The league leaders of Euroleague Basketball, the Spanish FC Barcelona Lassa (8-2), are visiting the Lithuanian Champions of Zalgiris Kaunas (5-6) in the 12th round of action. The hosts are on a free fall after a hot start. They have started with 3 straight wins and are 1-6 since then. On the other hand, the guests are first but are coming off a shocking road defeat.
Date/Time: 12-04-2020, 13:00 EDT
Spread: Zalgiris Kaunas +8 Total: +155
Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris have a 5-6 record and are sitting in the 11th place. They have lost six of their last seven matches. In their last game they lost by Zenit at home, 75-83. They were a 4.5-point favorite but failed to beat the odds.
Marius Grigonis leads the team in scoring with 15.3 ppg, shooting with 55.6% from behind the arc.
Barcelona
Barcelona have an 8-2 record and are first in the league. In their last game they saw a seven-game winning streak end. They lost on the road by Lyon-Villeurbanne, 80-68. They were a 11-point favorite but failed to cover the spread.
Nikola Mirotic leads the team both in scoring with 17.1 ppg and in rebounding with 6.7 per game.
Head-to-Head
In their only meeting last season, Barcelona won on the road by 7 points.
They also lead Zalgiris 22-5 wins (12-2 on the road) all-time in Euroleague.
Zalgiris are 1-4 at home, while Barcelona are 4-2 on the road.
Barcelona are better offensively (80.9 to 79.4 ppg) and they have the best defense in the league (70.5 to 81.6 ppg).
They have the best field goal percentage (50.8% to 49.5%), while Zalgiris have the best 3-point percentage (41.1% to 37.9%).
Barca are third-best both in assists made (19.4 to 17.6) and in rebounding (31.3 to 27.7).
On the other hand, Zalgiris are better in turnovers committed (11.4 to 15.1).
Prediction
Bookmakers give Barcelona a -8 spread but don’t expect them to beat the odds. They are the favorite for the win, but they are coming off back-to-back losses in all leagues and will not have such an easy task in Kaunas. Pick the hosts to force a closer game than that today.
Barcelona vs Zalgiris Kaunas Prediction: Zalgiris Kaunas +8 (-111)
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