This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Efes' Vasilije Micic remains out for Round 34.
- Red Star's Austin Hollins will suit up Friday.
- Real Madrid's Thomas Heurtel and Trey Thompkins will not play Friday, but Alberto Abalde, Anthony Randolph and Adam Hanga will all be available.
- ALBA's Ben Lammers remains out for Round 34.
- Paul Zipser will suit up Friday for Bayern, but Nihad Djedovic will not.
- Fenerbahce's Devin Booker and Marial Shayok will not play Friday.
STATS AND INFO.
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- Opponent Averages
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THE SLATE
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
Status Check: Nemanja Nedovic (PAO), Stefan Jovic (PAO), Nando de Colo (FBB), Marko Guduric (FBB), Marial Shayok (FBB)
Best Bets for Success: The final full day of action in the regular season has arrived, and the slate gets underway with a game featuring two teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Both squads will be down a couple key players, and it's unclear exactly how they will approach this contest. Georgios Papagiannis figures to be busy, having played 30 minutes in five straight games and sitting in position to wind up the league leader in both rebounds and blocks. The big man will have his work cut out for him, as Fenerbahce has shut down centers better than anyone and limited him to just two points and a lone rebound when these teams met in Round 2. If you pass on Papagiannis, Ioannis Papapetrou looks like the next man up, having recorded at least 25.3 DraftKings points in all three games he has appeared in since returning from a lengthy absence. Jan Vesely and Pierria Henry were easily Fenerbahce's top two producers their last time out, and they will be their team's top two options Friday. Vesely dropped a double-double last time he saw Panathinaikos, and Henry will have a particularly enticing matchup, as the Greek squad ranks bottom-4 against guards in five of the six counting stats and is allowing players at those positions to get up more shots from the field than any anyone else.
DFS Darlings: Given the absences and the matchup, there will be several options to consider in Fenerbahce's backcourt, and the best ones on paper appear to be Sehmus Hazer and Melih Mahmutoglu. There aren't many other options that jump off the page, but both Devin Booker and Achille Polonara -- neither more than $7,600 -- are pretty affordable on DraftKings. With Nedovic out, Panathinaikos will need someone to pick up the pace in the scoring column, and Daryl Macon seems the most likely to do so. Okaro White, at $7,200, will be another player to look at, as he put up at least 24.8 points on DraftKings in each of the last two games he appeared in.
FC Bayern Munich at Real Madrid
Status Check: Corey Walden (BAY), Nick Weiler-Babb (BAY), Paul Zipser (BAY), Alberto Abalde (RMB), Adam Hanga (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB)
Best Bets for Success: This will be the only game on the slate featuring two playoff teams, and Real Madrid can jump from the fourth seed to the second spot with a win, so they figure to rely on their regulars -- as long as the game remains competitive. Bayern will be playing its third EuroLeague game of the week and is locked into the eighth spot, so it's unlikely they will go all out. The oddsmakers agree, as the home team is favored by roughly 10 points. Walter Tavares has not been playing heavy minutes and might not Friday either, but he remains the player on his team most likely to produce. If you pass on Tavares, Guerschon Yabusele will be the next man up, as prior to a dud his lat time out he averaged 29.9 DraftKings points over a four-game span. Augustine Rubit occupies this spot for the German club, having topped the 20-point mark on DraftKings in three straight games and scoring 20 points when these teams met back in Round 8.
DFS Darlings: There are a number of affordable options to consider in this one, and the best one may be Zan Mark Sisko, who averaged 22.3 DraftKings points over his last five appearances and checks in at just $6,200. Sisko's role seems secure with Bayern still shorthanded in the backcourt. That also bodes well for Darrun Hilliard, who is returning some of the most value on the board at $8,700. Hilliard's minutes have been limited a bit since he returned to action in early March, but he delivered when these teams last saw each other, just missing the 30-point mark on DraftKings. Vladimir Lucic's recent output has been pretty pedestrian, but it's tough to ignore him at just $8,000. The minutes could be pretty out on the Real Madrid side, but Gabriel Deck warrants consideration at $8,300. Vincent Poirier does as well at just $7,200.
Status Check: Marcus Eriksson (BER), Ben Lammers (BER)
Best Bets for Success: This contest is expected to be the highest-scoring on the slate, which is not surprising because these teams combined for 176 points back in Round 17. Mike James stuffed the stat sheet in that game, and he's a good bet to do the same Friday with one more opportunity to impress the MVP voters. James is the priciest player on the board, but he is also returning some of the most average value and will face a team ceding more assists and steals to guards than any other club. In what is expected to be a high-scoring affair it's tough to keep Alpha Diallo out of this section considering he averaged 27.9 DraftKings points over his last 10 appearances. The top producer on the German team's roster is Maodo Lo, but he is a bit pricey on DraftKings, so Oscar da Silva is a bit more appealing Friday. da Silva put up at least 24.8 DraftKings points in six of his last seven games, and Monaco ranks bottom-3 against frontcourt players in both the points and field goal percentage categories.
DFS Darlings: No player on the slate is returning more average value than Luke Sikma, so he could be worth a gamble at $8,100. However, in a game that has no bearing on the standings his playing time could remain limited. It's not yet clear if Lammers will play, but if he remains out, Johannes Thiemann and Christ Koumadje will both be in the mix given Monaco's issues with big men. The French team has a couple centers to consider as well in Donta Hall and Donatas Motiejunas. The former has been more productive of late, but Motiejunas dominated last time he saw ALBA, putting a season-high 23 points on the board. Paris Lee has also done enough lately to earn a mention, and he gets the same matchup James does.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Status Check: Vasilije Micic (EFS), Rodrigue Beaubois (EFS), Austin Hollins (CZV), Branko Lazic (CZV), Maik Zirbes (CZV)
Best Bets for Success: Efes can sew up the five seed with a win Friday, and the defending champions could look to make a statement heading into the postseason. There is an outside chance Micic could suit up with this game taking place in his home country, but it seems likely he will remain sidelined, and that would put Shane Larkin in position to run the show again. Red Star ranks top-4 against guards in all but one of the six counting stats and is limiting guards to the fewest attempts from the field, but without Micic, Larkin has as much upside as anyone. Efes ranks last in the league against forwards in all of the points, rebounds, assists and field goal attempts categories, which sets up Nikola Kalinic to end the season on a high note. When these teams last squared off in Round 17, Kalinic recorded 20 points and 32.0 DraftKings points.
DFS Darlings: In addition to Kalinic, it makes sense to target other Red Star forwards, and all of Luka Mitrovic, Dejan Davidovac and Aaron White carry some appeal at their price points. Ognjen Dobric deserves consideration if Hollins remains out, but the injured guard could return to action Friday. Adrien Moerman has been on a roll for Efes, and if their roster remains unchanged, he will look pretty good at $8,600. Bryant Dunston is worth a look after topping the 20-point mark on DraftKings four times in his last five appearances, and Krunoslav Simon could return 3x value at $6,500.