At Audi Dome, Bayern and Barcelona meet for the third time in their playoff series (currently tied at 1-1).
Last week, in Game 2, the German side “stole” the home-court advantage (75-90). DeShaun Thomas performed really well offensively (25 points, 7 rebounds, 29 PIR), as he made six threes.
For their part, Nicolas Laprovittola and Nikola Mirotic combined for 32 points (16 each). However, in general, Sarunas Jasikevicius’ guys struggled on both ends.
They have to stay focused in Germany, otherwise they face the danger of being eliminated by the eighth placed Bayern.
I think Barcelona can get the job done. They have the talent and desire to succeed. One bad performance should not keep them away from their goal, which is winning the trophy.
Therefore, I’m predicting Barcelona will win tonight, covering also the handicap of -2.5 (odds at 1.50). My second betting pick is that Nick Calathes will record more than 7 assists (odds at 2.75). He has done so in Game 2 and he is more than capable of repeating it.
Safe bet: Barcelona win -2.5 (1.50)
Value bet: Nick Calathes over 7.5 assists (2.75)
At Salle Gaston Medecin, Monaco welcomes Olympiacos in another tied playoff series (1-1). Last week in Greece, Sasa Obradovic’s team managed to recover quickly from Wednesday’s Game 1 loss (71-54).
The Monegasques dominated Game 2 (72-96), with Mike James being “on fire”, scoring five threes and a total of 23 points.
On the other hand, the “Reds” could not keep up with their opponents’ pace. After a 14-4 early lead, Olympiacos lost focus, despite a fully crowded Peace and Friendship Stadium.
Head coach Georgios Bartzokas told reporters that “we did everything wrong, that’s why we are running to gain back the home-court advantage.”
To do so, they have to defend like in Game 1. Monaco is extremely skilled on offense, especially at home.
My betting prediction is that both teams will score more than 154 points tonight (odds at 1.90). They have done so in their regular season game in Monaco (92-72).
Based on this, I think the limit provided by betting companies is low. Therefore, my fun bet for Game 3 is a total score of over 159 points (odds at 2.50).
Safe bet: Over 154.5 points (1.90)
Fun bet: Over 159.5 points (2.50)
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