basketball | Wednesday, March 8, 2023 1:00 PM

Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Best Bet: Efes Shut Down Zvezda’s Playoff Hopes

Aleksa Drobnjak

Crvena Zvezda vs Efes Best Bet: Wednesday, March 8th

The hot Aleksandar Nikolic Arena will be the place where the playoff hopes of either Crvena Partizan or Anadolu Efes will end. Currently sitting on an 11-15 record, the home team has to win tonight against the reigning champs that are still out of the top 8 spots. Facundo Campazzo will play his first home Euroleague game for Crvena Zvezda, a team that has been heavily declining in form recently.

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Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Preview
Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Best Bet

Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Preview

Wed, Mar 8th 19:30 (UK time)

The honeymoon period after the coaching change is officially over for Crvena Zvezda. They have lost their last 3 games in all competitions and they have started declining in the crucial part of the season. Tonight’s game will be the first home game for F. Campazzo, so the home fans will be eager to finally see the full roster compete in the Euroleague. Crvena Zvezda averages only 75 points per game, but we’re expecting higher numbers once Campazzo gets integrated into coach Ivanovic’s offence.

They are averaging almost 17 assists per game as their main offensive tool is sharing the ball and making open positions for their sharpshooters. The biggest issue for Crvena Zvezda is their number of turnovers and lack of efficiency. They are averaging almost 13 turnovers per game whilst shooting only about 45% from the field. For a playoff team, this is unacceptable. They will either show us tonight their true offensive face or they will be out of the playoff conversation. Crvena Zvezda might be missing B. Lazic tonight due to an undisclosed injury.

Ergin Ataman has been very harsh on his team recently after they lost the chance to clinch a top 8 spot. They will be highly motivated tonight to get the win in Belgrade. W. Clyburn has been playing out of his mind, clinching his 2nd monthly MVP in February. Efes are averaging 85 points per game over their last 3 Euroleague games and we expect them to deliver tonight in a similar fashion.

The quality discrepancy is too big between the two rosters. Although the moneyline has been opened on a balanced line (1.9/1.9) it has shifted onto Efes’ side. We believe the true moneyline should be closer to 1.65 on an away win as Efes are just a much better team overall with a lot of experience, so the home fans should present a problem. For tonight’s game, Efes will be missing V. Micic and D. Balbay.

Crvena Zvezda vs Anadolu Efes Best Bet

Ataman knows how to win important games. It will be very hard on such a hostile away court but overall, their experience and urgency to win should shift the game state in our favour, closing out Crvena Zvezda’s playoff chances for the 2022/23 season. Either way, the game is a must-win for both teams and we’re surely in for a spectacle tonight in Belgrade.