Euroleague Khimki M. vs CSKA Moscow Game 1 Spread and Prediction

In this duel in Moscow we have the first quarterfinal of the Euroleague Basketball, when the league leaders CSKA Moscow (24-6), who are coming in this game red-hot, are hosting the last team to make it to the playoffs, Khimki Moscow Region (16-14).

Date/Time:  04-17-2018, 13:00 EDT

Spread: CSKA Moscow -11.5

Total: +167

CSKA Moscow had a 24-5 record in the regular season and finished in the first place of the league. They have won their last seven games and in their latest matchup they were victorious against Crvena Zvezda at home with a 92-81 score. Nando De Colo leads the team in scoring with 17.2 ppg, adding 4 dimes per game. Cory Higgins follows with 13.6 ppg, while Sergio Rodriguez adds 13.5 ppg and a team-best 4.8 dimes per game.

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Khimki had a 16-14 record in the regular season and were tied with Baskonia in the seventh place of the league table but dropped on the eighth by losing the tie-breaker. They have lost their last three games and in their latest matchup they got defeated by Barcelona on the road with an 86-82 score. Alexey Shved leads the team in scoring with 21.4 ppg, adding a team-best 5.2 dimes per game. Anthony Gill follows with 11 ppg and 4.6 boards, while Tyler Honeycutt adds 9.9 ppg and 5.4 boards.

CSKA Moscow leads Khimki 4-0 wins so far this season (two wins in the Russian league by 17 points and in two in Euroleague by 14 points).  CSKA have a 14-1 home record (league-best), while Khimki are 7-8 on the road. CSKA are better offensively, scoring a league-best 89.5 ppg to Khimki’s 77.9, while Khimki have a better defense, allowing a 78.4 ppg to CSKA’s 79.6. CSKA have the best accuracy in the league both from inside the arc with 51.8% to Khimki’s 45.1% and from behind the arc with 42.7% to Khimki’s 35.7%. Both teams grab almost the same number of rebounds per game (29.7 and 29.4) and dish the same number of assists (18.2), while CSKA are slightly better in turnovers committed (11.3 to 11.7). CSKA Moscow have been winning Khimki by large margins this season and despite playing in the playoffs, expect them to get away once again with an easy win by more than 12 points.

Khimki M. vs CSKA Moscow Game 1 Prediction: CSKA Moscow -11.5 (-113)