basketball | Wednesday, October 19, 2022 12:57 PM (Revised at: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 1:15 PM)

Alba Berlin vs Panathinaikos Best Bet: Alba to Continue Hot Streak

Aleksa Drobnjak

Alba Berlin vs Panthinakos Best Bet: Wednesday, October 19th

Round 3 of the Euroleague brings us another interesting head-to-head between Alba Berlin and Panathinaikos. These two teams have been labelled as the ones that will be struggling at the bottom of the standings. After exceeding expectations in the first 2 rounds, Alba Berlin will host Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos in the packed Berlin Arena.

In this article:

Alba Berlin vs Panathinaikos Preview
Alba Berlin vs Panathinaikos Best Bet

Alba Berlin vs Panathinaikos Preview

October 19th, 19:00 UK Time

Alba have opened the season with 2 victories against Milano and Partizan and are heading into the match in very good form. On the other hand, Panathinaikos did not have a strong start this season, losing both of their games. They are expected to improve their play at some point, but the hot Berlin Arena will not be the starting ground for this.

After a convincing start to the new campaign, Alba will attempt to make history by making their first 3-0 start in a Euroleague season. Alba have won both of their last 2 home encounters against this team by an average margin of 10+ points in the 2021/22 season. We are expecting nothing less with the extra motivation and current form of the home team. They have been shooting 38% from beyond the arc in the last 2 seasons in home Euroleague games. This has given them a lot of betting value, both in the handicap and moneyline markets.

Panathinaikos seem shaken by all the roster and coaching staff changes and are still trying to find a rhythm, underperforming hard at the start of the season. They have won only 1 out of their last 7 games, including their domestic league.

The basketball philosophy of the 2 teams differ, as Panathinaikos will be more defensively oriented under new head coach Dejan Radonjic, and Alba will keep playing their own game, using transition, fast pace, and switches on defence to their advantage.

On offence, Alba are averaging 90 points on 85 possessions per game so far (*only 2 game sample size), whilst Panathinaikos are averaging 74.5 points, with a lower number of possessions.
ALBA’s game plan will be to speed the game up as much as possible and take the early lead. Panathinaikos is not a team that will be able to come back from being behind, especially if their rhythm is shaken by ALBA’s transition.

There will be no substantial absences for Alba Berlin. Panathinaikos will play without Nate Wolters (9 PPG) who will sit out due to a leg contusion injury.

Alba Berlin vs Panathinaikos Best Bet

Alba have won 17 of our 18 last home games, only dropping a game against Bayern Munich.
Panathinaikos have lost 7 out of their last 8 away games (Including the Greek Super League!), which is a parameter that speaks for itself. We expect the handicap to move to -4.5 before the game, and catching early points in handicap lines against slower-paced teams like Panathinaikos is always worth it in the long run.

I’m backing Alba here -2.5 at 1.75 odds as I strongly believe the home team will clinch the victory, and I’m even expecting a 10+ point margin.