By Lefteris Moutis/moutis@eurohoops.net
And both of Eurohoops’ betting choices can certainly be confirmed and you can get paid.
Efes are in excellent form with four wins in a row and they look like they can continue accordingly and secure a place in the top eight. Bamberg, on the other side, have only one win in the last eight games and, in fact, count several heavy defeats. The 8,5-point handicap is kind of big for this occasion and the payoff for a straight win for Efes is 1,16. The game will probably go to a high score since the Turks play at a high pace and with a lot of possessions, but the limit of 163,5 points is big and it’s better to avoid this game.
Olympiacos – Darussafaka
Olympiacos aim to win the next two games at the Peace & Friendship Stadium and secure the home court advantage, while Darussafaka are one win away from the top eight and cannot afford any losses. What they do have, though, is five consecutive defeats away from home and no wins away from Istanbul in the last four months. Vasillis Spanoulis is back in action, the Red-and-whites have an advantage for the win, but Darussafaka is a team that relies on individual talent and the handicap of 8,5 points is pretty big. A simple win for Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s players has a 1,16 payoff (@OPAP) and can become the basis for a bigger bet.
So, it’s safer to bet on the Turkish team’s Under 72,5 points (@OPAP 1,75) since, once again, the Piraeus team is going to rely on their defense. In the nine games of the second phase they’ve conceded more than 72 points just three times and only one of those was at home.
The special bet on Darussafaka’s three-pointers is of particular interest. The Turks are the second best team behind Panathinaikos in successful three-pointers away from home, scoring 9,4 per game. And, respectively, Olympiacos concede on average 9 three-pointers per game at the Peace & Friendship Stadium, mainly due to their excellent defense close to the basket. So, the chance of Darussafaka scoring more than 10 three-pointers with a 2,10 payoff (@OPAP) is quite possible.
Finally, the option of Papanikolaou scoring more than 8,5 points is quite attractive. Pap has scored more than 10 points in six of Olympiacos’s last seven games. So, the Over (@OPAP 1,70) can be included in our suggestions.
Real are coming from three defeats in a row (two in the Spanish championship and one in the EuroLeague) and the game against Crvena Zvezda can become an opportunity for them to have a breakout. The Madrilenos want to stay at the top but they will have to face the second best defense in the EuroLeague. The handicap of 12,5 points is huge and it’s better to bet on the Under (@OPAP 1,75) in the Queen’s points. The limit is at 87,5 points and the Serbs have conceded more only two times this year: in Moscow by CSKA and in Istanbul by Efes. Besides, in their last games Real haven’t been so productive…
The picks
Olympiacos – Darussafaka Darussafaka Under 72,5 points
Darussafaka 10+ three-pointers
Kostas Papanikolaou Over 8,5 points
Real Madrid – Crvena Zvezda Real Under 87,5 points