EuroLeague Primer: Round 15 - Thursday

Written by

Kevin O'Brien

Updated on December 22, 2022 3:02PM EST

PREGAME UPDATES

Gabriel Deck and Rudy Fernandez will be available Thursday for Real Madrid, but Fabien Causeur will not be.
ASVEL's David Lighty will not play in Round 15.
Red Star's Facundo Campazzo will not play Thursday.
Maccabi's Wade Baldwin IV remains out for Round 15.
Moustapha Fall and Tarik Black will be in uniform for Round 15.
ALBA's Christ Koumadje and Yanni Wetzell will suit up Thursday, but Ben Lammers will not.
Scottie Wilbekin, Tonye Jekiri and Kostas Antetokounmpo will suit up Thursday for Fenerbahce, but Johnathan Motley will not.
Partizan's Aleksa Avramovic will be available for Round 15.

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

PAR Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade at FBB Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Status Check: Aleksa Avramovic (PAR), Balsa Koprivica (PAR), Scottie Wilbekin (FBB), Johnathan Motley (FBB), Nemanja Bjelica (FBB), Tonye Jekiri (FBB), Kostas Antetokounmpo (FBB)

The Breakdown: Round 15 will get underway in Istanbul, where first-place Fenerbahce will take on a Partizan team that trails them by 14 spots in the standings. The Turkish team has dropped two straight and is now tied at the top with two other clubs, but they are favored by as many as 7.5 points on their home court. The Serbian squad is just 1-6 on the road this season, and they will face a tough test Thursday -- one that will be even more imposing if the four Fenerbahce players listed as questionable take the court. No team has struggled more on the defensive end than Partizan, and they will need to show up on that end of the court if they hope to head home with the win.

Best Bets for Success: Without knowing who will suit up for Fenerbahce in Round 15 and who won't, it's pretty tough to say who their best fantasy options are. Nick Calathes has not been particularly consistent, but he seems to be the safest of the bunch and should be able to find plenty of holes in Partizan's defense. The Serbian squad was carried by five players last week, and that will likely be the case again Thursday. Fenerbahce has been tough on forwards but pretty friendly to centers, so Mathias Lessort looks like the Partizan player to go after in Round 15. Lessort has played at least 30 minutes in four straight Rounds, and he averaged a well-rounded 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals over that span.

Fantasy Factors: You won't find much for value on the Partizan side, but both Dante Exum and James Nunnally check in below $9,000 on DraftKings, and they have done enough in recent Rounds to snag a spot in your lineups. It will be best to hold off on selecting any Fenerbahce players until you know who is available, but at just $8,000, Wilbekin will be worth a look on DraftKings if he suits up. If Wilbekin remains out, Marko Guduric and Carsen Edwards can both be considered at their price points.

MTA Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at BER ALBA Berlin

Status Check: Wade Baldwin IV (MTA), Alex Poythress (MTA), Christ Koumadje (BER), Ben Lammers (BER), Marcus Eriksson (BER), Yannick Wetzell (BER)

The Breakdown: This is expected to be the highest-scoring game of the day, as the over/under was set at 168.5 points on each website consulted. No team plays at a quicker pace than ALBA, and only one team rates worse on the defensive end than Maccabi. The German team has dropped 11 straight games in EuroLeague play, but they are actually slight favorites against a Maccabi team that is just 1-6 away from home this season. Maccabi checks in 10 spots higher in the standings, but these clubs are separated by only 4.4 points in the net rating department.

Best Bets for Success: There is a chance Baldwin could make an earlier-than-expected return in Round 15, but regardless, it's tough to find a better option on Thursday's slate than Lorenzo Brown. Although he is the priciest option available on DraftKings, he has also put up at least 30.5 points on that website in six straight appearances, and he will face an ALBA team that ranks bottom-5 against guards in the points and field goal attempts categories and is also allowing players at those positions to rack up more assists than any other team. This may be a bit preemptive, but on the ALBA side, Maodo Lo looks like the player to go after in Round 15. It has taken Lo a while to get going, but he looked like his usual self his last time out, and no team is allowing guards to score more points than Maccabi.

Fantasy Factors: Luke Sikma did not land in the section above due to his recent inconsistency, but he is still returning some of the most value on the DraftKings board at $8,700. If both Koumadje and Lammers are unavailable, Johannes Thiemann would be in position to return 3x value at $6,900, and that would also put Josh Nebo in play on the Maccabi side. The rest of Maccabi's value plays will hinge on Baldwin's availability, but if he remains out, Jalen Adams will be in the mix at $6,200.

CZV Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at OLY Olympiacos Piraeus

Status Check: Facundo Campazzo (CZV), Hassan Martin (CZV), Nikola Ivanovic (CZV), Moustapha Fall (OLY), Tarik Black (OLY)

The Breakdown: Both these teams are coming off a loss, but they are also two of the hottest squads in the league. The Greek team is 5-2 at home and lead the league in point differential, and they are favored by as many as 10.5 points on their home court. However, Red Star has been a different team under head coach Dusko Ivanovic and won six in a row before falling in Round 15. No team rates better on the offensive end than Olympiacos, and they are also among the best on the other end of the court. However, no team plays at a slower pace than Red Star, and that could help them keep the score closer than expected.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

VIR Virtus Segafredo Bologna at BKN Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Status Check: Jordan Mickey (VIR), Semi Ojeleye (VIR), Daniel Hackett (VIR), Isaia Cordinier (VIR), Awudu Abass (VIR), Leo Menalo (VIR)

The Breakdown: Both these teams come in on the right track, as Virtus has won two straight and Baskonia has surged into the sixth spot in the standings thanks to four straight wins. Baskonia is 6-1 on their home court this season, and the oddsmakers expect them to add a tally to the number on the left side, as they are favored by as many as 8.0 points. The Spanish squad is in far better shape when it comes to health, and they are also faring better than their opponents in both offensive and net rating.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

ASV LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne at RMB Real Madrid

Status Check: David Lighty (ASV), Joffrey Lauvergne (ASV), Gabriel Deck (RMB), Rudy Fernandez (RMB), Adam Hanga (RMB), Fabien Causeur (RMB), Anthony Randolph (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB)

The Breakdown: The spread suggests this will be the least competitive game of the evening, as the Spanish squad is favored by as many as 11.5 points. However, ASVEL has won three in a row -- two against teams that sit higher in the standings in Real Madrid -- and the Spanish squad is only 4-3 on its home court this season. Both these teams are above average on the defensive end, but if the French club hopes to come away with the win, they will need to figure things out when they have the ball, as they rate next to last in offensive rating.

Best Bets for Success: Check back soon!

Fantasy Factors: Check back soon!

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.