This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Fenerbahce's Jan Vesely will not play Friday due to an illness.
THE SLATE
Zenit Saint Petersburg at ALBA Berlin
Key Injuries: None
Best Bets for Success: ALBA is giving up the most assists to opposing guards and the most points to opposing frontcourt players, which bodes well for Kevin Pangos and Zenit's scoring big men. Pangos is fourth in the league in assists, and if he can get a few more shots to fall he will be a double-double threat Friday. Will Thomas is the best scorer among the Russian team's big men, and he has a track record of success against ALBA, having averaged 16.5 points in two games against them last season. Zenit has been pretty stingy against just about everyone, so ALBA figures to lean on Luke Sikma in this one. Sikma has picked up the pace after a slow start, averaging a healthy 10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists over the last four Rounds.
DFS Darlings: For the same reasons Thomas garnered a mention above, Arturas Gudaitis and Alex Poythress will get a shoutout here. Gudaitis is firmly past his bout with COVID-19 and is settling into a key role, starting and coming one rebound shy of a double-double in Round 9. Zenit has been most vulnerable against forwards, so Simone Fontecchio should have a chance to bounce back after a couple quiet games. Peyton Siva will not have the matchup in his favor whatsoever, but he's at least worth considering on DraftKings at just $6,700 -- by far the lowest that number has been this season.
Zalgiris Kaunas at AX Armani Exchange Milan
Key Injuries: Patricio Garino (ZAL), Luigi Datome (MIL)
Best Bets for Success: Marius Grigonis has been one of the steadiest scorers in the league and is the top option in this game, particularly given the uncertainty in Milan's rotation. Grigonis has scored in double figures in all but one contest and has topped the 30-point mark on DraftKings in a third of his appearances this season. Five players scored in double figures for the Italian team in Round 9, so it's anyone's guess who will be the club's top producer Friday. Sergio Rodriguez is the most likely to do so, but with all of Milan's guards healthy it will be tough to justify spending what it will take to roster him on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
DFS Darlings: While Milan's backcourt is a mess, their frontcourt is stable, which bodes well for Vladimir Micov and Zach LeDay. Both players scored in double figures in their last two games, and neither will cost you an arm and a leg on either FanDuel or DraftKings. Joffrey Lauvergne is a bit pricey on FanDuel, but he is worth considering on DraftKings at just $6,900.
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at FC Barcelona
Key Injuries: Victor Claver (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: The two most pricey players on both the FanDuel and DraftKings boards are Nikola Mirotic and Jordan Loyd. We keep going back-and-forth on Loyd. He's definitely the best option on the Red Star squad, but with a couple of his teammates joining him as regular scorers of late, he does not have the same upside he did early on. He will have a tough matchup Friday against a Barcelona team that has been one of the best against opposing guards. Mirotic's stats speak for themselves, as despite missing a few games and playing limited minutes in a couple others he is top-5 in the league in all of points, rebounds and steals per game. The only concern with him is his playing time, as his day could end early again if Barcelona -- a double-digit favorite in this one -- runs away from their opponent for the third Round in a row.
DFS Darlings: If Barcelona slows down Red Star's backcourt players, that could mean a nice day for Johnny O'Bryant, who has produced regularly since making his season debut in Round 6. Teammate Emanuel Terry is another name to consider, as he has started to produce more consistently and started in two of the last three Rounds. It could be worth gambling on Barcelona's Rolands Smits on DraftKings, where he costs just $6,100. Smits' playing time isn't guaranteed, but he has produced just about whenever he has gotten the chance to do so, and if Barcelona takes it to Red Star, he could get plenty opportunities like he did in the club's last two games.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at Valencia Basket
Key Injuries: Omri Casspi (TEL), Yovel Zoosman (TEL), John DiBartolomeo (TEL), Vanja Marinkovic (PAM), Joan Sastre (PAM)
Best Bets for Success: Both of Maccabi's top two players -- Scottie Wilbekin and Ante Zizic -- have put up at least 22 points on DraftKings in all but a total of three games between the two of them. However, they will have their work cut out for them in this one, as Valencia is giving up the fewest points to opposing guards and has also been stout against centers. Valencia's Bojan Dubljevic will play a key role on both ends of the floor, and although his scoring numbers have been down, that could change Friday, as he averaged 17.0 points over two matchups with Maccabi last season. His teammate, Klemen Prepelic, has been Valencia's second-best player of late, averaging just a shade under 30 points on DraftKings over the last three Rounds.
DFS Darlings: While Valencia has been able to shut down opposing backcourt players and bigs, they are giving up the most points and by far the most rebounds to players listed at the forward spots. Unfortunately Maccabi does not have the personnel to take full advantage of that, but you should at least consider Angelo Caloiaro and Dragan Bender if you are trying to fill out your lineup. On the Spanish side, give a gander to Derrick Williams, who averaged 10.3 points over the last three Rounds despite missing the second half of Valencia's Round 7 contest.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at Real Madrid
Key Injuries: Nando de Colo (ULK), Jeffery Taylor (MAD)
Best Bets for Success: All signs point to this being the final EuroLeague Facundo Campazzo appears in for a while, as he is expected to join an NBA team in the near future. Head coach Pablo Laso probably won't overextend Campazzo, but he also figures to give him the chance to go out with a bang, and it would hardly be surprising if Campazzo adds one more double-double to his ledger. Both these teams have really struggled with opposing centers, which is good news for both Walter Tavares and Jan Vesely. Lorenzo Brown has not really picked up the pace since de Colo went down, but of all the players who will benefit from injury in Round 10, he has the highest profile, and he will have the ball in his hands plenty.
DFS Darlings: Anthony Randolph is looking like his old self again, and he won't cost you all that much on either FanDuel or DraftKings. Randolph has the frame of a forward but the height of a center, so he will at least have a similar matchup as Tavares. Fenerbahce has several intriguing value options, as no one outside the player mentioned above will cost you more than $6,300 on DraftKings nor $9 on FanDuel. Madrid has been pretty solid against both guards and forwards, but given their issues with big men, Ahmet Duverioglu will at least be in play if he starts, something he has done four times in seven appearances this season.