are out this week, so the rest of the team will be charged in helping with the playmaking. Guards Elijah Bryant, Yovel Zoosman and Tyler Dorsey will see a bump in minutes and must take advantage of them to keep Maccabi rolling with such a short-handed backcourt rotation.
CSKA leads the league in both three-pointers made (11.8 per game) and three-point accuracy (41.4%). CSKA also leads the league in three-point defense, limiting teams to 31.2%. Coach Itoudis’s three-point attack is not only about his guards; Johannes Voigtmann, Nikita Kurbanov and Andrey Vorontsevich can also light it up from downtown. CSKA’s three-point attack is not like anything Maccabi’s tough defense has faced this season and if CSKA is knocking down its shots, the hosts may not have an answer.
Panathinaikos Olympiakos live stream
Tip: 2 at 2.20 with bet365
(Price correct at 12/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)
Real Madrid – Olympiacos
Both teams arrive to this game with different momentum. Real won its last seven games, the longest active winning streak in the competition. Meanwhile, Olympiacos comes off a tough overtime road loss against archrivals Panathinaikos. Anthony Randolph (12.3 ppg.), Facu Campazzo (11.8 ppg., 6.4 apg.) and Gabriel Deck (8.5 ppg.) have led Real so far. Georgios Printezia (11.0 ppg.) has been Olympiacos’s top scorer until now, followed by Nikola Milutinov (10.8 ppg.) and Vassilis Spanoulis (10.7 ppg.), but the latter has not travelled to Madrid with muscle problems.
Real is one of the best scoring teams in the competition (85.8 ppg.) and ties for second place in assists (19.0 ppg.). At home, Real is doing even better, averaging 92.9 points and 20.9 assists, both league highs. Campazzo, who had 17 assists in less than 24 minutes last week, is the key player, as Real sends its run-and-gun offense through him. Campazzao’s ability to create for others will give Real a significant advantage in this game.
Sergio Llull and Felipe Reyes won’t be available against the Reds.
Olympiacos averages 79.1 points this season but scored more than 90 in each of the last three games, winning two of them. Players like Brandon Paul, Augustine Rubit and Wade Baldwin have shown significant improvement after an adjustment period, while Spanoulis (14.3 ppg., 4.7 apg.) has been really effective lately, even if he won’t be available against Real. The Reds will run their offense through Spanoulis and Milutinov, and hopes to use the offensive glass to prevent Real from running the floor as it prefers.
Vassilis Spanoulis has not travelled to Madrid due to muscle problems.
Tip: 1 (-11.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 12/11/2019, 09:50 CET, could have changed)
Open an account with bet365 today (T&Cs apply)
News Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster
