By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Those teams still have an extra degree of motivation and we have the aim of continuing the excellent streak (23 out of 27) we’ve been running in March.
With a win, Baskonia would secure mathematically as well the qualification for the next phase, while Maccabi can only hope for a miracle. The Basques want the win as they want to get a better placement in the regular season of the EuroLeague so that they can avoid CSKA in the quarterfinals. The schedule is in their favor since they clearly have easier games than Zalgiris, while they need one win more than Sarunas Jasikevicius’s team in the next two games in order to catch up with them. The Lithuanians are going up against CSKA at home, and in the last round they will play against Olympiacos at the Peace & Friendship Stadium. So, it’s not unlikely that they will suffer a loss, while Baskonia have two home games against Maccabi and Anadolu Efes. The home win at 1,20 can be included on a combo bet in order to boost our yield.
Zalgiris – CSKA Moscow
Zalgiris want the win in order to avoid the eighth place in the standings that will bring them face to face with CSKA Moscow again in the quarterfinals. The handicap on the home win (+5,5 at 1,75) is worth the risk since CSKA are indifferent and essentially have already started getting prepared – physically and mentally – for the playoffs. For those who want to take an even greater risk, they can bet on a home win for the Lithuanians at 2,55.
Real clearly have a better team than the Serbs, who are also indifferent in terms of the standings. The handicap on the away win (-6,5 at 1,75) has a very good chance of being verified, as Pablo Laso’s team will want to get it over with from early on. Ayon will not play for the Spanish team since he’s injured.
Panathinaikos want the win since there is a possibility – not an unlikely one – that there will be a triple tie with Olympiacos and Real, which would bring them to fourth place in the standings. It’s unlikely that the Greens will stumble at home against indifferent Valencia. A good choice from the player bets is Erick Green’s Under 14,5 (1,75) since there are several players who are returning from injuries for the Spanish team and they are now playing with a full rotation, having focused on the domestic league.
PICKS
Baskonia – Maccabi Tel Aviv 1 / 1,20
Zalgiris (+5,5) – CSKA Moscow 1 / 1,75
Crvena Zvezda (+6,5) – Real Madrid 2 / 1,75
Erick Green Under 14,5 / 1,75