Euroleague Basketball Predictions, News & Injury list

Euroleague Basketball Tips

Euro League basketball predictions appear under each mini game preview.

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Khimki – Maccabi

Khimki has struggled so far this season due to its many injuries but there is very good news as Alexey Shved, Jordan Mickey, Janis Timma and Evgeny Voronov are back in action and ready to play in Round 5. The Russian powerhouse comes off a 77-60 loss in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, despite 17 points from Viacheslav Zaytsev. Maccabi is on a three-game losing streak. It lost at the buzzer against Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 4, 85-82, despite 18 points from Wilbekin. Expect an entertaining and intense showdown at Arena Mytishchi.

Khimki is set to play with a longer rotation for the first time since Round 1 and Shved makes his season debut, so everything is expected to be different for Coach Kurtinaitis’s team. Shved needs the ball to facilitate things and will get it often. Players like Dairis Bertans and Zaytsev are expected to have more space to shoot and drive. Maccabi has a strong frontcourt, so players such as Mickey, Jonas Jerebko and Devin Booker must be ready to power the boards and stop Othello Hunter and Ante Zizic down low.

Khimki’s Jordan Mickey, Janis Timma, Evgeny Voronov, Greg Monroe and Maxim Barashkov all tested positive for COVID-19 and missed last week’s games. Alexey Shved, Stefan Jovic and Errick McCollum all missed the first four games of the season. Sergey Monia missed the Round 4 game.

Having effective scorers like Hunter, Zizic and Angelo Caloiaro has helped Maccabi make 55.6% of its two-point shots. Maccabi, however, ranks 14th in three-point shooting percentage (32.3%) so better selection is required. The Israeli champs rank third in offensive rebounds (11.3 orpg.) and must keep powering the glass against such a physical team. Maccabi relies on Wilbekin to make the difference in offense and needs a good defensive effort from Chris Jones, Bryant and Tyler Dorsey against Shved and Zaytsev, who has made the most out of his extended playing time recently (14.8 ppg., 6.5 apg.).

Tip: 2 (-2.0) at 1.95 with bet365
(Price correct at 23/10/2020, 08:00 CET, subject to change)

Efes – Villeurbanne

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, originally scheduled to be played on Friday, October 23, has been suspended. ASVEL requested the suspension of the game due to multiple COVID-19 positive cases that do not allow the team to have a minimum eight players on the Authorisation List fit to play.

Tip:
(Price correct at 23/10/2020, 08:00 CET, subject to change)

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Bayern – Olympiacos

Two teams that started the season with narrow losses and then went on to win three in a row will clash on Friday when FC Bayern Munich hosts Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 5. Last week, Bayern defeated juggernauts Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in style, while the Reds took care of title contenders AX Armani Exchange Milan and Maccabi to turn their respective seasons around. One of these hot teams will see its winning streak snapped while the other will roll to its fourth straight victory.

Bayern managed to match its best start in the league since its debut in 2013-14 and it now has the chance to make it the best start ever. The team has become the highest-scoring squad in the league (82.3 ppg.) and is also second in steals (9.0 spg.) which means it likes to be aggressive on defense and run on the breaks. However, Olympiacos is also in great momentum and the differences between both teams are minimal, number-wise, so the trio formed by Lucic, Jalen Reynolds and Wade Baldwin will have to make sure they push Bayern in the right direction once again.

Olympiacos is following a similar trend to Bayern and now will want to add its fourth straight win. The team is tied for fourth in the league in assists and is also sixth in PIR, just below Bayern with an unnoticeable difference. The Reds can count on veteran warriors such as Printezis, Vassilis Spanoulis, Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou, but lately, it has been Aaron Harrison and Hassan Martin making contributions the offensive end to keep Olympiacos going. Expect it to be no different in Munich.

Tip: 2 (-1.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 23/10/2020, 08:00 CET, subject to change)

Barcelona – Real Madrid

Friday marks one of the biggest dates of the season as Barcelona and Real lock horns for the 27th time this century in the EuroLeague. Nothing that happened before this season or in their eight decades of playing each other matters on derby day. For the record, though, Barca (3-1) has picked up where it left off last season, while Real (1-3) has not. The hosts are expected to still be without superstar Nikola Mirotic, and the same goes for a big-game veteran, Fabien Causeur, for Madrid — both due to being COVID-19 positive.

Low as its scoring is compared to normal, Real’s real problem is its fourth-worst EuroLeague defense, allowing 83.0 points per game. Opponents are making 43.8% of their three-pointers against Real, a league high, and getting to the free throw line 14.5 times a game. The visitors will have to mind the perimeter without fouling Barca and let Tavares worry about anyone threatening the basket up close. Once defending well, Real needs to run better with the rebounds to raise is low, 15.8 assists per game. Finally, Facundo Campazzo will have his hands full with Barca point guard Nick Calathes, and vice-versa, so controlling that matchup could be pivotal.

Nikola Mirotic missed Rounds 3 and 4 after testing positive for COVID-19.

With Barcelona possibly missing Victor Claver and Alex Abrines along with Mirotic, relative newcomers to this rivalry will have to carry the banner for the hosts. Davies and Calathes will need scoring punch from do-it-all Cory Higgins, but watch also for Rolands Smits, who helped undermanned Barca win a tough road game in Valencia. Adam Hanga will be tasked with keeping Real’s perimeter scorers under wraps, while Kyle Kuric is back to help keep the visitors’ defense honest with his own sniping. All will be needed to defend their home court on Friday.

Felipe Reyes has missed Real’s first four games of the season. Anthony Randolph missed the last two games. Real announced on Sunday that Fabien Causeur has tested positive for COVID-19.

Tip: 2 (+3.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 23/10/2020, 08:00 CET, subject to change)

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News Source: Euroleague.net
Basketball tips: Livetipster