Last tips

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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!

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
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.

Tip Preview:
After the Jimmy Butler trade the Philadelphia 76ers are still searching for the optimal starting five and distribution of roles and minutes with Reddick's promotion to the starters more or less obbligatory given the struggles of both Simmons and Fultz from the 3 point line. The trouble is that the departures of Saric and Covington has left the team with a worryingly thin bench and obvious lack of shooting, even more so as Chandler is still trying to rediscover his form after a long time on the sidelines. Fultz's new injury further complicates things. The Pelicans are arriving in Philadelphia running a 3 game winning streak and having won 6 of their last 7 games. Meanwhile getting super star Anthony Davis back to his usual healthy self has made a huge difference after suffering a bad spell in their previous road trip. The Pelicans have every chance of upsetting the 76ers tonight and odds are more than adequate.

Tip Preview:
Two of the pleasant surprises in this first part of the season going against each other in Milwaukee as the Bucks face the Portland Trailblazers. New coach Mike Budenholzer has worked miracles for the Bucks transforming them into one of the favourites in the East with what is essentially the same roster as last season with a few astute additions like Lopez and Ilyasova to help with spacing playing alongside Antetokounmpo. Despite a hugely disappointing playoffs elimination for the Trailblazers last season, the team has renewed it's faith in coach Stotts and their start has been phenomenal, leading the West with a conference best 12-5 record. The Bucks have arguably been the slightly better team so far and this is the second of a back to back game for the visiting Trailblazers but then again at 3.48 I'm more than happy to take a chance with Portland here.

Tip Preview:
Brescia have had a really problematic start to their season and despite a couple of big wins over Monaco and Crvena Zvezda they still remain wildly inconsistent. Several of their off season signings (Mika, Allen, Beverly and Zerini) are already under contestation and the next few games will probably be critical in determining their future although changes seem inevitable at this point especially after Mika's recent injury. After a slightly underwhelming start, Andorra seem to have hit the reset button going into November recording 3 huge wins in quick succession over Real Madrid, Baskonia and Galatasaray, practically erasing a couple of bad defeats earlier this season. Brescia seemed dysfunctional more often than not so far and while they can play better basketball, red-hot Andorra are coming at the worst possible moment for the Italians and have to be the clear favourites all things considered.

Tip Preview:
Both teams are in excellent form at the moment, so my focus is mainly on the physical aspect for this game. Tonight Promitheas will be playing their 4th match in just 8 days, 3rd consecutive on the road and there is the demanding nature of their travel to Lithuania to consider too, as the Greek team traveled from Crete to Athens and then to Denmark before arriving to their final destination. Continuous games and travelling can really leave their mark especially to a team not accustomed to playing every couple of days, this being their first time ever playing in a European competition. In fact in both their last matches Promitheas suffered a late game meltdown barely escaping with the win against Rethymno but losing against Strasbourg in a game they dominated for the most part. To make matters worse, Promitheas will again play with reduced numbers as both Hall and Ellis are out with injuries. Neptunas have been rock solid playing in front of their fans so far with just one defeat against Lietkabelis in 6 games and the 5 point handicap they have to cover tonight seems very achievable.

Tip Preview:
Peristeri suffered their first defeat of the season last week against Kymi in a game that as expected evolved in an entirely different way than the first one between these two teams and was ultimately decided by the 3 point shot made by Washington. Peristeri will be looking to bounce back against the newly promoted Ifaistos from the small island of Limnos, an ambitious team playing for the first time in the superior Greek Division (A1). Ifaistos have assembled a solid roster led by the experienced Manolopoulos who has previously worked both at Panathinaikos as an assistant and AEK as head coach and has wisely recruited a lot of foreigners with prior A1 experience like Brazelton, Gotcher, Wiggins and Evans as well as proven Greek veterans like Manolopoulos and Mourtos to construct a team that surely does not look like a novice one. Ifaistos have so far faced opposition either much stronger than them like Panathinaikos and Olympiakos or much weaker as Panionios and Kolossos, two of the worse teams currently in the Greek A1. Results have been predictable in a way. Two easy home wins and two heavy losses on the road, so today we will be getting a much clearer picture of the potential of Ifaistos playing against a team with similar goals. As usual, the bookies are again very cautious after Peristeri's impressive start with a home win paying barely 1.20 but that leaves space for us to defy these odds. Peristeri have indeed impressed and are certainly the favourites playing in front of their fans but the odds for an Ifaistos win are simply way too generous here. Please note that Pinnacle has erroneously written Ifaistos as Faros Keratsini which is the team's old name.

Tip Preview:
The Denver Nuggets are off to a flying start (9-2) despite still missing starting small forward Will Barton, back-up point guard Isaiah Thomas has yet to make his debut and justifiably are considered one of the dark horses to challenge the Warriors dominion come playoff time once everybody is back healthy. Still, tonight's game may prove an insidious one for the Nuggets. Brooklyn is coming to town having won 3 of their last 4, including two blowout wins in their last couple over Philadelphia and Phoenix and at full strength now after Carroll's recovery, giving coach Atkinson a much needed stretch 4 and an overall surprisingly deep team considering Brooklyn's position and aspirations. Denver are the hot favourites here but anything over 4.50 for a surprise Brooklyn win is too tempting to ignore.

Tip Preview:
Big blow for Reggiana with the injury to Butterfield, the team's biggest threat from the 3 point arc and one of the focal points of their attack. Considering also the limited offensive contribution of the supporting cast so far, Reggiana's offense becomes way too predictable with Ledo averaging more than 20 shots/game, reaching 30 in the previous match against Cantu. Varese are off to a positive start with a 3-1 record relying on their usual solid defense, 3rd in the Serie A in defensive efficiency rating. Unless Reggiana finds an unlikely protagonist I fully expect Varese to challenge for the victory tomorrow and the 5 point handicap for the visitors seems safe enough.

Tip Preview:
Big blow for Reggiana with the injury to Butterfield, the team's biggest threat from the 3 point arc and one of the focal points of their attack. Considering also the limited offensive contribution of the supporting cast so far, Reggiana's offense becomes way too predictable with Ledo averaging more than 20 shots/game, reaching 30 in the previous match against Cantu. Varese are off to a positive start with a 3-1 record relying on their usual solid defense, 3rd in the Serie A in defensive efficiency rating. Unless Reggiana finds an unlikely protagonist I fully expect Varese to challenge for the victory tomorrow and the 6 point handicap for the visitors seems safe enough.

Tip Preview:
After getting humiliated by Peristeri for the Greek League losing at home by 31 points, Kymi have a rare chance of getting revenge just one week later, this time for the Greek Cup and that's where I'm counting on. Kymi are a really organized club, working methodically these last couple of years, coached by the very talented young coach Kastritis and last week's atrocious performance is simply no way representative of the team's true potential. They clearly failed in the mental approach of the game but that's simply not going to happen today. Peristeri have had a highly impressive start with a perfect 5-0 record so far although quite frankly I doubt this is sustainable. The bookies are clearly reading too much into Peristeri's crashing victory last week and overall fine start and while I rarely defy a team in form, I believe today's match is going to be an entirely different story. Odds at 2.50 for a Kymi win are excellent.