By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops analyzes the games in terms of betting.
Efes have a strong incentive for the win in order to get a better placement in the top eight and want to take advantage of their good form of seven wins in the last eight games. Olympiacos, on the other side, are essentially indifferent since they are going to move up from third place only if they pull off the 2-for-2 against Efes and CSKA and the Muscovites lose to Panathinaikos and Olympiacos by more than 6 points. Efes have more chances to win with the 3,5 points of the advantage being too few for the Turkish team not to exceed them.
Concerning the special bets on players, Thomas Heurtel’s Under with the limit at 11,5 points is especially worth it. The French guard has scored more only once in the last five EuroLeague games, while at the same time Jayson Granger is going through a period of excellent form. Olympiacos’s defense is pretty good, so we trust the Under.
Bamberg – Darussafaka
Bamberg are indifferent in terms of the standings and Darussafaka are “burning” for the win in order to stay alive in the hunt for qualification by “stealing” the last place of the top eight from Crvena Zvezda. The Turkish team has a strong incentive and the quality to get the away win and even cover the handicap of 2,5 points. If Darussafaka lose and Crvena Zvezda beat Unics the next day, even the last mathematical chances will be lost and so a win for Blatt’s team is quite possible.
Barcelona – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Two of this season’s biggest disappointments will collide with each other. In theory, Barcelona are the favorites, with Maccabi having a 6,5-point handicap in their favor, but it’s certainly hard to predict how the game is going to turn out because of the lack of motivation in relation to the standings. However, the point limit that is set at 159,5 is too high to be exceeded in a home game for the Catalans, who score 74,4 points per game and concede 74,9. Maccabi’s corresponding away numbers are right on the limit, 78,9-81. And the Under will probably be confirmed, as it is in most of the Blaugrana’s games.
The picks
Efes – Olympiacos (+3,5) 1
Thomas Heurtel Under 11,5 points
Bamberg (+2,5) – Darussafaka 2
Barcelona – Maccabi Tel Aviv Under 159,5 points