By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos are playing for the third consecutive week with their back against the wall, knowing full well that they have to defeat Khimki at home in order to continue having enough chances for qualification. And the prognostics are in their favor.
The red-and-whites are in good condition competitively and they can impose themselves on the Russian team, who have a 5-1 record at home but with only two wins in the last seven games, they aren’t very convincing in regards to their form. The handicap is in favor of the visitors so there’s cover with a defeat in the details.
Malaga have given up on the Euroleague for a while now and have focused their attention exclusively on the Spanish championship. They’ve won just one of their last nine games and away from home they usually lose by double-digit deficits. Except for the second week game against Panathinaikos when they just barely lost and their win on Cedevita’s home court, Malaga have lost at Crvena Zvezda’s home by 14 points, at Fenerbahce’s by 21 points, Darussafaka’s by 23 and Efes’s by 20. Lokomotiv Kuban want to secure the home court advantage and can win with a difference of over 11 points.
Also, Lokomotiv Kuban have the best defense in the Euroleague, conceding only 63 points at home! The point limit for Malaga is 69,5 and the Russians have conceded more only three times in a total of 11 home games in the Euroleague. And the last time was at the beginning of January. At the same time, the Spanish team scores just 70 points on average away from home. So the Under has a high probability of being confirmed.
Barcelona and Bamberg are fighting for a spot in the playoffs and their game is going to be close. The name, the experience and the tradition give Barcelona the title of the favorites, but the 10,5-point handicap is rather big, as the Germans are very competitive and have quite a tough team. They’re coming from three consecutive wins (all at home, of course) over Olympiacos, Khimki and CSKA, and they can fight for the game, at least losing it by a single-digit deficit.
CSKA want the win against Zalgiris in order to remain at the top of the table and the handicap is rather big (19,5) and a deterrent for us to bet on. However, when the best offense in the Euroleague (91,4 points) clashes with the worst defense in the Top 16 (Zalgiris concede 84,4 points per game), then the Over in the points of the Russian home team seems entirely possible. Even if the limit is rather high.
Eurohoops’ betting tips
Kuban – Malaga (+11,5) 1
@Stoiximan 1,73
Kuban – Malaga Malaga Under 69,5 points
@Coral 1,87
Khimki – Olympiacos (+3,5) 2
@William Hill 1,85
Barcelona – Bamberg (+11,5) 2
@Sportingbet 1,71
CSKA Moscow – Zalgiris CSKA Over 93,5 points
@William Hill 1,85