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The Houston Rockets have somehow managed to stay afloat despite injuries to Paul and Gordon, behind Harden's MVP like performances this last month but losing starting center Capela too is probably a blow too many considering he has performed at an All-Star level so far and how thin their bench unit has become. The Brooklyn Nets have shown great resiliency to overcome LeVert's injury and are perhaps surprisingly well inside the playoff zone in the Eastern conference while Russell is having an excellent 2019 so far averaging nearly 23 points/game and taking more and more responsabilities with each passing day. Curiously this will the third time already we will be backing the Nets but with prices exceeding 3.00 at the moment, I have no second thoughts. Having already payed us handsomely the previous two, let's see if we can make it 3 out of 3!

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Fuenlabrada were downright embarrassing against Dijon last week and tonight play their last hopes against group leaders Hapoel Jerusalem, so clearly a huge obstacle ahead of them. The Israeli team have been scary at times and their +15 point differential is second best in the Champions League while ranking among the best in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Still they are not unbeatable as Antwerp and AEK have proved. The Spanish team have at least returned to victories in their domestic league prevailing against Obradoiro and getting a much needed morale boost ahead of the difficult schedule that lies ahead. For all their deficiencies I'm convinced that Fuenlabrada are capable of playing a much better basketball than what they have in recent times and the return of team leader and fan favourite Marko Popovic may provide the necessary spark to get out of their slump. Will it be enough? Obviously this is something of a long shot but still the odds are totally dismissing Fuenlabrada's hopes tonight and quite frankly I have seen much bigger surprises taking place.

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The Utah Jazz have slightly under-achieved this season although having faced the toughest schedule in the NBA and played 25 of their first 42 games on the road so far certainly only made things worse. The schedule gets more favourable in January with 11 of their next 14 games at home but the Jazz are nowhere near where they wished to be health-wise. All 3 of their point guards(Rubio, Exum, Neto) are out with injuries, meaning Mitchell and Ingles will have to take care of ball handling and playmaking duties. The Lakers have unsurpisingly struggled after losing Lebron James (and Kuzma along the way) going on 3-5 record but remain inside the playoff zone. Kuzma has returned to normal duty on Tuesday and after shaking off some rust in his first game, he erupted for a career-high 41 against the Pistons leading his team to their second straight win. The Lakers are clearly an entirely different team without Lebron James but have found a good rhythm lately and I still like their chances against short-handed Utah who have only a 9-8 record to show playing at home.

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Milan are struggling to keep up with the frenetic schedule of the Euroleague. They have now lost 6 of their last 8 games in the competition, their only wins coming over lowly Buducnost at home and against an out of form Panathinaikos in Athens. Injuries to two key players like Nedovic and Tarczewski have further complicated things for coach Pianigiani and shortened the rotations significantly. Not a good sign entering a crucial January for Milan's playoff aspirations. Barcelona have been a mystery team so far but are carrying a good momentum going into tonight's game. They have won their last 6 matches in all competitions and usually they are at their best when facing teams at the lower half of the standings, having a 8-3 record against them despite a couple of close losses on the road to Gran Canaria and Buducnost. Barcelona are the second best team in the Euroleague in defensive efficiency and given Nedovic's injury, will have a good chance of limiting Milan's high-octane offense and escaping with the victory.
I apologize for the small delay. Unfortunately just as I was about to post the pick, odds at Pinnacle & Bet365 dropped simultaneously, so 5Dimes and William Hill have the best odds at the moment. Do not go lower than 2.20 in any case.

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Fuenlabrada have suffered 6 defeats in their last 7 games since the World Cup qualifiers break despite incoming reinforcements (Kravtsov, Kemp, Akognon) to cover for Popovic's injury and Nogueira's very disappointing campaign. Meanwhile in the Champions League, they are counting 6 straight losses and tomorrow is probably their last chance of covering some ground and getting closer to the qualification zone. The same can be said of Dijon. With a 2-7 record, there is simply no more room for error while the heavy defeat to Le Portel for the French league led coach Legname to publicly criticize his players for their recent performances. Almost 10 days have passed since then with no official games played and how the team will respond, remains to be seen. This is a do or die game for two teams desperate to get out of their respective slump but Fuenlabrada are clearly the better team here.

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Anwil are riding on a 9 games winning streak in the Polish league and despite their 4-5 record in the Champions League, they still have a chance of advancing to the next round in a very competitive group A. The start of 2019 finds the team at full strength having recovered both Laczynski and Mihailovic. The same cannot be said of Avellino, still in need of an additional guard after the departure of Norris Cole and waiting for the recovery of big men Costello and N'Diaye. Avellino are doing a commendable effort despite the adversities and they have won 4 straight in Serie A including impressive home victories against Milan and Sassari. Having said that, the continuous matches should eventually catch up with them considering the reduced rotations and the advanced average age of the team. Anwil have already given the Italians a big scare in the first round losing only after overtime and I like their chances here of upsetting Avellino tomorrow.

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Murcia are in good form at the moment. Relying on their tough defense, 4th best in efficiency, they have managed to move closer to the playoff zone but their struggle from the 3 point line is really limiting their offensive potential and efficiency (second last in the league, better only to lowly Gipuzkoa). Badalona suffered a small slump right before the World Cup qualifiers losing to Fuenlabrada and Zaragoza but have returned strong after the much needed break getting a couple of big wins over Malaga and Tenerife and recovering all injured players, making an already deep roster even deeper. Both teams are in good shape currently but Badalona playing finally at full strength now are a really dangerous opponent and are getting underestimated here.

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Recent roster changes don't seem to pay off for Torino so far with two heavy defeats against Varese and Malaga and another home game against last placed Pistoia won only after an improbable comeback in the 4th quarter. Performances are shockingly bad at the moment and coach Brown's position is in danger unless things improve dramatically soon. Avellino's financial difficulties, the departure of star player Norris Cole and now N'Diaye's injury had the opposite effect of what many people expected as the team united under all their problems to resoundingly beat Sassari on Sunday. Obviously the problems did not just magically disappear but even without Cole, Costello and N'Diaye, this is still an opponent capable of causing trouble especially against a team as vulnerable as Torino is right now. The value is clearly with the visitors here.

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After their latest defeat at Brindisi, Virtus Bologna are officially in crisis. The break for the World Cup Qualifiers didn't help either as they have now suffered 5 losses in their last 6 games, only winning against last placed Pistoia despite a pretty affordable schedule during that stretch. Second from last in both defensive efficiency and rebounding rate are deeply concerning for Bologna who tomorrow will be missing top scorer Pietro Aradori too. Reggiana remain an enigma. After a surprising win at Brindisi and a highly competitive performance at Trento, they took a step back yesterday losing at home against Trieste. Meanwhile the recent additions of K.C. Rivers and Bryon Allen further complicates any secure assessment of the team's true potential. A game of many variables tomorrow which makes it highly unpredictable and all things considered it's worth taking a chance with Reggiana here. Biggest odds at 5Dimes at the moment (4.40), so make sure you grab them if you have an account there.

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A very interesting match at Berlin that will decide first place in Group B. Alba are having an excellent season so far with a combined 15-4 record between Eurocup and Bundesliga but having said that, I can't see why they are getting so heavily faroured tonight. Lokomotiv Kuban are justifiably the biggest favourite for the Eurocup crown and even though they have failed to dominate as much as was expected of them which led to the replacement of coach Obradovic with his assistant Jovanovic, they are still top of the Group with a 8-1 record. Each team with a serious absence with Hermannsson and Whitehead missing the game but good enough depth to cover for them adequately. Opening odds at 2.34 for a Lokomotiv victory seemed just about right to me but at 2.87 currently represent good value for us.

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The Timberwolves have returned home empty-handed from their recent road trip losing all 4 games including a hugely disappointing defeat at Phoenix to the Suns, the team with the worst record in NBA at the moment, while allowing a whopping 119 points/game during that stretch. After achieving an underwhelming 5-8 record in November, the Sacramento Kings are back on the right track winning 6 of their last 8 games and it could have been 7 if it wasn't for a late game meltdown against the NBA champions on Saturday. The Kings have recovered immediately with a convincing victory at Dallas yesterday and even though this is the second game of a back to back set, I'm not overly concerned considering the relatively young average age of the team's core. With odds reaching almost 4.00, it's good enough to get involved here.

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With 1/3 of the season gone, Torino are curiously still a work in progress. Some health issues both to legendary coach Larry Brown and some players (McAdoo, Cotton) and several poor off-season decisions regarding the signings of Rudd, Taylor and Stojanovic, have forced the team to return in the market during the break for the World Cup Qualifiers and bring in replacements with Moore , Hobson and Jaiteh arriving to Torino. All these changes have obviously created a different team still in need of matches as they try to establish some kind of chemistry. Varese are undeniably in an excellent momentum right now coming from 3 straight wins over tough opposition (Cremona, Brindisi and Venezia). So judging the two teams on record and form alone, leaves no doubt on who the favourite is, but we also have to consider the odds and 1.29 for a Varese win is just way too small. Make no mistake, Torino have the superior talent and depth here and considering all the new faces there is obviously a certain degree of unpredictability on what this team is really capable of. Perhaps a little unconventional as a pick but at 3.81 I believe it's one we have to take.

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The Sixers have managed to conceal somehow their lack of shooting winning 10 of their last 12 games although I can't help but notice that a poor spell must be around the corner anytime soon. At least some warning signs are there. The Sixers are just one of only 6 teams in the NBA to have won more than 2/3 of their games but their average point differential is a rather poor +2.4. Joel Embiid has struggled lately averaging 16,5 points in his last 4 matches shooting just 34,5% from the field while he has openly complained for the manner he is being employed by coach Brett Brown. And now Jimmy Butler, the most in form player of the Sixers has been injured and seems he is going to miss at least a couple of games. The Brooklyn Nets on the other hand seem like a team on the rise. After losing top scorer Caris LeVert to injury, they have lost 8 consecutive games before finally getting back on track last week. First they gave Oklahoma a scare losing only in the end of a dramatic encounter and then they defeated high-flying Toronto and New York in back to back games. Curiously this is the third time we are defying the Sixers in the last month. Let's see if we get more lucky this time!

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Both teams have little to play for besides prestige so tonight's game will probably be a testing ground for the two coaches. Germany have already secured qualification for the World Cup after an impressive campaign and were undefeated up until a couple of days ago when they lost in Greece. Having said that, coach Rodl's roster composition tonight will be very different and slightly experimental with no NBA or Euroleague players but also no Zirbes and Benzing too. Estonia hold just a 2-7 record with no hopes of qualification although their results are a little misleading considering key players like Vene, Kangur, Sokk, Talts and Joesaar have only played a handful of games, but will all be present here. They are still some way short in comparison to the quality of Germany but are a much more dangerous team now and if their trademark 3-point shots start falling, watch out! Estonia are worth a small bet here just in case. Unfortunately Pinnacle has only the handicap bets available, so I'm quoting William Hill and Bet365 for this pick but make sure you shop around as there are better prices available with other bookies.

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This is a match for the EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers between Denmark and Belarus. The Danish have made significant progress to their level of competitiveness in recent times and they are close to advancing to the next round if they beat Belarus tomorrow although they will have to do it playing without two key players, Baskonias's Shavon Shields, undoubtedly their most talented player and big man Jonas Bergstedt. The Belarussians arrive to Denmark after a heavy defeat against Sweden a couple of days before and this is a do or die game for them. After missing last match due to a back pain, Vitali Liutych should be ready to go tomorrow. This is a strange game. Belarus have developed an excellent chemistry as their roster core consists practically only of Tsmoki-Minsk players, have had a decent World Cup qualifying phase and are the more experienced team here. Nevertheless they are still winless in the EuroBasket Qualifiers and have already lost to Denmark in the first round. Having said that, I really think the bookies have this one very wrong as the differences between the two teams are minimal regarding the level of talent. The odds for a Belarus win are simply huge and represent fantastic value.

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This is a match for the EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers between Denmark and Belarus. The Danish have made significant progress to their level of competitiveness in recent times and they are close to advancing to the next round if they beat Belarus tomorrow although they will have to do it playing without two key players, Baskonias's Shavon Shields, undoubtedly their most talented player and big man Jonas Bergstedt. The Belarussians arrive to Denmark after a heavy defeat against Sweden a couple of days before and this is a do or die game for them. After missing last match due to a back pain, Vitali Liutych should be ready to go tomorrow. This is a strange game. Belarus have developed an excellent chemistry as their roster core consists practically only of Tsmoki-Minsk players, have had a decent World Cup qualifying phase and are the more experienced team here. Nevertheless they are still winless in the EuroBasket Qualifiers and have already lost to Denmark in the first round. Having said that, I really think the bookies have this one very wrong as the differences between the two teams are minimal regarding the level of talent. The odds for a Belarus win are simply huge and represent fantastic value.

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Both teams present themselves in this window of the World Cup Qualifiers in a less than optimal composition but ultimately Turkey seems the team more heavily penalized. Wilbekin will miss today's game while the recent injury to Mahmutoglu leaves coach Sarica with a serious lack of offensive firepower and some evident spacing issues. Spain is obviously weakened as well although their huge depth alleviates the issue. Moreover critical elements of the Spanish team like Colom and Beiran are in excellent form while J.Fernandez and Brizuela are having a breakout season. Spain is clearly the better, more balanced team and one way or another should prevail here.

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Three straight losses, an overall 3-6 record and an incredible 0-5 playing at home, mark a turbulent Euroleague campaing for Zalgiris so far. Still the situation is not as miserable as those stats may suggest. While the turnover ratio and defense have been a cause of concern, their offense has been as efficient and fundamentally sound as expected and they were heavily penalized by a string of close defeats, all decided in the last few seconds. Milano have showed some signs of slowing down recently. They are coming from an easy loss in Barcelona and have barely prevailed over Cremona in the Serie A in a hard fought game where energy levels seemed limited for Milano who also have to cope with Nedovic's injury. On the contrary to Zalgiris, the Italians have benefited from a series of close matches going their way as victories over Khimki, Efes and Baskonia were decided by a total of 5 points. I have no doubt that Zalgiris's situation can only improve as the season progresses and their 0-5 home record is both highly irregular and unfair too. Time for them to get their first home win and the handicap is relatively small.

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We have talked about the Sixers in a previous pick and what has been said still applies despite winning 5 of their last 6 games. After a hugely disappointing home loss to the lowly Cavaliers, it took another heroic, buzzer beating 3 point shot by Butler to get them back on track with the Nets but how sustainable is their current momentum is another question. The New York Knicks have gone on an impressive 3 game winning streak, prevailing over some tough opposition (Boston, Memphis and New Orleans) before losing yesterday in Detroit. Similarly to our Atlanta pick tonight, there is nothing here to justify such low odds for the Sixers and it's worth taking a chance with the Knicks.

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The Atlanta Hawks are visiting Charlotte after getting a rare road win in Miami yesterday, their second straight, with coach Pierce carefully distributing playing time and only Young and Prince getting more than 30 minutes, so fatigue shouldn't be a huge issue despite playing for a second consecutive night. The Charlotte Hornets have been solid if unimpressive with a 10-10 record so far in the season but also a relatively favourable schedule and especially effective playing at home(7-3). Having said that, the Hawks have become a much more dangerous team after the return from injuries of their frontcourt duo of Dedmon and Collins, they have beaten Charlotte just a couple of days ago and odds are really tempting for a repeat business.