Euroleague Baskonia vs Fenerbahce Game 1 Spread and Prediction

The defending champions of Euroleague Basketball Fenerbahce (21-9), who finished in the second place of the league, are hosting the 7^th Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz (18-12) in the first game of this quarterfinals series on Wednesday, April 18^th 2018. The game takes place at the Fenerbahce Ulker Arena in the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

Date/Time:  04-18-2018, 13:15 EDT

Spread: Fenerbahce -7.5

Total: +157.5

Fenerbahce had a 20-8 record in the regular season and finished in the second place of the league. In their latest matchup they saw a 3-game winning streak end with a home loss by Unicaja with a 91-99 score in overtime. Jan Vesely leads the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg, adding 4.9 boards per game. Brad Wanamaker follows with 11.4 ppg and 3.9 dimes per game, while James Nunnally adds 10.3 ppg. Kostas Sloukas adds 10.1 ppg and a team-best 5 dimes per game.

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Baskonia had a 10-12 record in the regular season and finished in the 7^th place of the league. In their latest matchup they saw a 6-game winning streak end with a home defeat by Anadolu Efes with a 79-81 score. Tornike Shengelia leads the team in scoring with 13.9 ppg, adding a team-best 6.2 boards per game. Rodrigue Beaubois follows with 12.1 ppg, while Jayson Granger adds 9.6 ppg and a team-best 5.3 dimes per game. 

Fener have a 10-5 home record so far this season, while Baskonia are 6-9 on the road. Fener led Baskonia 2-0 in the regular season games (by 5 points at home and by 14 on the road). Baskonia have the third-best offense in the league with 82.9 ppg to Fenerbahce’s 80.7, while Fener are better defensively, allowing a league-best 75.2 ppg to Baskonia’s 79.1. Fener have a better 3-point percentage, shooting with a third-best of 42.4% to Baskonia’s 39.8%, while both teams have identical accuracy from the field (49.7%). Baskonia grab more rebounds, with 30 to Fenerbahce’s 29.1 and dish more assists, with 19.8 to Fenerbahce’s 19.4, while Fener commit les turnovers per game (11.3 to 12.2). Fenerbahce are looking to start the playoffs strong in their quest for the second consecutive Euroleague title, but Baskonia were hot before their latest defeat and expect them to force a closer game than 8 points today, so pick Baskonia in this one.

Baskonia vs Fenerbahce Game 1 Prediction: Baskonia +7.5 (-112)