Kauno Žalgiris
Kauno Žalgiris is playing quite inconsistently this season: after starting the season excellently and at one point being in 1st place in the standings, Žalgiris fell into a “slump,” losing 6 matches in a row. However, after the away match against Panathinaikos, which Žalgiris won 81-69, the team seemed to regain confidence and immediately followed it with a 3-game winning streak. Not only did Žalgiris win 4 games in a row, but the Kaunas club did so with an average margin of 17 points. They defeated Baskonia 92-73, achieved the biggest victory in history against Istanbul Fenerbahçe with a score of 99-62, and in the last round, they snatched a last-second victory against Bayern, who were in 4th place in the standings.
Watching Žalgiris' game, the most pleasing aspects are M. Schiller's adaptation and Grigonis' leadership. Considering that this is the Austrian's first season in European basketball as a head coach, Schiller is not wasting time, and with each match, we can see new variations of plays and timely player rotations. There is no need to elaborate on Marius Grigonis' season, as everyone can see the level of player he is becoming, and we can only hope that Marius will stay in Kaunas until the end of his contract (2022).
Žalgiris currently has 9 wins and 7 losses, so a victory in Berlin would help them stay in the fight for a spot among the top 8 EuroLeague teams, considering that after this match, they will face much stronger teams. All Žalgiris players are ready for the match, and there is no information about injuries or other circumstances that would prevent anyone from playing.
Alba Berlin
Alba Berlin is a team that was predicted to finish last in the standings before the season. However, currently, this team, with 6 wins and 9 losses, is in 13th place. Alba surprised the most by defeating one of the EuroLeague favorites, CSKA Moscow, 93-88 away. They also stood out by crushing Istanbul Fenerbahçe 89-63 and defeating Valencia, who were in 5th place in the standings, 100-92 away. However, after these victories, they suffered 2 consecutive crushing defeats: 69-92 against Panathinaikos Athens and 62-91 against Real Madrid.
The Berlin team is one of the worst defensive teams in the entire league, and lacking strength under the basket, the opposing front-line players usually have good games against Alba. The main center for Alba is the 205 cm tall German J. Thieman, who is not shining this season, not only in defense but also in shooting (three-pointers ~24% accuracy, two-pointers ~48% accuracy). The most important players for Alba are L. Sikma and P. Siva. Sikma is an excellent “all-around” player who can not only score points but also distribute assists to teammates and fight well for rebounds. Meanwhile, P. Siva is an offensive force, having already shown this season that he can single-handedly carry the team to victory and “close” games.
Prediction
In many cases, one might expect that a team with a losing streak would rehabilitate and break it at home. However, in this match, the situation is somewhat different – Alba's full rotation is unclear, as there are injured players, and in this match, head coach A. Reneses will be replaced by an assistant coach. Žalgiris, having gained a great rhythm, is playing effective and visually appealing basketball and has every chance to extend their winning streak and make the new year a bit happier for everyone.
Žalgiris -4.5, 1.9 odds, betsafe
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