In elimination 0-2 matches, there are often a lot of mistakes, as both teams are in poor form. It will be similar here, but I am choosing the slightly lesser of two evils. The French team is in bad shape, but compared to both teams, they have reached a slightly higher peak than Heroic. The latter cannot even play with their main AWPer due to visa issues and are constantly using a stand-in youngster who is not even an AWPer. Plus, Heroic has suffered losses against weaker teams. Overall, I believe we will see an ugly game of CS and a lot of thrown rounds from both teams.
I am not expecting any difficult games, so I am looking forward to some easy and open football here. Al Hilal has a great team, they have taken care of everything reliably and secured the first place. Al Wahda still has a chance to compete for higher places and home advantage in the playoffs, but that's about it. The visitors do not excel in defense, while Al Hilal has good attacking players even without their key players.
The Milan club, which is currently on an 11-game winning streak, will face a very favorable team from Peru. Despite Cremona being perceived as an average team in the league, Milan is no mystery to them. Just at the end of December, Milan won against Cremona by 17 points at home. Now, with the Euroleague game approaching, one can expect the main lineup and a solid difference in performance from the Peruvian team against Milan.
Krilavicius did not convince me with his kickboxing skills, poor technique, strikes with great power, often without accuracy. Big strikes also open up gaps in Krilavicius' defense, which even someone like Oskaras Buinickas used in his last fight. For Peru, such moves by Krilavicius and taking risks look favorable. Peru has a very good bank, Krilavicius has not had an opponent with such strikes in UTMOJ yet. I think the odds are worth the risk.
The real game away is a tragedy this season. They barely lost to Partizan, even though they had complete control, but let everything slip away. Unicaja is a good team, playing at the Euroleague level and performing poorly in the first half of the season, but now showing better results. These games are very important to them, while Real may also have some pressure, as they have almost secured the first place in the ACB.
The Basque derby, there is often everything, but today I am waiting for a positive result from Baskonia. We really need Peru Baskonia, who seem unable to win away games, but with the arrival of the Euroleague, all attention will be on today's match. Bilbao has a streak of 10 consecutive wins, but recently Baskonia has won 4 derbies in a row and in any case, more attention is given here.
The second league's stronger team Hajduk once again fights for the title, although they are behind the leaders. In this season, Hajduk, who has won 2-0 twice, must defeat the league's underdogs Osijek for the third time. Although Hajduk lacks stability, the team is significantly stronger and has already proven it multiple times this season against Osijek. Therefore, we can expect the same in the future.
This is simple logic. Misiunas has always beaten Rimkenzo, and surely Misiunas was not in good athletic shape, one fight with Rimkenzo was even after closing. Rimkenzo also beat the same Matiukov, who did not seem very solid. Since then, Misiunas seems to take combat sports more seriously, and also contributed to the return to Sparta Gym.
Zygimantas finally broke through in the UTMA tournament and won against Peru, which was crucial for him psychologically. Until then, it didn't seem like Kiudelis would be poorly prepared for the psychological aspect or that those losses would affect him, but after the last Peru and upcoming tournament conference, it was obvious that he lacked it. He had the maximum self-confidence and even Kiudelis himself intimidated his opponent. Majauskas was a very weak opponent, from what we've seen in UTMA, he definitely doesn't attract professional ringers. Kiudelis had stronger opponents before and had to harden himself.
Bucks leaving the East is a serious possibility, especially with such high odds. Giannis is having another incredible season and it doesn't seem like his form will decline. Ryan Rollins is becoming a great player. Kevin Porter Jr is not yet there, but he will be, and if we don't count his non-basketball related issues, he is a great player. AJ Green is a complete sniper who can make shots in every game. Myles Turner is struggling right now, but he will start making shots soon. The recipe for the Bucks is clear - Giannis is the main man and the shooters are placed around him, and with this team, it's possible to win championships.
The main contenders will most likely be Cleveland, 76ers, and Knicks, maybe even Orlando, but it's disappointing and unclear which of them will rise this season.
Outrights (NBA 2025/26 - To Reach the Playoffs - Golden State Warriors : NO) @500 4/10
The West is very competitive. In the past years, it was not clear who would rank in the top 4 - 11.
The Spurs will still be in the mix, and the Rockets look strong. It's too early to count out the Kings.
Curry is 37 years old, Butler is 36, and Draymond is 35, so the core players are getting older and could potentially face the same injuries.