EuroLeague Primer: Round 22 - Tuesday

EuroLeague Primer: Round 22 - Tuesday

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

PREGAME UPDATES

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

Olympiacos Piraeus at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Status Check: Kostas Sloukas (OLY), Alec Peters (OLY), Nemanja Bjelica (FBB), Tonye Jekiri (FBB), Ismet Akpinar (FBB), Tarik Biberovic (FBB)

The Breakdown: A busy Tuesday will begin in Turkey with a matchup between first-place Olympiacos and a club that trails them by one win and two spots in the standings. When these teams met in Round 13, Fenerbahce was down a few key players, and the Greek club won handily on its home court. However, the Turkish team will be far closer to full strength this time around and are 7-3 on their home court, and the oddsmakers haven given them a 3.5-point edge. The over/under on this game is -- albeit barely -- the biggest on the board, which speaks to the quality of the offenses, as both clubs are middle-of-the-pack in pace and top-4 in defensive rating. Olympiacos has been more efficient than anyone on the league on the offensive end, and Fenerbahce ranks fifth in the same department.

Best Bets for Success: After going through a bit of a lull, Sasha Vezenkov has recorded at least 26.3 DraftKings points in three consecutive Rounds, and he remains one of the safest plays on the board. Fenerbahce fares pretty well against forwards, but Vezenkov put up 33.5 DraftKings points despite playing just 24 minutes last time he faced Fenerbahce, and his team could ask even more of him with Sloukas sidelined. No Fenerbahce player put up more than 20.0 DraftKings points last time these clubs met, and the Greek team fares well against both guards and centers, so there are a number of ways you could go here. Although Olympiacos is limiting centers to fewer points and field goal attempts than any other club, we are still going to go with Johnathan Motley, who put up at least 31.8 DraftKings points three times in a five-Round span before being limited his last time out.

Fantasy Factors: Sloukas' absence opens up a lot of opportunities in the backcourt, and Thomas Walkup -- who racked up 12 assists his last time out -- is the favorite to take on the bulk of them. You could also consider Giannoulis Larentzakis and even Isaiah Canaan, as the Turkish team has been allowing guards to make a lot of three-pointers of late. Fenerbahce's guards have been sharing the wealth of late, but Scottie Wilbekin remains just $8,900 on DraftKings, which makes him one of the more appealing options available. Carsen Edwards has put up at least 20.0 DraftKings points seven times this season, which makes him a candidate to hit at just $6,400.

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

Status Check: Markus Howard (BKN), Max Heidegger (BKN), Pierria Henry (BKN), Shavon Shields (EA7), Kevin Pangos (EA7), Nicolo Melli (EA7), Tommaso Baldasso (EA7)

The Breakdown: Baskonia snapped a four-game losing streak its last time out, and they will go for a second straight win and the season sweep against a team that has dropped five straight and finds itself at the bottom of the standings. Although the Spanish squad sits 12 spots above its opponent and Milan has won a league-low two games on their home court, the hosts are favored by a couple points in this one. The over/under on this game is as high as 158.0 points, which suggests the game will be played closer to Baskonia's pace. However, it's unclear exactly what their backcourt will look like, and the Italian team figures to get a boost from Shabazz Napier, who will make his EuroLeague debut in Round 22.

Best Bets for Success: A number of Baskonia players stuffed the stat sheet in Round 21, but no one racked up more DraftKings points than Darius Thompson, who put up a season-high 54.0 points on that website. He will cost you $1,000 more on DraftKings than he did last time out, but with Henry out and Howard uncertain he will be tough to pass up. With Melli joining the inactive list, we are going to list both Brandon Davies and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot for Round 22. Davies is a tad pricey on DraftKings, but he also put up a season-high 44.0 points on that website last time he faced the Spanish squad. Meanwhile, Luwawu-Cabarrot seems to have found his footing, putting up at least 28.0 DraftKings points in three of the last four Rounds.

Fantasy Factors: Napier's presence will change things on the Milan side, so it may be best to see how things shake out in their backcourt before going with any of their guards. However, you could gamble on someone, as Baskonia allowed guards to score more points than any other team over the last five Rounds. With Melli out there are a couple potential dart throws on the Milan side, though, as neither Deshaun Thomas or Johannes Voigtmann -- who will face his former team and is returning the most value on the board -- will run you more than $3,500 on DraftKings. It's tough to find a lot more to like on the Baskonia side, as Howard is banged up, Tadas Sedekerskis may not be 100 percent and the other two players who shined in Round 21 -- Matt Costello and Rokas Giedraitis -- are far pricier than they were last week. Steven Enoch, though, remains interesting on DraftKings at $5,400.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at FC Barcelona

Status Check: Lorenzo Brown (MTA), Alex Poythress (MTA), Austin Hollins (MTA), Sergi Martinez (BAR)

The Breakdown: Maccabi trails its opponent by just four spots in the standings and 4.7 points in net rating, but they remain without their top producer in Brown and are just 2-9 on the road this season, and Barcelona is the biggest favorite on the board at just shy of 10.0 points. If the visitors hope to reverse the result of the last matchup between these clubs in Round 7, they may need a big night from their offense, as they enter this contest ranked 17th in the league in defensive rating.

Best Bets for Success: Wade Baldwin IV naturally gets a boost with Brown unavailable, but Bonzie Colson seems just as appealing after averaging 38.9 DraftKings points over his last four appearances. Colson definitely has the edge in the matchup, as Barcelona has contained guards all season and rank bottom-3 against forwards in points and FGA over the last five Rounds. Only Maccabi is allowing forwards to score more points over that span, which points to a big night for Nikola Mirotic. The reigning MVP checks in below $10,000 on DraftKings and somewhat quietly averaged 26.8 points on that website over the last four Rounds.

Fantasy Factors: Maccabi has been pretty top-heavy of late, which limits their options a bit. The matchup favors Roman Sorkin, though, and Jalen Adams has generally fared well whenever one of Maccabi's dynamic backcourt duo is unavailable. Nikola Kalinic will certainly be in play given how Maccabi has fared against forwards, and at $8,000, Nicolas Laprovittola is one of just five players on the board returning more than 3x value.

FC Bayern Munich at Valencia Basket

Status Check: Vladimir Lucic (BAY), Andreas Obst (BAY), Elias Harris (BAY), Zan Mark Sisko (BAY), Bojan Dubljevic (VBC), Jasiel Rivero (VBC), Klemen Prepelic (VBC), Sam Van Rossom (VBC), Martin Hermannsson (VBC), Millan Jimenez (VBC)

The Breakdown: Both these clubs are making a big push for a playoff spot, as Valencia has ripped off four straight wins and Bayern emerged victorious in four of the last five Rounds. Neither club will be close to full strength and these teams are separated by a mere 0.1 points in net rating, so although Valencia is favored by as many as 3.5 points, this one really could go either way. These teams combined for 189 points in Bayern's Round 14 victory, but it's notable that this game will be played in Spain, as the German club is just 3-7 away from home.

Best Bets for Success: Chris Jones remains a bit of a risk given his ailing right knee, but he has been productive whenever he plays, and with him on track to do so Tuesday -- and Valencia shorthanded at the center spot -- it's tough to go with anyone else on their side. Jones represents one of the best values on the board at $9,100 and put up 26.8 DraftKings points four times over his last five appearances -- a stretch that due to his absences dates back to mid-December. A couple prime options have emerged on the Bayern side in the form of Augustine Rubit and Cassius Winston. The former averaged 17.1 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last seven Rounds and the latter put up at least 25.0 DraftKings points three times over the last four Rounds.

Fantasy Factors: Valencia's big men dominated last time they faced Bayern, and with their best two unavailable, all of James Webb III, Jaime Pradilla and Kyle Alexander will be worth considering. Jared Harper will be worth a look if Prepelic sits, and in that same scenario it could be worth gambling on Shannon Evans at the minimum price on DraftKings. On the Bayern side, we will list Othello Hunter with Harris sidelined. Hunter has had some duds, but he also put up at least 24.5 DraftKings points six times over the last nine Rounds.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

Status Check: Youssoupha Fall (ASV), Joffrey Lauvergne (ASV), Balsa Koprivica (PAR)

The Breakdown: This will be a pivotal contest for both clubs, as they have done just enough winning of late to remain on the periphery of the playoff race. Partizan has just two more wins than their counterparts, but they are 7-3 at home and are sneakily seventh in the league in both net rating and point differential, and the oddsmakers have given them a 7.5-point edge. Partizan owns a big edge in offensive rating, but they also rank last in defensive rating by a noticeable margin, and they allowed ASVEL to put a season-high 91 points on the board when these clubs in the French club's Round 13 victory.

Best Bets for Success: Four players have been producing pretty consistently for Partizan, and the steadiest have been Mathias Lessort and Dante Exum. The duo combined for 75.5 DraftKings points last time they faced ASVEL, so it's tough to go elsewhere in Round 22. Nando de Colo remains the best bet to deliver for the French team, and he put up a season-high 40.3 DraftKings points his last time out and 39.5 point on the same website last time he faced the Serbian squad.

Fantasy Factors: Dee Bost has made an instant impact for ASVEL, and among the pricier options on Tuesday's DraftKings slate no player is returning more average value. A couple players on the French side who did not play in Round 21 will likely return Tuesday, but if Fall is sidelined, Alex Tyus is worth considering at $6,900. You won't find much for value for Partizan, but James Nunnally has a bit of upside with his price falling to a meager $5,400 on DraftKings.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade at Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Status Check: Facundo Campazzo (CZV), Hassan Martin (CZV), Semi Ojeleye (VIR), Iffe Lundberg (VIR), Leo Menalo (VIR)

The Breakdown: The last game of the day is expected to be the lowest-scoring, which is notable because Red Star plays at the slowest pace in the league and Virtus is above average in that department. While the game could be played at the Serbian squad's speed, the experts still like the home team, who are favored by as many as 3.5 points. Both teams have a lot on the line in this one, as they enter with matching 1-3 slides and need a win to avoid falling further out of the hunt for a postseason spot. Red Star got the better of Virtus last time around, as they took the win in Round 11 amid a six-game winning streak.

Best Bets for Success: You won't often find three players on the same team in this section, but all of Luca Vildoza, Filip Petrusev and Nemanja Nedovic qualify given their recent output. Only Vildoza delivered in Round 11, but both of his teammates have taken off since. Milos Teodosic earns a spot here after putting up at least 28.5 DraftKings points three times over the last four Rounds, but Red Star ceded the fewest assists to opposing guards over the last five Rounds, so Tornike Shengelia looks like his team's top option for Round 22. With Ojeleye out, Shengelia will have a shot to play 30 minutes Tuesday for the first time this season.

Fantasy Factors: Mam Jaiteh had one of his best games of the season last time he saw Red Star, and the matchup is in his favor for Round 22. Ojeleye's absence also could afford Jordan Mickey the opportunity to get back on track, and Lundberg's could do the same for Daniel Hackett. You might not find many other options on the Red Star side, but if you want to go with one of their more affordable players, Luka Mitrovic looks like your guy.

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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
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