Basketball

All chances for Lietkabelis to remain in the top 3 of the regular season, and although Nevėžis is dangerous in their form and in Kėdainiai, Lietkabelis is a very strong team and will not be knocked out by them. This season, Kėdainiai has already beaten Lietkabelis at home, so we can only hope for stability and miracles.

The Czechs lost at home, but I definitely didn't play my best in the game, there were a lot of mistakes and poor long-distance shots. The Turks dominated with a high percentage of 3-pointers. In the second half, Peru picked up their game and almost won against Peru. I don't believe that the series will end so easily, the Czechs have been a very strong basketball team all season and such a coefficient is worth a try.

Neptunas after a notable victory against Peru, and Wolves after a disappointing loss against Nevezis. Both results go against logic, and here Wolves' desire to play better games should be especially high. There is no room for losing, as it would not benefit them in the standings, and not having home court advantage in the playoffs would be a big blow.

Wolves are struggling, everyone is waiting for the end of the season, there are constant injuries, today something unexpected might happen, there are no regular trainings. Neptunas is performing well after their victory in Peru, their roster may even be slightly stronger than the wolves', and they definitely won't be afraid to play at home.

At home, we won by 37 points, which shows the different capabilities of the teams. Unicaja is generally a better team in the league, but when it comes to playing against an unpredictable Italian team, there are no chances. The Spaniards are too good, with a very strong and balanced lineup, and they defeated Peru and Reggiana once again, which is hard to believe how they managed to get this far.

Once again I try to score, in the first half of the game against Unicaja I threw two-pointers with an accuracy of 70%, the first half was exceptional, in the second period both teams scored a total of 55 points, where they also made the decisive shot. It was a challenge for the Italians to dictate their game on the road, but in the return match, it is the Italian team that must play their own basketball. They played solid defense in the match against Italy.

The home team advantage, knowing that this is a knock-out match, so I think the handicap is very good for us compared to the Italians. They have a strong home support and certainly not bad players who can compete against Malaga, who had a tough fight against Valencia. There is not much to write about here, I just think the handicap is not realistic, even though they suffered a heavy defeat away, but things will be very different at home.

These should be highly coach-controlled games. Sfairopoulos should implement a physical rotation that will make Bayern's breathing difficult. Herbert should adapt, as releasing Edwards from the bench could easily disrupt the team. I am looking forward to some fierce battles, with the arena filled with support for both teams, so it will be interesting.

Even though a lot is at stake, I don't see any defensive matches here. They will try to reject each other. McIntyre's situation is unclear, he was playing poorly against Pao. It's clear that he will play, but it's hard to say to what extent. Bayern especially excels at attacking at home - they play a 0 defence game which brought them success against Peru and Herbert, so there is no need to change anything. This style of play is promoted by both teams. The game between Zvezda and Pao was at the maximum level, without any slow play or focus on defence - everything was about attacking. I think it will be the same today and it wouldn't be surprising if one team scores even 100 points, so I will go for a high over.

I think there is quite a bit of value here. Bolomboy is not here, so Petrušev will receive a lot of playing time in these important games. He is one of the main scoring options on the team, with an average of 15-16 points per game. Bayern always struggles against taller players, and their defense under the basket is very weak. This season, opponents playing against Bayern's height have often exceeded the point total. In one game, Petrušev played for just a period of minutes and in the other he played for 22 minutes and scored 25 points. Today, I believe he will play around 30 minutes, unless he causes problems for himself.

Bayern was one of the strongest teams at home and although Crvena Zvezda has high-level players, I believe that Bayern will finish their performance in the Euroleague at home and on Friday there will be a loss away. Both teams have had critical losses at the end of the season, their form is similar, I choose the home team.

Crvena Zvezda is not a defensive team like we were used to in previous seasons. Joel Bolomboy is no longer playing, which further weakens our defense, but opens up more opportunities for offense. Bayern's front line also does not have a strong defense, so I believe this will be a game where both teams will aim to score many points. Bayern had a good offensive season thanks to Peru's recruitment and in order to win the most important game of the season, they will need to maintain their style of play. It is unlikely that Bayern will win a defensive battle.

Real has two options and theoretically they choose their opponent: either the out-of-season motivated Olympian or the always well-prepared Fener. There won't be such excitement as a couple of rounds ago in Madrid, the pace will be slower and there should be an over break. With a clear motivation, it would be easy to take Real to secure a victory, but now I go with a slower pace (in the game).

Numbers speak for themselves and Argentina has been shooting 3-pointers less frequently this season. In the last 13 games, they have only made 2 3-pointers once. Their opponent is one that doesn't allow much space for Argentina to create plays for their teammates, and also makes the smaller Shorts look uncomfortable on defense. In the last game against Paris, they threw up 3 traditional 3-pointers and only made 1.

Real, although they came out on top in the previous match, still seem to have an inadequate coefficient and Paris has a greater chance of winning today, more than 20%. However, anything can happen in a single game. Real won both matches this season, but it was not an easy journey. Paris is a great team and with their fierce attack, they can score against even the strongest opponents, while Real does not seem to be having a great season despite finishing it well.

Even though these are crucial games for the 7th place, I don't expect anything other than points racing. Both teams are focused on attacking, and when it comes to the most important games, I don't think their playing style will dramatically change. I don't expect results like in the recent game, where the score was 105:104, but this total is definitely achievable for both teams.

Juventus yesterday stood up from the grave, but Jonava once again struck them with a pitchfork to the head. I don't think they can quickly recover and prepare for Rytas and Žibėnas, who will now look for a big victory to make everyone forget Neptūnas' story.