Nice of the Euroleague to stack up nearly every game in the last round of the Top 16 on one night, eh? Sheesh, this is worse (or better, depending on viewpoint) than the weekend following the All-Star Game in the NBA. Of the seven games on the slate, six will still help shape the final eight field; the sole “pride game” tonight will be the Montepaschi Siena-Efes Pilsen match in Italy. Officially-derived possibilities for the final eight may be found at the Euroleague website.
Mar
Feb
0
Bet 365 lines, odds for Euroleague Final 16 week three matchups
After last week’s slate of Euroleague upsets, is anyone else searching for the upset bid tonight? Three games tip off and, if the oddsmakers make up for their definitive lack of correctitude in Euroleague Top 16 Week 2 play, all three home teams are looking to double-figure wins.
The closest game on the schedule, according to Ball in Europe sponsor Bet 365, will feature Asseco Prokom trying to make up 10 points in Moscow against the heating-up CSKA side. While pundits were inspecting the likes of Orleans and Asvel Basket to act as Euroleague Cinderella for 2009-10, most were sleeping on Asseco and Maroussi, two teams suddenly looking great for surprise tournament bids. Figure upstart Asseco covers that 10 and that The Euroleague Fantasy Boss makes the correct decision on Qyntel Woods again.
Feb
0
Sporting Bet lines and odds for Euroleague Final 16 week two matchups
After a night of upsets in Euroleague play last night, can any would-be punter feel safe betting on any of tonight’s games? To wit, which of tonight’s three matches looks rife for an upset finish and/or acknowledgement of seriousness, i.e. the BC Khimki demolition of Unicaja (are we witnessing the rise of a new Russian power)?
The marquee matchup is clearly Maccabi Tel Aviv-Real Madrid, with the Sporting Bet pointspread set at a puny minus-1 for the homers – essentially a “pick ‘em” line. And as unbeatable as Partizan is once again proving to be in their home confines with the win over Barcelona, Maccabi is currently at 9-1 in Tel Aviv in 2009-10.
Feb
1
Bet365 lines and odds for Euroleague Final 16 week two matchups
Five games are on the Euroleague slate tonight; five outcomes are left to fate and more than one interesting storyline already unfolds in 2010.
The feature matchup this evening, as far as oddmakers at Ball in Europe sponsor Bet 365 are concerned at least, would be Montepaschi at Istanbul. Efes Pilsen is one of three home underdogs tonight and, with the way this team appears to be rife with internal dissension, this line is no surprise. The Efes Pilsen meltdown is surely on the horizon and one is only surprised this handicap isn’t greater: Go MPS minus the points.
Jan
0
Sporting Bet lines, odds for Euroleague Final 16 week one matchups
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With one upset in the books from last night – and nice work it was, too, with Partizan shutting down PAO like that – one wonders if Euroleague Final 16, week one has any other surprises awaiting. (After all, Euroleague’s 2009-10 edition has been reasonably predictable thus far.)
Among the lines offered at Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor Sporting Bet this week are some true who’da-thunk-it lines: Seriously, at the beginning of the season would you have reckoned Cibona would be plus-10.5 at Khimki or that Zalgiris would be a four-point underdog in going up against Asseco Prokom? In fact, that Zalgiris plus-4 is kinda tempting, as is that line of Olympiacos plus-3.5 at Baskonia.
Meanwhile, pity poor Maroussi BC, the team the sportsbook figures to be the latest corpse laid out by Barcelona, with a 83-63 drubbing predicted for the Greek team.
Pointspreads and over/under lines for tonight’s Euroleague games, as provided by Sporting Bet, follow the break.
Jan
0
On the eve of the Top 16, revisiting Euroleague outright winner odds
Now that the Euroleague field has been thinned, Ball in Europe takes a brief look back at how well esteemed the favorites of fall 2009 are looking now.
Similarly to the NBA situation going into 2009-10, the Euroleague field in October appeared to be a group of haves and have-nots with but a half-dozen favorites – Panathinaikos, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Montepaschi Siena – representing the former. This hasn’t changed, but after an eventful first round, the positioning at sportsbooks has shifted considerably.
Jan
1
Sporting Bet lines and odds for Euroleague week 10 matchups
What’s at stake on the final Wednesday night of the Euroleague 2009-10 regular season? Some bragging rights and potentially a couple of playoff spots. The win-and-in scenario tonight belongs to Lietuvos Rytas, a big six-point favorite at home against Unicaja.
AJ Milano, who’s hosting Real Madrid and is nevertheless a five-point underdog, also advances to Final 16 play with a win. Group rival Asseco Prokom, another homecourt five-point ‘dog – here’s to thinking the bookmakers don’t think much of Milano and Prokom under pressure this season, eh? – gets in with the upset victory and Milano loss.
With Real Madrid playing for top seed, however, and Khimki locked in to its no. 3 spot, figure Milano not to make up the five-point gap while Prokom at least keeps it close while likewise covering the pointspread. (Whether the latter manages to squeak into the Final 16 is another matter altogether…)
Pointspreads and over/under lines for tonight’s Euroleague games, as provided by Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor Sporting Bet, run below the break.
Jan
0
Bet365 lines and odds for Euroleague week nine matchups
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What’s at stake in Euroleague play tonight? A couple of Top 16 spots at least with one win-and-in scenario. Plus, there’s a bit of history as Union Olimpija hosts CSKA Moscow in a game the official Euroleague press calls “what is likely [Olimpija’s] last Euroleague game ever at Tivoli Arena.”
According to Ball in Europe sponsor Bet 365, the game to watch may be Olympiacos at Efes Pilsen, with the home team a 1.5-point underdog; Efes is attempting to prevent a three-Euroleague game losing streak and crawl its way into fourth place, keeping alive its Top 16 hopes for another season.
Meanwhile, the beneficiary of the Panathinaikos victory over Asseco Prokom last night may well be today’s win-and-in team, AJ Milano. To say that Milano’s porous defense – they’ve managed to hold a Euroleague opponent to under 68 points just once this season – has been disappointing would be an understatement but makes for great high-scoring viewing if you’re not a fan. The Italians will be looking to salvage their hopes for advancement while avenging their week three loss to Khimki: Surely this team is too talented not to cover that pointspread of nine against a team that’s already clinched a Top 16 spot. Plus, that 146.5 line at the bookmakers will be toast. Go over.
Tonight’s pointspreads and over/under lines, as provided byBall in Europe sponsor Bet 365, are as follows.
Jan
0
SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week nine matchups
And Euroleague action is back for week nine action. Tonight’s slate of games is fit to make the playoff picture clearer. Lietuvos Rytas is in with a win, whereas a Khimki win or an Asseco Prokom loss gets the Moscow region team into the final 16.
According to the bookmakers, the marquee game to watch tonight amidst a lot of mismatches is clearly the game at Belgrade. The inconsistent Lietuvos Rytas can thank its current 1-3 run for its status as a five-point underdog at Partizan, and a double-digit loss would hardly be surprising for the Lithuanians at Pionir, where the black-and-white haven’t lost this season since opening day.
Also a must for viewing and tempting for punting is the Khimki-AJ Milano matchup. To say that Milano’s porous defense – they’ve managed to hold a Euroleague opponent to under 68 points just once this season – has been disappointing would be an understatement but makes for great high-scoring viewing if you’re not a fan. The Italians will be looking to salvage their hopes for advancement while avenging their week three loss to Khimki: Surely this team is too talented not to cover that pointspread of nine and that 146.5 will be toast. Go over.
Pointspreads and over/under lines for tonight’s Euroleague games, as provided by Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor Sporting Bet, run below the break.
Dec
0
SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week eight matchups
Another Thursday, another round of Euroleague lines for your perusal. First thought? “Whoa, Partizan is favored by just three at Orleans?” Second thought: “And that’s the closest game on the slate, as the ‘book sees it?” Whoa.
Pointspreads and over/under lines for tonight’s games, as provided by Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor Sporting Bet, run below the break.