At Salle Gaston Medecin, Monaco (11-13) welcome Olympiacos (17-8). Sasa Obradovic’s guys currently stand 7th in the rankings. They have not yet secured a playoff spot, therefore this game is crucial for them.
Monaco have won their last five games in all competitions. Their last Euroleague game ended on a high note, after defeating Anadolu Efes at home (102-80).
They try to win every game through their offense, averaging the most points in the league this year (84.1). Leading scorer Mike James (averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 assists) and Dwayne Bacon (averaging 13.7 points this season) are key players should Monaco want to keep their playoff chances alive.
In a recent interview with Hedge Out, coach Sasa Obradovic said that “so far, we have created good relationships and that’s my biggest success. The players are on the same page, they are listening to each other”.
On the other hand, Olympiacos’ great form continues. They easily beat arch rivals Panathinaikos (101-73). They stand third in the standings and have already qualified for the postseason, after the withdrawal of the Russian teams.
The “Reds” are trying to secure the home-court advantage in the playoffs. Their last loss was against ALBA Berlin away from home (90-75 on March 10). Head coach Georgios Bartzokas told reporters pregame that “we must be focused on controlling the tempo. It’s not only Mike James, but a well-organized team”.
This season, Olympiacos’ defense is pretty solid, especially at Piece and Friendship Stadium. They allow only 74.5 points per game. On the road, they do not always maintain their high defensive levels as they allow 80.5 points per game.
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball
Wednesday’s game will be pretty tough and could go either way. My prediction is that we will witness a high scoring game once again in Monaco. The limit of over 160.5 points (odds at 1.80) is considered safe.
Next prediction is that Dwayne Bacon will score more than 13 points (odds around 1.80). I also predict that Sasha Vezenkov will score more than 14 points (odds at 1.72). He is now running a hot nine-game streak with more than 15 points per game for Olympiacos.
My fun bet is that he will have more than 25 points, rebounds and assists in total (odds at 3.20). Given the fact that this will be a high scoring game, I think he can also be the top scorer of this game, passing the likes of Mike James (odds at 3.75)
Safe bet
Monaco – Olympiacos: over 160.5 points (1.80)
Dwayne Bacon over 13.5 points (1.80)
Sasha Vezenkov over 14.5 points (1.72)
Value bet
Sasha Vezenkov top scorer (3.75)
Fun bet
Sasha Vezenkov over 24.5 points, assists and rebounds in total (3.20)
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball
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