By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
Betting at the home court advantage is always wise and that’s the case in the second part of this week’s EuroLeague action.
Olympiacos – Real Madrid 1 / @1.75
Partly the fact that Olympiacos look like they’re reacting after their consecutive defeats, partly the fact that Real Madrid are undefeated so far and are not burning for the win, lead us to bet on a home win. Of course, the huge absence of Sergio Llull, but also secondarily that of Gustavo Ayon, for the European champions, obviously played a big part in this. David Blatt’s team already has two home defeats and do not want another one weighing them down so early in their battle for the best possible ranking. We can just about bet on the 1.75 of the home win and so we’re including in our choices.
Baskonia – Panathinaikos 1 / @1.55
The fact that the Greens are not good away from home in combination with the fact that the Basques are burning for the win leads us to bet on the home win. Baskonia play well at home while changing their coach also helped improve the team’s psychology after their quite poor start in the EuroLeague. The 1.55 can just about be included in one of our bets with a similar payoff.
Darussafaka – Anadolu Efes 2 (-4.5) / @1.53
Anadolu Efes is in great form and they will be playing with a full roster against Darussafaka. The home team hasn’t been playing badly in recent games, they’ve found their chemistry and are competitive. Despite that, we’re going to go with the better team, as Ergin Ataman’s squad seems to be in better form and will get the win, the easy way or the hard way. The away win on the handicap (-4.5) with a 1.53 payoff can be included in a bet with a similar payoff.
Gran Canaria – Bayern Munich 1 / @1.66
Gran Canaria is playing well at home in the EuroLeague and Bayern Munich are a team that is at their level and one they can beat. The game will probably be decided in the details but we’re going to go with the home court and the enthusiasm that the hosts have when playing in Spain. Bayern doesn’t have the character yet to be winning these games, while away from home they are not as strong as they are in Munich.
PICKS
Olympiacos – Real Madrid 1 / @1.75
Baskonia – Panathinaikos 1 / @1.55
Darussafaka – Anadolu Efes 2 (-4.5) / @1.53
Gran Canaria – Bayern Munich 1 / @1.66