ALBA - Anadolu Efes

No matter how I look at it, I don't see Paris losing over 5 points in overtime. Efes surprises me this season because I was sure they would have a tragic season and not make it to the top 10, but it seems they have exceeded their own expectations. Paris is a true gift in the Euroleague, watching their games is a pleasure, and the fact that no one can stop that Lilliputian team makes the games even sweeter. Paris is riding a serious wave this season, with 8 consecutive wins against Alba, Basques, Partizan, Zalgiris, and a dismantled Barcelona 87-103 on the road. Efes has not shown any miracles at home this season, losing to Ulker 78-83, barely beating Oly 91-89, and falling to Barca 88-97 and Monaco 69-81. They have not covered the handicap even once.

In good form, Thompson plays for 27 minutes this season, scores 11 points, but today I have no doubts he will be allowed to attack Shorts with his height and provoke his flaws. Thompson is a very fast and athletic player, so he should feel comfortable playing in a hurricane-like basketball.

Recently, the leaders have not been making progress and today I have serious doubts that we will catch up with them at all.

Ward, Tyson (PAR) over 8.5

To this day, he has scored 9/5/9/18/15/23/9/7/6/13. As you can see, Tyson should be a double-digit scorer - a player who can make at least 6 3-pointers per game - so it's strange to offer him only 8.5 points. Also, he struggles more against defensive teams with slower gameplay, but against Anadolu it should be a fun game, so hopefully he can score some points.

Efes has problems with injuries, and their team can be considered to be overperforming, so the blow should come quickly. Paris plays excellently and defeats not just one serious team both at home and away, so with very well-coordinated, close-knit teams I believe they have come to Turkey just to take 2 points. A good coefficient, especially now that Larkin has been joined by Beaubois (he was questionable), I think it's a good coefficient because I believe there could be some surprises today.

Effes is playing with a completely different energy at home. Team Polime has a lot of talent, and Paris is a perfect fit for Effes to play fast basketball. Effes is one of the worst defending teams from the 3PT line, while Paris is one of the best at shooting 3-pointers. Paris is in good form. Both teams are a good match for the over.