EuroLeague Predictions and Best Bets – March 18, 2021

EuroLeague basketball is back in action on Thursday, March 18th. Barcelona is starting to run away with the regular season title at 21-8, but there is still a logjam up top.

Let’s see who is trying to move up on March 18th.

CSKA Moscow is the best team in action today, while Real Madrid and Fenerbahce slide in right behind them at 17-12.

That makes this slate less compelling than I’d prefer, but two of those teams actually face off, and it doesn’t mean there aren’t good bets to make.

I hit a rough patch with my EuroLeague picks on Friday, but Thursday brings an opportunity to get back on the winning path.

For assistance in betting on the EuroLeague on Thursday, check out my EuroLeague predictions and top betting picks.

Zenit enters as the -169 favorite at most EuroLeague betting sites, but the gap between them and Saski Baskonia isn’t that wide.

Kevin Pangos continues to keep things going offensively for Zenit, and he’s fresh off of a 20-point gem in his last game.

Zenit hasn’t been on top of things lately, of course. They’ve lost two in a row, and are sliding with a 2-6 record over their last eight games.

Saski Baskonia lost the first meeting (77-70), but they’re trending in a much better direction with a 6-1 run over their last seven games.

Fenerbahce should be the easy call on Thursday, when they prepare to host Zalgiris. They’ve been mostly great for weeks now, as they’re 12-2 over their last 14 EuroLeague contests.

They’ve gotten healthier recently, and more good news could be on it’s way with the possible return of Marko Guduric, who last played March 5th.

On the other side, big man Joffrey Lauvergne has been playing well for Zalgiris, but is iffy to suit up for this one.

Joffrey Lauvergne: Game-time decision for Round 30 – https://t.co/BHgKAicYU7

— RotoWire EuroLeague (@RotoWireEuro) March 17, 2021

His potential absence would put a lot of pressure on Nigel Hayes, while Marius Grigonis and Thomas Walkup would surely be asked to carry more of the offensive burden.

Zalgiris easily won the first meeting (99-62), but Jan Vesely and the aforementioned Guduric weren’t on hand for that loss.

I’d expect flipped results – to some degree – this time around.

Welcome to the highest scoring game of the day. Likely, anyways.

Olympiacos had been brutally bad for a long stretch there, but they finally snapped a dreadful 8-game skid. They’ve now won two in a row, and look like a fun bet against another bottom dweller.

The big key is the lack of defense in this game, though. Neither of these teams are great on that end, with Olympiacos allowing 74+ points in eight of their last nine games.

This matchup was a pretty fun one the first time around, with Olympiacos prevailing, 75-71.

I tend to think it’s a close battle again, especially since these teams are pretty healthy, and nobody is playing any defense.

Olympiacos is the narrow favorite here, but the Over might be the best play in this one.

Probably the best game of the day sees CSKA facing off with Real Madrid.

Mike James finally got it going in his last game, putting up 21 points and five dimes in a loss. That was his first game over 15 points since February 4th, so at least he’s trending back in a positive direction.

The same can’t necessarily be said for CSKA Moscow, as they are just 2-4 over their last six contests.

Even so, they have to get it going again eventually, and they edged out Real Madrid in a tense showdown (74-73) earlier this year.

Real Madrid has the size advantage down low thanks to the presence of Walter Tavares, but not having veteran guard Sergio Llull can’t be ideal.

This should be another close gem, but Real Madrid has been hit or miss lately, going just 2-4 over their last six, as well.

Ultimately, I side with the superior guard play, and right now CSKA has it.

You can largely go with my EuroLeague predictions, as the best EuroLeague bets that stand out for Thursday have nothing to do with the over/unders.

If you want to go that route, I do anticipate a good amount of scoring in the Alba Berlin game, so hitting the Over (-104) is a fine secondary try. It’s just a very high total (162.5), so I’m not enthralled by that bet.

I’d stick with the EuroLeague picks above. Saski Baskonia is also a fun +149 underdog, but I think taking them ATS is a little safer, and still plenty valuable.

Olympiacos is the better team in their matchup, so I like them at +102. Their spread is also super thin, so I say just go for it there.

CSKA is better than they’ve been playing, and Real Madrid is down a key guard. I think that’s the edge CSKA Moscow needs to score a huge win and get back on track.