This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Victor Wembanyama, William Howard, James Gist, Paul Lacombe and Charles Kahudi will all sit out Friday for ASVEL. Raymar Morgan is set to make his season debut, and Dylan Osetkowski will also be in uniform.
- Johannes Thiemann, Tamir Blatt and Tim Schneider will not play Friday for ALBA.
- Monaco's Danilo Andjusic remains out for Round 32.
STATS AND INFO.
- Betting Odds
- Starting Lineups
- Injury Report
- Team Stats
- Opponent Averages
- Team Trends
- Twitter - @RotoWireEuro
THE SLATE
Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz at AS Monaco
Status Check: Danilo Andjusic (ASM)
Best Bets for Success: The biggest game on Friday's schedule is the first one up, as Monaco needs a win to maintain its playoff positioning and Baskonia needs to win this game and its last one to have any chance to reach the postseason. This game will feature two of the hottest players out there in Wade Baldwin and Mike James, who have both been topping the 30-point mark on DraftKings -- and in Baldwin's case, the 40-point mark -- with ease. James outshined his counterpart when these teams met in Round 5, but Baldwin is a different player these days, and both seem likely to deliver again, as neither squad has been too tough on guards and the over/under on this game is markedly higher than it is in the next three contests. Those two aren't the only players producing regularly for their teams, as all of Alpha Diallo, Dwayne Bacon and Simone Fontecchio have topped the 20-point mark on DraftKings in five straight appearances. All three figure to remain busy Friday, but Bacon in particular stands out, as he checks in over $1,000 cheaper than both his fellow forwards.
DFS Darlings: Rotations figure to be short in this one, which won't leave much room for bargains. However, there are a couple affordable players to consider on each side. For Monaco, we'll list both Donta Hall and Paris Lee, who have found their way back into key roles. Baskonia is ceding the fewest rebounds to opposing centers, but Hall is returning some of the most value on the board at $7,100. Lee, meanwhile, has hit the 20-point mark in back-to-back games and checks in at just $5,900. All three of Baskonia's centers have had their moments this season, but the two to go after Friday are Alec Peters and Steven Enoch, as neither will cost you more than $7,500. Monaco has struggled with big men all season, which bodes well for both players.
Olympiacos Piraeus at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Status Check: William Howard (ASV), Paul Lacombe (ASV), Dylan Osetkowski (ASV), Raymar Morgan (ASV)
Best Bets for Success: This game means far more to the visitors, as ASVEL has already been eliminated from playoff contention. However, the French team could be back at full strength Friday and Olympiacos has had issues on the road, so this could still wind up closer than the experts think. Elie Okobo earned his way back into this section with his big game Wednesday, and he is returning some of the most value on the board. He is not the only ASVEL guard who lands here, as Chris Jones, put up at least 27.5 DraftKings points in five of his last six games. It will be tough for both of them to return useful value Friday, though, as they combined for only eight points -- none from Jones -- when these teams squared off in Round 16. The Greek club has been pretty top-heavy all season, but things have been more spread out a bit of late, with eight players on their roster hitting the 20-point mark on DraftKings since the start of March. When it comes to differentiating that group, ASVEL has been most vulnerable to opposing frontcourt players, so we are going to list both Sasha Vezenkov and Moustapha Fall in this section. Vezenkov has really been on a roll, averaging 28.9 DraftKings points over his last 10 appearances. Fall has put up at least 32.5 points on that website in back-to-back outings, and he will be plenty motivated Friday, as he will be in the gym he used to play his home games in.
DFS Darlings: It's not clear how ASVEL's roster will look Friday, but you can be sure that Victor Wembanyama will see his opportunities. The talented youngster now checks in at $8,000 on DraftKings, and his matchup won't be as inviting as it was Wednesday, when he posted the best numbers of his career. Even at his current rate, though, he returned 3x value over his last three appearances. David Lighty's production has slipped, but he remains a name to consider at $7,400. It's tough to find much value on the Olympiacos side, but don't Tyler Dorsey, who slots in at $8,500 and scored 19 points last time he took on ASVEL.
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at ALBA Berlin
Status Check: Austin Hollins (CZV), Branko Lazic (CZV), Maik Zirbes (CZV), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Johannes Thiemann (BER), Louis Olinde (BER)
Best Bets for Success: Both these teams remain alive in the playoff race, with Red Star barely trailing Monaco for the eight spot and ALBA likely needing to win out to have a shot. The top two producers on both sides are coming off down games, which leaves things rather cloudy for Round 32. Maodo Lo remains the best bet to produce on the ALBA side, as prior to sitting out Round 30 he put up at least 19.5 DraftKings points in 12 straight outings. However, he will face a tough test Friday, as Red Star ranks no lower than fourth against opposing guards in five of the six counting-stat categories and is allowing players at those positions to get up far fewer shots than any other team. If you pass on Lo, Luke Sikma looks like the next man up for the German team. Sikma's recent usage is puzzling, but the track record is there, and only two players are returning more average value. Nikola Kalinic was limited to just eight fantasy points in his last outing, but he will be in position to bounce back Friday, as ALBA ranks bottom-3 against forwards in both the points and field goal attempts departments.
DFS Darlings: Both teams have been using quite a few players lately, which limits the appeal for many of them. Jaleen Smith certainly will not have the matchup in his favor, but he averaged 23.6 DraftKings points over his last five appearances, and he won't run you all that much at $8,600. Oscar da Silva is again looking like the player that burst onto the scene earlier in the season, and he looks like a good fit at $7,200. Nate Wolters is also a bounceback candidate with ALBA giving up the most assists to opposing guards, and Ognjen Dobric gets a boost with Hollins out again. Luka Mitrovic is also in the mix at $7,700.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at FC Barcelona
Status Check: Nando de Colo (FBB), Ahmet Duverioglu (FBB), Tarik Biberovic (FBB), Cory Higgins (BAR), Rokas Jokubaitis (BAR), Sertac Sanli (BAR), Pierre Oriola (BAR)
Best Bets for Success: These two teams are separated by 10 spots in the standings, and Barcelona is the biggest favorite on the entire board. However, like ALBA, Fenerbahce probably has to win out to earn a playoff spot, so you can be sure they will bring their best effort. The Turkish team got a couple key players back Wednesday, but they lost de Colo in the same game, which removes one option from the mix. Jan Vesely and Marko Guduric were Fenerbahce's top producers when these teams met back in Round 6, and we are going to go with both them here for Round 32. Although he had not played since December, Vesely hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings in his first game back. He is also the only player on the board returning more than 3x value on average. Guduric shined during de Colo's last absence and put up 29.5 DraftKings points himself earlier this week. Nikola Mirotic has put his February slump behind him, having averaged 32.7 DraftKings points over his last three trips to the court. He could use a big night to bolster his chances of winning the MVP award, and he should have ample opportunities from downtown, as no team is allowing forwards to hit more three-pointers than Fenerbahce. Nick Calathes also seems like a safe option, as he has tossed up at least 21.0 DraftKings points in seven straight.
DFS Darlings: Pierria Henry did not stuff the stat sheet in his first game back, but he did play 28 minutes and make three marks in four categories, so he will be plenty appealing at $8,100, particularly with de Colo out. Barcelona has been pretty stingy on centers, but both Achille Polonara and Devin Booker are affordable enough on DraftKings to consider. With Jokubaitis landing on the injured list, Dante Exum should not lack opportunities, and he will be a player to go after at $8,300. Alex Abrines is not the steal he was in Round 31, but at $5,200 he still represents a potential bargain. Kyle Kuric also carries some appeal at $6,300.