RICK Pitino can’t work miracles. He can only apply his magic touch and hope it does the trick. But it’s on the road where the American really must conjure up some changes for Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague.
Because heading into Thursday’s visit to Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Greens have dropped seven away games in succession, a massive factor in why they – like their hosts – possess an unflattering 8-11 record in the regular season.
Scoring outside of Athens, no doubt, is the primary issue. Pana average a league-low 69.8 points per contest on their travels – an astonishing drop of 14.5 compared to what they manage on their own floor.
☘️ Panathinaikos fans during a basketball game…
You won't see this in the NBA!
( @thecasualultra)#PAOBC pic.twitter.com/1yQ10CbOjV
— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) January 20, 2018
And that will give Maccabi plenty of hope. They are 5-0 over the last five games when holding opponents to under 80 points, one reason why going under a total of 157.5 is priced at 1.91.
The Israelis giants – good value on a handicap of -5.5 at 1.95 – will also be buoyed by the return of Jeremy Pargo after a long-term injury, ideal timing when DeAndre Kane – averaging 9.5 points and 3.0 assists – is set for the sidelines due to the hamstring tweak sustained in last week’s blowout win over FC Barcelona which was powered by a 20-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter.
But Pitino has been shuffling his pack too. Having signed ex-Chicago Bulls guard Sean Fitzpatrick, Panathinaikos have brought back Adreian Payne with the centre not far removed from his reserve stint last season which helped the Greens to both the Greek A1 title and the EuroLeague playoffs.
'I want to hold that trophy'
James Gist is ready to make the ultimate step!#GameON pic.twitter.com/FuqYWlWsTZ
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) January 23, 2019
With leading scorer Keith Langford out for a a short period and Nikos Pappas done for the season, Pitino will need to rely more heavily on defence from here on, and especially against a Maccabi team which will look for a little quick revenge following its 89-84 reverse in Athens in Week 1.
The formbook suggests the home team will manage that, with three quality victories in a row built on high scoring. However with both teams sitting just outside the playoff spots, they’ll trust a little magic will be up their sleeve in the weeks ahead.
Best bet: Go over 162.5 total points in Maccabi Tel Aviv – Panathinaikos
CSKA Moscow has been relegated to third favourites for the EuroLeague title at 3.75 with Fenerbahce at 2.75 now clear of Real Madrid in second. Two losses out of five in continental competition has removed some of their shine and it required a late run to defeat Bayern Munich 77-70 last week.
The Russian goliaths visit FC Barcelona on Friday, whom they thrashed 95-75 in the opening round of the campaign to extend their home winning streak over the Catalans to six years.
CSKA, with their star-studded roster, should be better placed with only a solitary loss at home and a league-high scoring clip of 87.18 on the road. Periods of inconsistency have been their Achilles heel.
Nevertheless, they’re certainly still championship contenders and that makes them a value punt at present and there’s a lot to like about going over 164 points in their trip to Barca, priced at 1.96.
