This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Bayern's Niels Giffey will be unavailable for Round 16.
- Partizan's Gregor Glas will not suit up Thursday.
- Real Madrid's Rudy Fernandez will not play Thursday.
STATS AND INFO.
- EuroLeague Betting Odds
- EuroLeague Starting Lineups
- EuroLeague Injury Report
- EuroLeague Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
Real Madrid at 
Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Status Check: Adam Hanga (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB)
The Breakdown: Two Spanish squads helped close out Round 15, and two others will kick off play in Round 16. This figures to be the game of the day, as both teams are tied with three others atop the standings at 10-5. Real Madrid will be on the road and have not been as hot as their counterparts, but they are still favored by as many as 3.5 points. Baskonia enters on a five-game winning streak and has lost just one EuroLeague game on its home court this season, and they also wound up victorious when these teams played an ACB game in the same gym back in October. These teams fare pretty similary in the secondary stats, as both rank top-6 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and are separated by just 0.6 points in net rating. They also both rank top-5 in pace, which explains why the over/under on this game is tied for the highest on two websites and stands alone at the top on DraftKings at 165.0 points.
Best Bets for Success: It remains tough to project which of Baskonia's guards will lead the way for his club, but Pierria Henry racked up the most DraftKings points for his team in each of the last three games he appeared in, so he looks like the top option for his team at this time. It could be a big night for a couple players on the Real Madrid side, as no team is allowing guards to get up more shots nor centers to grab more rebounds than Baskonia. Dzanan Musa is listed as a forward, but he has been starting at the shooting guard spot, so he will be in position to capitalize. Walter Tavares is coming off his least productive game of the season, but a bounceback could be in the cards.
Fantasy Factors: Markus Howard has not produced consistently when Henry plays, but he has put up at least 25.0 DraftKings points six times, and he could get there again in an up-and-down game. Real Madrid ranks top-3 against frontcourt players in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage, so it's tough to find a lot more to like on their side. Gabriel Deck was a bit quiet in his Round 15 return, but at $8,400 he is returning some of the most value on the DraftKings board, and he put up 17 points and eight rebounds last time these teams met.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at 
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Status Check: Dogus Balbay (EFS), Wade Baldwin IV (MTA), Alex Poythress (MTA)
The Breakdown: While DraftKings may not expect this game to be as high-scoring as the one above, the oddsmakers at both FanDuel and RealGM expect the same number of points to be scored in both contests. Both teams are just below average in the pace department, but three of the league's top six scores will take part in this contest -- and that group does not include Shane Larkin, who is set to see his first EuroLeague action of the season. The experts have given the edge to Efes, who are favored by as many as 3.5 points. Maccabi will still be down one half of its top-tier backcourt, but they are 6-1 at home this season and will be facing a team that -- when hitting the road -- has lost more than it has won. If the hosts hope to pick up the victory they will need to show up on the defensive end, as only two teams fare worse when it comes to defensive rating, and only one team is more efficient offensively than Efes.
Best Bets for Success: The three players averaging the most DraftKings points on Thursday's slate will take part in this game, and we will start on the Efes side, where you find Vasilije Micic and Will Clyburn. Larkin's return could affect both players, but Micic will still be in position to deliver against a Maccabi team allowing guards to score more points than any other team and also make a higher percentage of their shots than all but one club. Clyburn put up 42.0 DraftKings points his last time out, but he will face a far tougher matchup, as Maccabi ranks no lower than sixth against forwards in points, rebounds and field goal attempts. On the opposite side, Lorenzo Brown remains the player to go after, as the 29.5 DraftKings points he put up in Round 15 were his fewest this month. He will face a tough test, as the Turkish team is ceding fewer points to opposing guards than any other team and also ranks top-4 against backcourt players in rebounds, assists, steals and FG%.
Fantasy Factors: With Efes as close to full strength as they have been all season, you probably won't find much for value on their side. However, with Achille Polonara in flux, Amath M'Baye remains in consideration. It's unclear which of the three Efes centers will be the primary option at the position in Round 16, but one of them put up at least 34.8 DraftKings points in each of the last two Rounds. While the matchup won't be easy, Jalen Adams remains in the mix for Maccabi at $6,800, and you could take a shot with either Bonzie Colson or Jarell Martin against a team allowing forwards to get up more shots than any other club.
FC Bayern Munich at 
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Status Check: Vladimir Lucic (BAY), Niels Giffey (BAY), Andreas Obst (BAY), Zan Mark Sisko (BAY), Balsa Koprivica (PAR), Gregor Glas (PAR)
The Breakdown: After taking down the two Turkish titans in the last two Rounds, Partizan will be looking for a third straight win in Round 16. The experts all expect that to occur, as the Serbian squad is favored by 6.5 points across the board. The German club dropped three of its last four games and will still be without its captain, but they figure to play with a sense of urgency, as they could wind up as many as four games out of a playoff spot with another loss. Bayern should be able to find some holes in a defense that rates far worse than any in the league, but they will presumably have to keep up with a team averaging 9.0 more points on a per-game basis.
Best Bets for Success: Partizan continues getting the bulk of its production from the top of its roster, but not from one player in particular, as five different players led the team in fantasy points over the last six Rounds. It's unlikely their top producer Thursday will be a forward, as players at those positions are getting up fewer shots against Bayern than any other club. With that in mind, Mathias Lessort looks like his club's best option for Round 16. The German squad is allowing centers to shoot the ball plenty, and Lessort has put up 32.5 DraftKings points in all five games in which he has recorded at least 15 points. The players on the Bayern side have been sharing the load as well, but Cassius Winston looks like the best of the bunch Thursday. Partizan ranks bottom-4 against guards in all of the points, threes, FG% and FGA categories, and Winston averaged 12.3 attempts from the field over his last six appearances.
Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!
Valencia Basket at 
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Status Check: Chris Jones (VBC), Sam Van Rossom (VBC), Martin Hermannsson (VBC), Millan Jimenez (VBC), Shavon Shields (EA7), Kevin Pangos (EA7), Luigi Datome (EA7)
The Breakdown: Milan picked up its first home win of the season in Round 15, and they will look to make it two straight Thursday. Valencia checks in six spots higher in the standings, but they will be down their best player in Jones, and the Italian team -- still without some of their top players -- is favored by 5.5 points on its home court. No team is scoring fewer points nor rates worse offensively than Milan, and the over/under suggests this contest will be played at a pace closer to Valencia's liking. However, the implied point totals suggest Milan will do more scoring than usual against a club that checks in next to last in defensive rating.
Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!
Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!
Status Check: Tyler Cavanaugh (ZAL), Lukas Lekavicius (ZAL), Mantas Kalnietis (ZAL), Liutauras Lelevicius (ZAL), Jordan Loyd (ASM)
The Breakdown: The final game of the evening will feature a Monaco club that is tied for first place and a Zalgiris squad that, following two straight wins, is tied with three other teams for the seventh most wins in the league. While the Lithuanian team comes in off back-to-back victories, Monaco is the biggest favorite on the board at 7.5 points. Monaco is 5-2 on its home court and rates better on the offensive end, but they will be without one of their top scorers in Loyd, and these teams are separated by only 5.8 points in the net rating department.
Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!
Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!
