By Lefteris Moutis/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos has won only two games away from home in EuroLeague and Fenerbahce is looking for a return to victories in “Ulker Arena”. Both teams have the same record in the standings and their battle is decisive for a seat in the top four spots in the standings.
CSKA Moscow is trying to keep its hold at the first place of the standings and create a winning streak after three defeats in a row. Brose Bamberg, on the other hand, comes from a loss away from home by Unics Kazan, perhaps a defeat the German team didn’t expect, after five wins in its previous six games. The 12.5 points handicap is large when it comes to the feisty Germans but everything is possible in Moscow.
So it’s better to bet on how hot CSKA’S offense ususally is and the 88.5 points that it might score. So far the defending champs have scored 101, 92, 112, 95, 91, 98 points at home, with only Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos managing to keep them below the afformentioned average. We are talking, after all, about the fourth and fifth best defense in the competition. So we bet on Over by CSKA (@Stoiximan 1.73)
Fenerbahce – Panathinaikos
Fenerbahce is now at full strength and has bolstered its ranks with Canadian forward Anthony Bennett who is expected to make his debut against Panathinaikos. The Turkish team isn’t at its finest recently, having only two wins in the last six games. It needs to recover in order to claim a position in the top four of the standings. Now, Panathinaikos’ psychology is at the tops after the victory over Olympiacos for the Greek Cup but must exceed itself a bit in order to win in Istanbul. Afterall, they have only won only two road games so far. The 6.5 handicap is tricky so it’s better to trust the Over in 150.5 points (@Stoiximan 1.70). In six out of 8 matches Fenerbahce has played at home, the scoring total is above the afformentioned number, while Panathinaikos has 6 Over and 2 Under with this number on the road.
Maccabi Tel Aviv – Crvena Zvezda
In the upcoming four games Maccabi competes for its last chances to secure a spot in the top four of the standings. The match against Crvena Zvezda isn’t as easy as it seems since the Serbian team is by far the squad with the top form in the competition, having won its last four games. The 5.5 handicap pro Red Star is attractive enough to bet on a Zvezda win. But we will choose Under with a line at 157.5 points (@Sportingbet 1.73). The Serbian team downtunes the rhythm in its games and has the second best defense in EuroLeague in the last six matches where it forces a number below the Under limit we mentioned.
Olimpia Milano and Galatasaray are probably the most dissapointing teams in the competition so far and they hold the two last spot in the standings. They are also two of the most unpredictable teams in EuroLeague so it’s difficult to guess the winner or the final margin. Nevertheless, we know that these teams have by far the worst defenses in EuroLeague with Milano receiving 88.6 p.p.g. and Galatasaray 8.5.3. So the Over 162.5 points is a quite possible outcome (@BET365 1.70).
Barcelona – Anadolu Efes
Barcelona comes from two defeats in a row (by Brose Bamberg and Olympiacos) that has wrecked them in the standings. The waiving of Joey Dorsey and the addition of Vitor Faverani will definitely change a lot for the Catalans but it will take time. Efes has also its fair share of “ups and downs” having won two of its last six games. It’s better to avoid this match.
The choices:
CSKA Moscow – Brose Bamberg: Over 88.5 points
Fenerbahce – Panathinaikos: Over 150.5 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – Crvena Zvezda: Under 157.5 points
Olimpia Milano – Galatasaray: Over 162.5 points