EuroLeague Primer: Round 12 - Thursday

Written by

Kevin O'Brien

Updated on December 8, 2022 3:21PM EST

PREGAME UPDATES

Walter Tavares and Guerschon Yabusele will play Thursday for Real Madrid, but Gabriel Deck will not.
Monaco's John Brown will suit up Thursday.
Partizan's Alen Smailagic will be available Thursday.
Maccabi's Wade Baldwin IV and Darrun Hilliard will be in uniform for Round 12.
Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric will suit up Thursday.
Nate Wolters, Nikos Pappas and Lefteris Mantzoukas will not play Thursday for Panathinaikos, but Alexandros Samontourov and Neoklis Avdalas will be available.
ALBA's Christ Koumadje, Louis Olinde and Gabriele Procida will not play Thursday.
Milan's Stefano Tonut remains out for Round 12.

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

EA7 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at PAO Panathinaikos Athens

Status Check: Shavon Shields (EA7), Kevin Pangos (EA7), Luigi Datome (EA7), Stefano Tonut (EA7), Nate Wolters (PAO), Marius Grigonis (PAO), Nikos Pappas (PAO), Lefteris Mantzoukas (PAO), Alexandros Samontourov (PAO), Neoklis Avdalas (PAO)

The Breakdown: The first game on the docket features one team stuck in a downward spiral and another whose prospects are looking up. The Italian team has now dropped seven games in a row -- including the last four by at least nine points. Meanwhile, the Greek club has won four of five and now sits just one game below the .500 mark. Unsurprisingly, Panathinaikos is favored by 4.5 points on their home court. Milan owns the top-rated defense in the league and also plays at one of the slower paces, and the over/under of right around 150.0 points suggests this game will be played at their speed. However, no team fares worse on the offensive end, so they will need to figure out something there to wind up with the road win.

Best Bets for Success: Dwayne Bacon has not finished with fewer than 22.8 DraftKings points since making his Panathinaikos debut in Round 6, and he is also averaging 30 minutes and just under 15.0 field goal attempts per game, which gives him a nice floor even with him checking in at a season-high $10,300 on that website. Bacon's presence has not taken a toll on Derrick Williams, who also lands here after averaging 18.0 ppg over the last eight Rounds. Both players will be in position to produce again, as Milan has only been average against opposing forwards. You could make a case for a few Milan players here, but we are going to focus on the forwards, as the Greek team is ceding more rebounds and FGA to players at those positions than any other team. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot left last week's game with a head injury, but he stuffed the stat sheet in each of the last three games he finished, including Sunday's domestic game. He is a prime target on DraftKings at $7,300.

Fantasy Factors: Nicolo Melli, who ranks 14th in the league in rebounds per contest, is another Milan forward to consider in this one. You can also consider Brandon Davies, as Panathinaikos has been friendly to opposing centers as well. Milan's backcourt will be in flux, so it may be best to stick to their frontcourt in Round 12. No team allows guards to get up fewer shots than Milan, but Paris Lee will at least be in the mix, as he would benefit most from a Wolters absence. Georgios Papagiannis seems to have hit his stride, and he remains affordable on DraftKings at $8,800.

FBB Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at BER ALBA Berlin

Status Check: Scottie Wilbekin (FBB), Nemanja Bjelica (FBB), Marko Guduric (FBB), Dyshawn Pierre (FBB), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Jonas Mattisseck (BER)

The Breakdown: Fenerbahce fell for just the second time all season its last time out, but they remain alone in first place and will look to get back on the winning track against an ALBA team that has taken the loss in eight consecutive Rounds. The experts believe that will occur, as the Turkish team is favored by 4.5 points in this one. Both these teams fare well defensively, but no one plays faster than ALBA and no one rates better on the offensive end than Fenerbahce, which explains why DraftKings set the over/under for this game at 166.5 points -- the biggest number on the board.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

VBC Valencia Basket at MTA Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Status Check: Chris Jones (VBC), Sam Van Rossom (VBC), Martin Hermannsson (VBC), Millan Jimenez (VBC), Wade Baldwin IV (MTA), Alex Poythress (MTA), Darrun Hilliard (MTA)

The Breakdown: This is a pivotal contest for both clubs, as the winner will even its record at six wins and six losses and the other will lose ground in the standings. Valencia won last week with Jones sidelined, but he will remain out for another Round, so they will have their work cut out for them again. Maccabi will not be at full strength, either, and they enter as losers of five of their last six games. However, they are 5-0 at home this season, and the oddsmakers expect them to remain perfect in their gym. Both these teams like to get up and down the court and are below average on the defensive end, so points will not exactly be at a premium.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

CZV Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at PAR Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

Status Check: Nikola Ivanovic (CZV), Alen Smailagic (PAR), Aleksa Avramovic (PAR), Balsa Koprivica (PAR)

The Breakdown: The top two clubs in Serbia have faced each other frequently, but never before in the EuroLeague. That will change Thursday, as they will compete at Stark Arena for bragging rights of Belgrade. Partizan is favored by a comfortable 5.5 points, but they have also dropped four of five, and they will need to be at their best to knock off a Red Star squad that has not lost a game -- either in the EuroLeague or Adriatic league -- since Dusko Ivanovic took over as head coach in mid-November. These teams squared off just 10 days ago in their domestic league, and Red Star cruised to a 16-point victory on its home court. If Partizan hopes for a different result this time around, they will need to tighten things up on the defensive end, as no team rates worse when the opponent has the ball.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

ASM AS Monaco at RMB Real Madrid

Status Check: John Brown (ASM), Walter Tavares (RMB), Guerschon Yabusele (RMB), Gabriel Deck (RMB), Rudy Fernandez (RMB), Adam Hanga (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB)

The Breakdown: This will be the only game of the day pitting two teams with winning records against each other, as Monaco will head west to take on a Real Madrid squad that has picked up the win in six straight games. While these teams both sit at 8-3, the oddsmakers are expecting a relatively easy win for the home team, who are the biggest favorites on the board at 7.5 points. Monaco is 4-2 on the road this season, and their task will get easier if Tavares or Deck -- or both -- are unable to go.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin O'Brien plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kevob100, DraftKings: kevob100.