EuroLeague Primer: Round 32 - Thursday

Written by

Kevin O'Brien

Updated on March 24, 2022 3:11PM EST

PREGAME UPDATES

Real Madrid's Anthony Randolph is inactive for Round 32.
Maccabi's John DiBartolomeo will suit up Thursday, but Oz Blayzer will not.
Milan's Konstantinos Mitoglou remains sidelined for Round 32.
Efes' Chris Singleton will sit out Thursday as expected.

STATS AND INFO.

THE SLATE

AXM AX Armani Exchange Milan at EFS Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Status Check: Konstantinos Mitoglou (AXM), Trey Kell (AXM), Riccardo Moraschini (AXM), Chris Singleton (EFS)

Best Bets for Success: Thursday's slate won't lack excitement, as all four teams that will tip it up find themselves among the top seven spots in the standings. Efes trails Milan by two games, but a win Thursday would leave the door open for them to claim home-court advantage in the playoffs. If the visitors hope to come out on top, they will need to find a way to contain Vasilije Micic, and that will be no easy task, as Micic has recorded at least 32.0 DraftKings points in seven straight games and put up 44.3 points on that website his last time out. The Italian team will also have to deal with Shane Larkin, who took a back seat to Micic the last few Rounds but is screaming to be selected on DraftKings at just $9,300. Both players will have a tough task Thursday, as Milan ranks top-5 against guards in all of the points, assists, steals, threes, field goal percentage and field goals allowed categories. However, in a must-win game they figure to get as many opportunities as they can handle. On the flip side, no team is ceding more points, rebounds, assists and shots to opposing forwards than Efes, and for that reason we are going to go with both Shavon Shields and Nicolo Melli for Round 32. The former was limited to 21 minutes in his first EuroLeague game in a while, but he still has the most upside on Milan's roster and checks in at an affordable $8,900. Melli, meanwhile, averaged 29.1 DraftKings points over his last five appearances and is not too pricey at $9,200. It's looking like Mitoglou will remain out for Round 32, which bodes well for both of his teammates.

DFS Darlings: Another Mitoglou absence would open up some minutes in Milan's frontcourt and give forwards Luigi Datome and Ben Bentil added appeal. Datome played just three minutes Tuesday, but he could be worth a gamble at $5,700. Bentil has not done a lot lately, but he too could be worth a dart throw at $4,900. Don't sleep on Sergio Rodriguez, who has hit a bit of a rough patch but is a big-game player who checks in at an affordable $7,500. There are a number of value plays to consider on the Efes side, starting with Adrien Moerman, who should remain busy with Singleton likely out again. Big men Bryant Dunston and Tibor Pleiss are both reasonably priced on DraftKings, and despite the tough matchup, Krunoslav Simon -- who is returning some of the most average value on the board -- is appealing at $5,400.

RMB Real Madrid at MTA Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

Status Check: Alberto Abalde (RMB), Fabien Causeur (RMB), Jeffery Taylor (RMB), Carlos Alocen (RMB), John DiBartolomeo (MTA)

Best Bets for Success: The Spanish squad won by just two points when these teams met in Round 13, and the oddsmakers are expecting another close one, as they are favored by only a couple points in the rematch. Walter Tavares remains the top option for Real Madrid, particularly with his price falling to just $9,500. However, he has slowed some and was banged up in Tuesday's loss in Istanbul, so he is not a slam dunk Thursday. If you pass on Tavares, Guerschon Yabusele looks like the next best option on Real Madrid's roster, as he has put up at least 23.5 DraftKings points and played 32 minutes in three straight games. Maccabi got contributions from a lot of players in Tuesday's victory over Milan, but it's unlikely that will be the case Thursday, as no team has been tougher on opposing frontcourt players than Real Madrid. Scottie Wilbekin scored just three points Tuesday and was held in check when these teams last squared off, but with most of his teammates facing a challenge, he is player on his side most likely to put up a big number on DraftKings. Ante Zizic did average 25.6 DraftKings points over his last five games, and Real Madrid is allowing centers to get up quite a few shots, so there is at least some reason to believe he can overcome the matchup.

DFS Darlings: Maccabi does not figure to go too deep into its bench in a must-win game, which opens the door for all of Keenan Evans, Derrick Williams and Jalen Reynolds -- none of who cost more than $7,400 on DraftKings. Evans is returning the most average value among the bunch, Williams is the most likely to play 30 minutes, and Reynolds is the most affordable at just $6,800. Gabriel Deck's price jumped significantly after his huge game Tuesday, but he's still not all that pricey at $8,300 and should spend a lot of time on the court with Real Madrid remaining thin at the forward spots. Vincent Poirier is worth considering with Tavares potentially being less than 100 percent, and this could be a spot for Sergio Llull to pop, as he should be fresh after getting a breather Tuesday and will take on a Maccabi team that ranks bottom-4 against guards in all of the points, assists and three-pointers departments.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Kevin O'Brien plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: kevob100, DraftKings: kevob100.