By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops betting column aims to continue the excellent streak it has been running for the past three weeks in the EuroLeague with 15 for 17 hits!
Fenerbahce are good defensively and if they show up with serious intentions against Maccabi, they can keep them under 75,5 points. The Israelis have many ups and downs in their performance and, as a result, they’ve dropped to ninth place in the standings and are looking for a big win. Against Zots’s team, who want the win in order to stay on course for the top two spots, the visitors will have trouble scoring a lot.
Zalgiris – Milan
After Zalgiris’s crushing defeat by Baskonia in Spain, we’re expecting a team that will seek to respond and return to good performances. Saras’s presence on the bench guarantees that the home team will show up totally focused and without underestimating their opponent. We’re choosing the home win with a handicap at -7,5.
Panathinaikos have been playing well at home and it’s unlikely they will have any problems against the rather inferior but also indifferent in terms of points, Crvena Zvezda. Pascual’s team want to finish as further up as they can in the regular season of the EuroLeague and at the Olympic Sports Center Athens they can do that mostly through their defense! The win with the handicap for the home team (-10,5) is a very good option, but the Serbs’ Under 75,5 looks just as interesting.
The home team is essentially indifferent in terms of points and they’re also at the top, but against Olympiacos they want the win for many reasons. After all, the rivalry between the two teams is well known from their… epic battles in the Final Four in recent years. Also, with a win, Dimitris Itoudis’s team will lock in first place mathematically as well and then he can rest some players in the last three rounds so they can be as fresh as possible in the quarterfinals. It will be difficult for Olympiacos to threaten the Russians away on a court that has been traditionally inhospitable to them. The home win at 1,20 can be included on a combo bet with a similar yield.
Efes – Khimki
Efes are completely inconsequential and ruled out. Khimki on the other side are burning for a win for the best possible placement, which hasn’t been secured mathematically. In addition, their schedule is extremely tough, having to go up against CSKA and Fenerbahce away from home. We’re going with the home win at 1,38.
PICKS
Maccabi Under 75,5 / 1,75
Zalgiris – Milan 1 (-7,5) / 1,75
Panathinaikos – Crvena Zvezda 1 (-10,5) / 1,75
CSKA – Olympiacos 1 / 1,20
Efes – Khimki 2 / 1,38