Zalgiris Kaunas vs Barcelona
Competition: Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Date: 1 March 2018
Time: 19:00 CET
Zalgiris Kaunas had no problems when they visited Turkey last week, where they easily defeated Anadolu Efes by 70:86. They were slightly outscored in the first quarter, but they were excellent in the other three, and were in total control of that match. White scored a game-high 15 points with 4 rebounds, while Davies, Milaknis, Micic and Pangos also scored in double digits with a lot of peripheral stats. Zalgiris Kaunas have now won each of their last four matches in all competitions, by at least eight points each. They are now sitting at the 5th spot of the Euroleague (W14 L9), scoring an average of 80.95 points per match, while allowing 80 in the process. However, they have been much better at home (W8 L3), where they score 81.09 points per affair, but concede 81.45. There are no known injuries for this upcoming match so far.
On the other hand, Barcelona suffered a really bad loss last week, as we made a great prediction. They played host to Real Madrid, just five days after defeating them at the Spanish Cup final. Real Madrid were really looking for revenge, as they destroyed Barcelona by a massive 74:101. The damage was pretty much done at the first quarter, where Barcelona scored 13 points, and conceded 30. It was all downhill from that point on. Vezenkov and Heurtel scored 11 each, Koponen and Hanga scored 10 each, while Tomic, Navarro and Moerman chipped in 9 points each. That loss put an end to Barcelona’s four-match winning streak in all competitions, and the first time they concede over 100 points since January 21st. They are still sitting at the penultimate spot of the Euroleague (W7 L16), scoring an average of 80.30 points per match, while allowing 80.47 in the process. They have been pathetic on the road, where they have lost ten of their eleven matches so far. They will have numerous injury doubts ahead of this match, as Ribas, Garcia, Sanders, Serpahin and Oriola are all currently listed as questionable to participate.
Previous 5 games:
Anadolu Efes vs Zalgiris Kaunas 70:86
Lietuvos Rytas vs Zalgiris Kaunas 62:81
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Panevezis 88:74
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Shiauliai 85:78
Lietuvos Rytas vs Zalgiris Kaunas 75:68
Barcelona vs Real Madrid 74:101
Real Madrid vs Barcelona 90:92
Gran Canaria vs Barcelona 74:87
Barcelona vs Baskonia 94:90
Barcelona vs Bilbao 90:58
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Barcelona: Head to Head Stats
Zalgiris Kaunas managed to escape with a win when they visited Barcelona earlier in the season (75:81), but they have won just two of the last five matches. Moreover, Barcelona have a stunning record in this venue, having won eleven of their last twelve matches.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Barcelona: Prediction
Zalgiris Kaunas have been really strong at home this season, while Barcelona have struggled a lot on the road. However, they do have a great history in this venue, and could just maybe be competitive here.
Zalgiris Kaunas vs Barcelona: Betting Tips
Barcelona have no troubles in scoring around 80 points on the road on any given night, while Zalgiris Kaunas have been very accurate at home. Barcelona could defend the +5.5 points handicap here, but I would rather go with the Over 161.5 points @ 1.75.
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