EuroLeague Primer: Playoffs - Game 3

EuroLeague Primer: Playoffs - Game 3

This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.

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STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

AX Armani Exchange Milan at Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Status Check: Nicolo Melli (AXM), Malcolm Delaney (AXM), Sergio Rodriguez (AXM), Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Trey Kell (AXM), Rodrigue Beaubois (EFS), Krunoslav Simon (EFS), Dogus Balbay (EFS)

Best Bets for Success: After splitting the two games played in Milan last week, these two teams will play a pivotal Game 3 in Istanbul on Tuesday. As evidenced by the list above, neither squad is particularly healthy, but Efes is in better shape, and the oddsmakers have installed them as roughly an eight-point favorite. As is usually the case, the Turkish team was carried by the duo of Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic in the first two games, with both players putting up at least 24.5 DraftKings points in each contest. Micic left Game 2 with under a minute to go due to an injury, but he was not listed on this week's injury report, so expect him to play his regular role Tuesday. Milan was stout against opposing guards during the regular season, but that has not fazed either player, and they are two of the safest options on the DraftKings board. Another player in that category is Shavon Shields, who led Milan to victory in Game 2. The Italian team will need another big game from him, as they will be down at least three key players in Game 3. Shields is certainly set up for success, as Efes remains a distant last in the league against forwards in all of points, rebounds, assists and field goal attempts categories. 

DFS Darlings: With Melli, Delaney and Mitoglou all out and Rodriguez banged up, there are bound to be some bargains on the Milan side. The Italian team will recover Luigi Datome for Game 3, and although it's unlikely he will be at full speed, he will be worth a look on DraftKings at $5,500. Ben Bentil will be in the same boat, as like Shields and Datome he has about as good a matchup as you can ask for. Devon Hall will likely be asked to do more than usual, and his DraftKings prospects are appealing with his price dropping to an even $8,000. Jerian Grant's role has been anything but steady, but he at least earns a mention as a potential dart throw at $4,440. It's unclear if either Beaubois or Simon will be available for Efes, and if they aren't, Elijah Bryant will get a major boost. Bryant averaged a respectable 15.6 DraftKings points over his last nine appearances, and with a few more opportunities, it wouldn't be too tough for him to return 3x value at $6,000. Bryant Dunston put up at least 20.5 DraftKings points in six of his last eight trips to the court, giving him a nice floor at $8,500. Although Dunston is playing ahead of him, Tibor Pleiss is returning some of the most average value on the board at $6,200.

Real Madrid at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Status Check: Gabriel Deck (RMB), Thomas Heurtel (RMB), Trey Thompkins (RMB), Jeffery Taylor (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB)

Best Bets for Success: These two teams entered the Playoffs going completely different directions, but things changed fast last week, as the Spanish squad reversed course and took the two games in Madrid with relative ease. They are a slight favorite in this one, but they will be playing in Tel Aviv this time around and will be facing a team with its season on the line. If Maccabi hopes to extend the series, they are likely going to need Scottie Wilbekin to bounce back from a quiet Game 2. Wilbekin put up at least 24.8 DraftKings points in six straight games prior to that -- including twice against Real Madrid -- so he is plenty capable of doing so. A motivated Wilbekin will be tough to ignore on DraftKings, particularly with his going rate falling below five figures for the first time in recent memory. No fewer than eight Real Madrid players topped the 20-point mark on DraftKings in at least one of the first two games of the series, and Guerschon Yabusele was the only one who did so twice. He does not carry as much upside as frontcourt mate Walter Tavares, but that will not prevent him from holding down a spot in this section, particularly against a Maccabi team that ranks bottom-2 against forwards in both the points and three-pointers departments. Tavares, meanwhile, is returning some of the most average value on the board at $9,500. He has hit the 30-point mark on DraftKings just once since the start of March, but he could get there Tuesday if he is able to simply break into double digits in the scoring column.

DFS Darlings: The over/under on this game is a few points higher than it is in the game above, so the value plays in this section will have a bit of an edge. With so many players contributing for Real Madrid and Deck set to return after missing Games 1 and 2, though, it's tough to determine who the best plays are on their side. Vincent Poirier can be considered after dominating his last time out, but note that he is $1,200 pricier on DraftKings than he was in that game. Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull will not be fazed by the tough environment, so they will be in position to deliver below the $8,000 mark. No one on the Maccabi side has been particularly productive since the series began, but that has helped the pricing for some of their best players. Keenan Evans and Jalen Reynolds shined when Maccabi hosted Real Madrid back in March, which provides reason to believe they will do the same Tuesday. Reynolds is particularly appealing at $6,600 after joining the starting lineup in Game 2. Ante Zizic has been neutralized by the Spanish squad all season, but with him checking in at just $7,800 on DraftKings, there is reason to add him to your lineups and hope for a breakout. 

FC Barcelona at FC Bayern Munich

Status Check: Cory Higgins (BAR), Pierre Oriola (BAR), Darrun Hilliard (BAY), Corey Walden (BAY), Leon Radosevic (BAY)

Best Bets for Success: Few anticipated Bayern splitting the two games played in Spain, but that's exactly what happened when they claimed the win in Game 2. Although Barcelona will be hitting the road, they are still favored by a handful of points Wednesday. As they look to reclaim home-court advantage, they figure to lean on a pair of veterans in Nikola Mirotic and Nick Calathes. It has been a while since Mirotic tossed up a big number on DraftKings, and Bayern has done a good job holding him in check this season. However, this seems like a spot for him to shine, and his DraftKings price remains below five figures. It's tough to match the consistency of Calathes, with the point guard putting up at least 20.0 points on the same website in 11 of his last 12 appearances. Bayern is not allowing guards to rack up many assists, but Calathes did record eight of them his last time out. The German club got surprising contributions from quite a few players in Game 2, and you could make a case for at least one of them here. No one really stands out as a slam-dunk option on the Bayern side, with Radosevic banged up, Augustine Rubit looks like Bayern's best option for Game 3. He has not been particularly consistent of late, but he has been steady all season and just missed a double-double his last time out.

DFS Darlings: While Bayern may lack a truly safe selection, they have a lot of options to consider here. Deshaun Thomas shined in Game 2 and followed that up with a 28-point effort in Sunday's last domestic contest, so there's a lot to like even with his DraftKings price taking a notable jump. Hilliard and Walden remain out, which means Nick Weiler-Babb remains his team's top option in the backcourt. He too is far pricier than he was his last time out, but his skill set gives him both ample upside and a nice floor. Ognjen Jaramaz and Othello Hunter look like potential bargains, as neither checks in above $7,300. Last but certainly not least, Vladimir Lucic -- who found himself in the section above last week -- remains an intriguing target at an affordable $8,500. The minutes have remained fairly spread out on the Barcelona side, yet the bulk of the production has come from the top players on the roster. Brandon Davies remains in the mix given his postseason track record, and Dante Exum gets a boost on DraftKings with his price falling below $8,000.

Olympiacos Piraeus at AS Monaco

Status Check: Hassan Martin (OLY), Alpha Diallo (ASM)

Best Bets for Success: After handing Olympiacos just its second EuroLeague loss on its home court this season, Monaco heads into Game 3 with the momentum. Mike James delivered a vintage performance that night, and he is now averaging a healthy 29.8 DraftKings points against the Greek club this season. He certainly will cost you a pretty penny on that website, but no one on the slate comes close to matching his upside, and only one is close to returning as much average value. Sasha Vezenkov will not come cheap, either, but he is averaging 25.6 DraftKings points in four matchups with Monaco this season, making him the clear top option on the Olympiacos side. Kostas Sloukas finished with fewer than 21.8 DraftKings points just once over his 10 appearances, but that is also his best point total against Monaco this season, so he could have a tough time returning 3x value.

DFS Darlings: It would help to know if Diallo will be available Wednesday, but with him likely limited at best, Dwayne Bacon will carry plenty of appeal. He's a little pricey for this section, but if Diallo is ruled out, you can move Bacon into the section above. Paris Lee has quietly been making a regular impact, and he will be in consideration at $7,000. Danilo Andjusic is over $1,000 pricier than he was his last time out, but if Diallo sits he will look pretty good at $5,900. The Greek team has been running a pretty short rotation with Martin sidelined, and it looks like he will be out again. Head coach Giorgos Bartzokas indicated his guards could get more minutes Wednesday, and that bodes well for all of Tyler Dorsey, Thomas Walkup and Shaq McKissic. Dorsey is returning some of the most value on the board, and neither Walkup nor McKissic will have to do a lot to return 3x value around the $7,000 mark.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin O'Brien plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kevob100, DraftKings: kevob100.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin O'Brien
Kevin mans the Packers and Brewers beats and moonlights as RotoWire's Director of Operations.
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