By Lefteris Mouton / moutis@eurohoops.net
Olympiakos wants to make a big step towards the home court advantage at the SEF versus Baskonia. Will they make it? Eurohoops analyzes the game and also the other two Euroleague match ups of today from the betting point of view.
Darussafaka-Unics Kazan
After three consecutive wins at home Darussafaka can meet the needed requirements and prevail over Unics Kazan. The Russians will play again without injured Quino Colom, but as it turned out in the game against Bamberg they can do it without him. The Spanish guard is precious and Unics hard to beat, but the handicap of 7.5 points is quite large. It is best, therefore, to bet on over at points of Daroussafaka exploiting the poor defensive consistency by Unics Kazan. Opponents score 90.3 points per average against Unics, while the Turks score 82.2 points per average at home. With the margin set at 83.5 points, bet in favor of over (@Stoiximan 1,70) of the Turkish offense.
Zalgiris Kaunas-Real Madrid
Zalgiris is not that strong at home (has 3-5 record and it’s the second worst after Maccabi), but always in Kaunas opponents dpn’t have an easy night. Madrid is not in an excellent condition, has five defeats in the last eight games in Euroleague and the Spanish league and had to work in order to get its last Euroleague win against Maccabi Tel Aviv. The handicap of nine points (@ Bet365 1,71) is very big and it will be not easy for Madrid to get such an easy win.
Olympiakos-Baskonia
Olympiakos comes from the Greek cup defeat by Panathinaikos and certainly the determination of the players will be even greater for the match against Baskonia. The Basques have been beaten at home only by the “Reds” and the ideal scenario for them will be not only to get the win but also cover the 5 points difference from their defeat. Bargniani is ready to fight, Sengelia is iffy and Laprovitola will not play. Because of those conditions and the excellent tradition of Olympiacos against Baskonia, the hosts can get the win with more than the 5.5 points handicap (@Sportingbet 1,75).
Our picks
Ntarousafaka-Unics Kazan Ntarousafaka Over 83.5 points
Zalgiris (9) -Real 1
Olympiakos-Baskonia (5.5) 1