By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
The betting opportunities this week in the Euroleague are limited, but it’s worth betting on the Under in the OAKA and the Over in Real’s points in the clasico.
In the big derby in OAKA, with the prize being the home advantage, Panathinaikos are hosting Lokomotiv Kuban in a game in which defenses are expected to dominate. The greens have improved a lot in this area in their last games, while the participation of their best scorer, Elliot Williams, is going to be decided at the last minute. At the same time, Lokomotiv Kuban have the best defense in the Euroleague, conceding an average of 68,4 points. So, the 146,5 points, then, will not be exceeded.
In the clasico any prediction concerning the result is hard, but it’s almost certain that the score is going to reach high levels like it does in most Barcelona-Real Madrid games. The point limit for the European champions is relatively low for a game like this and considering their performances in the Euroleague. They’ve scored less than 82 points in only one of their last eight games and so the Over is definitely worth it.
Malaga have essentially been disqualified from the Euroleague and have now focused entirely on the Spanish championship. Even their win against the also almost disqualified Cedevita last week doesn’t change the balance. Crvena Zvezda are burning to secure qualification and the home advantage, and they definitely have a small advantage for the win because of the motivation. The rosters of the two teams have almost the same dynamics, so since the motivation is clearly bigger for the visitors, we are going to bet on their win or at least their defeat but by a small margin.
Fenerbahce are fighting to secure first place and the home advantage, Darussafaka have essentially been disqualified, but the handicap of 11,5 points is rather big. Only in one of the four games between these two teams did the difference reach double digits, Fenerbahce haven’t been destroying their opponents lately and Darussafaka will probably be able to resist, holding the +11,5 in their favor.
Efes are “burning” for the win against Cedevita in order to secure their advancement to the playoffs. However, their performance has been troubling, with just four wins in total in the Top 16 and one in the last five games. The Turkish team hasn’t won any games in the Euroleague in the last four months with a difference higher than 15 points and Cedevita have shown they are competitive in most of their games. The Croats are a tough team and they can fight for the 15,5-point handicap that’s in their favor.
Eurohoops’ tips
Fenerbahce – Darussafaka (+11,5) 2
@Stoiximan 1,87
Panathinaikos – Lokomotiv Kuban Under 146,5 points
@Coral 1,83
Barcelona – Real Madrid Real Madrid Over 82,5 points
@William Hill 1,85
Efes – Cedevita (+15,5) 2
@Sportingbet 1,72
Malaga – Crvena Zvezda (+4,5) 2
@Unibet 1,91