This article is part of our EuroLeague Primer series.
PREGAME UPDATES
- Efes' Krunoslav Simon will not play Tuesday.
STATS AND INFO.
- Betting Odds
- Starting Lineups
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- Opponent Averages
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THE SLATE
Real Madrid at 
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
Status Check: Gabriel Deck (RMB), Fabien Causeur (RMB), Jeffery Taylor (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB), Stefan Markovic (CZV), Maik Zirbes (CZV)
Best Bets for Success: The visitors sit 11 spots higher in the standings, but the home team is the hotter of the two, as they won three of their last four EuroLeague games while Real Madrid has been on the wrong end of three straight lopsided results. Red Star's steadiest player has been Nikola Kalinic, and he is returning some of the most average value on Tuesday's slate. Nate Wolters is as well, and with Real Madrid ranking top-2 against forwards in four of the six counting stats as well as field goal percentage, Wolters looks like a safer option Tuesday. Neither player took the court when these teams met in Round 11, so Real Madrid will be tested again Tuesday. While the Spanish squad has been struggling, Walter Tavares has remained steady, putting up at least 31.0 DraftKings points in three straight appearances. The hosts have been pretty friendly to centers, ranking bottom-4 against players at that spot in points, blocks and field goal attempts. Tavares finished with an even 30.0 DraftKings points in the last matchup, and he will be in position to match or surpass that Tuesday.
DFS Darlings: Only once during Real Madrid's skid did someone other than Tavares hit the 20-point mark on DraftKings, so no one else comes in even close to hot. However, that has created some value on that website, particularly with Guerschon Yabusele and Thomas Heurtel. Both players are affordable as they have been in some time and are still returning some of the most average value on the board. Yabusele has the edge in the matchup department, as Red Star ranks top-5 against guards in all but one of the six counting stats and are also ceding the fewest shots to backcourt players. Adam Hanga had his best game of the season when these teams last squared off, and he will be an appealing option again with his club down a few forwards. It's generally a good idea to avoid players facing Real Madrid's stout frontcourt, but Luka Mitrovic is cheap enough to consider at $7,600. The minutes have been spread out fairly evenly for the Serbian club in recent Rounds, but Austin Hollins has spent at least 20 minutes on the court in six straight outings, and it won't be too tough for him to return 3x value at $6,700. The over/under on this game checks in below 150 points, so keep that in mind when setting your lineups.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul at 
Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
Status Check: Krunoslav Simon (EFS)
Best Bets for Success: While the first game on the board is likely to be low-scoring, these teams are expected to get up and down the court more frequently, and the total checks in about 13 points higher. Both of Efes' outstanding guards have been on fire, with Shane Larkin averaging 34.5 DraftKings points over his last five appearances and Vasilije Micic averaging 34.1 points on the same website over his last seven games. Larkin is returning more average value and will be playing in the gym he used to play his home games in, but he also sat out Efes' last domestic game for an unspecified reason, so Micic could be a bit safer Tuesday. The home team is getting big numbers from a guard as well, and that would be Wade Baldwin, who is averaging 32.8 DraftKings points since the calendar flipped to 2022. Baldwin was held in check when these team saw each other in Round 15, but with plenty of points expected to be put on the board, he's going to be tough to ignore.
DFS Darlings: When it comes to containing forwards, neither of these teams does much of that, as they both rank bottom-3 against players at those positions in all of the points, rebounds, assists and FGA categories. Adrien Moerman has been the only consistent forward on the Efes roster, and he will carry plenty of appeal on DraftKings at $8,300. You could gamble on Chris Singleton, whose production has been spotty but will not need to do a lot to return 3x value at $5,200. Baskonia has a few forwards to consider, and it's pretty tough to separate Rokas Giedraitis and Simone Fontecchio. You could certainly fit both players in your lineups, but we will give Fontecchio the slight edge, as he has hit the 20-point mark on DraftKings four more times than his fellow forward. Tadas Sedekerskis could also be worth a dart throw at $4,200, as no player is returning anywhere close to as much average value.
