Intense EuroLeague Round 5 basketball action continues this Thursday with Olympiacos Piraeus (3-1) visiting CSKA Moscow (4-0) at Megasport Arena in Moscow. Tipoff is set at 20:00 local time (18:00 CET).
CSKA Moscow is coming off a commanding 106 – 91 road win at Herbalife Gran Canaria last October 26. MVP of the Round Nando De Colo led CSKA Moscow with 22 points, 6 assists and 4 steals.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos Piraeus is coming off an 88 – 80 home win against Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv with Vassilis Spanoulis pouring 16 points and dishing out 5 assists.
The Russian champs are at their usual dominating selves averaging 92.3 points (2nd best in the league) and 39.0 rebounds (best in the league) a game.
Meanwhile former NBA Coach David Blatt has jolted Olympiacos as the team competes with grit and fighting spirit – trademarks that made the team a fan favorite. Nikola Milutinov leads the team in points (12.3) and rebounds (8.3) per game.
The paint is a key battle ground for this matchup as Olympiacos only average 28.7 rebounds per game, while Moscow almost always capitalize off the boards. Olympiacos, with the league-lowest 13.5 assists per game, should work harder and share the ball more against the intimidating Russians.
With Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow averaging 83.75 and 92.25 points per game respectively, this game should go over the 168.5 points total if both teams keep up their scoring average.
Sports handicappers have placed CSKA Moscow as -8.5 favorites for the match. A gritty effort from Olympiacos could keep the final score close. But a well-oiled machine like CSKA Moscow playing at home leaves no question for the inevitable outcome - CSKA Moscow staying unbeaten after Round 5.
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