Betting Corner: surprising CSKA odds and reason for backing up Zalgiris / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: BNS, Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS-SCANPIX Credit BNS, Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS-SCANPIX

As usual, before the upcoming EuroLeague round, Andreas Blomdahl and Betting Corner present the best choices for betting enthusiasts.

Currently, Andreas correctly predicted 10 out of 13 possible outcomes. Impressive result! However, we remind you to gamble responsibly.

Zalgiris Kaunas vs Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

It might sound like a stupid move to back the worst team in the league, but here we go.

Zalgiris finally got their big man Joffrey Lauvergne back this weekend in a win against Neptunas Klaipeda in LKL. The French big man hadn't played a game since the 7th of October when he picked up an injury against Zenit St. Petersburg.

Maccabi are coming into this week with a win against Hapoel Holon at home in the Israel Super League, 80-79.

So why do Zalgiris have a decent chance here? The comeback of Joffrey Lauvergne is huge for the Lithuanians, who also saw Arturas Milaknis returning after sickness. Mantas Kalnietis and Janis Strelnieks were sidelined due to injuries, but I wouldn't rule them out entirely since both were game-time decisions this weekend.

We should not forget that Zalgiris are always a tough opponent to beat at home in Kaunas, and they haven't played at home in the Euroleague since the 15th of December, so expect a buzzing Zalgirio Arena.

Maccabi missed the important center Ante Zizic due to illness, and he has to be considered a game-time decision here. Maccabi have looked awful when playing on the road the entire season, and I can't say that I see any improvement soon. They're 2-8 in Euroleague and 3-5 in the domestic league, which says it all, really.

BET: Zalgiris +3.5 @ 1.85

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens vs AS Monaco

If you have followed my previews for the last three weeks, you know where we're going here. Last week was a bit lucky when Monaco and Real Madrid both had a terrible shooting night, but we were saved by overtime.

Panathinaikos crushed Aris at home with 103-83 on Sunday, and Nemanja Nedovic was once again the top scorer with 28 points.

Monaco played another overtime game and lost 106-115 against Boulogne Metropolitans 92. What's good for Monaco and for our bet here is that the Mike James-Dwayne Bacon duo was back on scoring-form and combined for 45 points.

Ioannis Papapetrou will miss the game due to injury and will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Daryl Macon missed the game against Aris, and most likely, he won't play. However, Stefan Jovic and Georgios Papagiannis are once again available for the greens.

Monaco got Donta Hall back this weekend, but Donatas Motiejunas was out.

Once again, the total is too low, and if the bookies aren't adjusting, we will continue the successful tactic of betting the over. PAO is a good scoring team at home, and this should be a run n gun game with James and Bacon getting a lot of open shots.

BET: Over 160.5 @ 1.85

CSKA Moscow vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Best bet of the week, I don't understand the odds here at all.

CSKA beat UNICS away last week with 86-75 and had the weekend off with no games in the VTB United League.

Anadolu Efes lost in St Petersburg to Zenit (67-76) but beat Fenerbache at home with 91-71 on Sunday.

Tornike Shengelia, Ivan Ukhov, and Marius Grigonis missed the game against UNICS, but it didn't sound serious, and I believe we will see at least two of them back for the game against Efes.

It's not the end of the world, although I think CSKA have a great depth in their squad, even if there are people out there who I know disagree with that.

Yes, Anadolu Efes beat Fenerbache in an important game of the Turkish Super League, and Shane Larkin was back in the starting five, but that was at home. Now they're traveling to Moscow, and we still don't know if coach Ataman will join due to illness.

We know that Efes have had a tough schedule recently. Chris Singleton clocked in 39:44 minutes, Vasilije Micic played 29 minutes, and Tibor Pleiss spent 29:48 minutes on the floor against Fenerbahce.

I think Efes will have a difficult time continuing their winning streak in Moscow. Let's not forget that they haven't looked good at all when playing away in the EuroLeague, while CSKA are looking better and better.

My conclusion is that CSKA should be clear favorites here, and the odds are way too high. I say thank you very much, and this is the best bet of the round.

BET: CSKA Moscow ML (To win the game including overtime) @ 1.75

Real Madrid vs Olympiacos Piraeus

Once again, it's time to talk about how teams perform at home and away, a factor I think the bookies are underestimating when pricing the EuroLeague.

But first, we start with Real Madrid's poor performance, or should we say Andorra's amazing performance? However, Andorra stunned Real Madrid on Sunday, winning 88-83 after Miller-McIntyre scored 28 points. Real Madrid got Fabien Causeur back but still miss Adam Hanga and Nigel Williams-Goss.

Olympiacos survived with a late comeback against AEK, winning 80-74 after winning the last quarter 30-16. Olympiacos played without Sasha Vezenkov, Shaquille McKissic, Kostas Papanikolou, and Georgios Printezis to name a few. It's still not clear which players will suit up for the game in Madrid.

So why would you want to back Real Madrid after the game against Andorra on Sunday? I'm confident that they will bounce back in great fashion. If we look at Real Madrid in EuroLeague, they're 11-0 at home and with a winning margin of 12 points.

Olympiacos are 3-7 in away games, and I'm questioning the depth in the squad with all these absences. It's not easy going into a double game week with all these question marks.

Personally, I love these scenarios when big teams get the chance to bounce back combined with an opponent that is struggling to find their rhythm when playing away.

BET: Real Madrid -9.5 @ 1.90

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