One team wants home court. The other just wants to stay alive. It’s a titanic tussle in Euroleague Basketball as AS Monaco welcome Zalgiris Kaunas
The dream is still alive but in different ways for AS Monaco and Zalgiris Kaunas. The former is fighting for home court in the Euroleague Basketball playoffs. The latter needs to keep winning to make the play-ins.
Key details
Who: AS Monaco (21-11) vs Zalgiris Kaunas (14-18)
Where: Salle Gaston Medecin
When: Thursday 4 April at 19.00 CET/18.00 UK & Ireland/13.00 EST
Last time out
AS Monaco were forced to fight to come out on top in the French derby. They eventually had the upper hand as they beat LDLC Asvel 87-77 on the road. This keeps them alive for second place in Euroleague Basketball. The race is so tight however that missing out on home court advantage is still a possibility.
Zalgiris Kaunas record their third straight win. A home victory over Olimpia Milano, by 87-73, kept their play-in hopes alive. The task for the Lithuanian club is simple. They must win out which means victory here is vital.
Key battles
Keenan Evans continues to impress for Zalgiris Kaunas. A late arrival to Euroleague Basketball in the form of Edmond Sumner however is giving opponents more to think about. These two will be critical to Zalgiris on Thursday night.
There’s no shortage of talent on the AS Monaco roster but it’s impossible to look past Mike James. He’s the favourite for MVP. He has the all-time scoring record. Now, he wants a championship. Locking up home court would help a lot in that regard.
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Need to know
Home court is more than nice to have in Euroleague Basketball. In the history of the competition, no team has ever lost a Game 5 in a best of five playoff series at home. This is an extremely valuable asset for AS Monaco to seek. Their hunger will be just as great as that of Zalgiris Kaunas in this game.
What the bookies think
The oddsmakers are fully behind AS Monaco in this one. The Euroleague Basketball betting market has them at 1/4 while Zalgiris Kaunas are priced at 16/5. Those odds seem about right in my mind and nicely balanced for bettors.
The spread has Monaco as -8.5 favourites. Again, this seems like quite a fair price considering all the factors involved. In general, this is a good game for punters to work with.
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What we think
Picking against a Zalgiris Kaunas team on a big run always feels risky. That goes double after its recent displays and the step up in quality in terms of performance. That said, it’s very difficult to bet against a motivated Mike James.
The prediction
This is a tough one, despite our pick, but the vibe I’m getting is that it is close for a while. Then it won’t be and AS Monaco will take over. They want that home court advantage in the Euroleague Basketball playoffs. This is a leave no doubt game.
Pick: AS Monaco at -8.5
The post Preview: AS Monaco vs Zalgiris Kaunas – Euroleague Round 33 appeared first on BallinEurope.
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