Real Madrid – Efes Anadolu tips
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Real Madrid – Efes Anadolu (1-2)
Efes dominated in Games 1 and 2 last week as the first team to win the first two games of a best-of-five series by a combined margin of 50 points. In Game 3 on Tuesday, Efes was in control once again, holding a 61-74 lead entering the final 5 minutes of the game. But Real did not allow another field goal the rest of the way while Sergio Llull, Trey Thompkins, Alberto Abalde and Rudy Fernandez combined to knocked down 5 triples, mounting a comeback for the ages and allowing Los Blancos to live to fight again on Thursday.
Real Madrid will look to carry over the momentum from its late Game 3 rally as it faces elimination once again when it hosts Anadolu Efes Istanbul for Game 4 of their best-of-five playoff series on Thursday. Efes leads the series 2-1 but will need to find a way for a quick bounce-back after squandering a chance to clinch the series on Tuesday. Efes held a double-digit advantage with under 5 minutes to go in Game 3 on Tuesday, but Real put together the biggest late-game comeback for a regulation-time win in EuroLeague Playoff history, scoring the final 16 points of the game to win 80-76 and stave off elimination.
Real needs to continue what it did in the second half of Game 3. Apart from never stopping to fight, Real took control of the glass, finally outrebounding Efes 39-30, but also took care of the ball, committing just 3 turnovers over the last two quarters. It helped Real get a better grip on the rhythm of the game before eventually taking control and rallying to win. Head coach Pablo Laso will want to see the same things from his players in this game, too.
It is never easy to bounce back within 48 hours from a loss like the one Efes suffered on Tuesday, but that’s what the team must do if it wants to finish this playoff series early. Efes will need to match Real’s energy from the tipoff and be more determined to find better solutions against a matchup zone that Real successfully used for much of Game 3. In that game, Micic and Rodrigue Beaubois combined for 47 of the team’s 76 points, suggesting Efes will need more of a balance on offense.
Tip: 1 (+6.5) at 1.90 with bet365
(Price correct at 29/04/2021, 10:25 CET, subject to change)
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