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This is a game between two teams with great defenses which have been in great form lately. In the games after the break, the game against Limoges was the only high-scoring affair for ASVEL as they gambled away the win in last period but they limited their next three opponents to 70 points or less in regular time and these were offensively oriented teams. Nancy are better at home but they certainly have a chance here. This is a very important game for play-offs, the intensity will definitely be there and I don't believe we'll see a very efficient game. Both teams have gone under this margin in games against hard teams (Dijon, Roanne, Le Mans, Antibes...) and only the first head-to-head ended in 119 points. I expect a new game with 140-something points or even less. Details

There's no reason for this margin, in my opinion. Since the regular part of the season is coming to an end, the games are played tougher. It makes sense, each game is important. Triumph are relatively calm in the play-off battle, but they definitely want to get to the third position that brings them an easier lot. They showed how tough they can play the defense in the Eurochallenge, all of their opponents had a lot number of points. Neptunas prefer a faster rhythm, the back shots, but I don't think their offense can win the game today. They played a lot tougher in their last matches than they did at the beginning of the season, and were left under this margin against Zalgiris, Minsk, Azovmas, and I think that's what will happen today. Details

The game today, just like all the others to come before the play off, has no greater importance for CSKA. It can be expected that they will win this game, but not by a lot of points. Messina could give the players who were on the back burner a bit more time on the court, and Minsk are good enough to keep the point difference under 20. The back court lead by Benson could keep the balance in the paint, Minsk have improved compared to last year, and I think they'll put up a good fight in this game. Details

Nanterre have lost five league games in a row and have lost the play-off spot. That is why I expect them to give their best in today's game. Donnadieu will not be able to count on Gladyr but the Ukrainian was gone in the first part of the season and Nanterre have shown they can do without him. Apart from Le Havre, Antibes is the weakest team in the league, they've only beaten the teams from the bottom, teams that belong at the bottom in terms of quality (Roanne, Le Havre, Cholet). At home, they lost 8 out of 9 games and they got some heavy defeats (Limoges, Strasbourg, Paris, Chalon, Orleans). Nanterre are not any weaker than any of those teams and Antibes have lost one of their best players, O'Bannon, during the week and his departure will definitely be another blow for the weakest attack in the league. The importance of this game is Huge and I expect them to be in the right state of mind here. Details

The circumstances around this game are pretty clear. Nymburk had an away game in Moscow just two days ago, they had a difficult journey and I'm sure they will give their second-string players a chance. This season, they've only gone over this margin once, in the game against Svitavy when they conceded 47 points in the first half. In situations like this, when they played league game after a European one, they usually stayed in the lower gear and under this margin. In addition, they have to face Enisej this weekend, a team which prefers fast basketball and which will require a lot of energy so one can expect Kemzura not to rush things here. As far as Opava goes, their situation is even clearer - they played a game in Hradec last night and will travel to this game today. It would be insane to impose the fast rhythm in normal circumstances, let alone in these. The best option for this game is team under for the visitors considering the fact that Nymburk left all their teams at home under 65 points, but I decided to go for total under due to better availability. Opava have a good defense, and the slow rhythm they will impose will make it very difficult for Nymburk to score 100 ormore, especially after the away game against Himki. Details

Bohunicky announced what he will base their success on. The goal is to play a strong defense and get the game to lower figures. He can't count on three of his top scorers whose efficiency is hard to make up for and this decision is logical in this respect. Brno have improved their efficiency through arrivals of Geiger and McClain and things will not be easy for them here. Pardubice were in a similar situation against Prostejov, although they had Nelson then, but they were defensively oriented and they limited the last season's runners-up to 65 points. This margin is very high and I think we will not see a very productive game, given the circumstances and the announcements of the home coach. Details

I believe that last week's defeat in Belgium will only serve to further motivate the players of UNICS. In the last home games UNICS played in all their competitions, only the very strong Valencia (+5) stayed below this margin, Donjeck stayed at exactly -16, while UNICS won all their other games with a bigger spread (MZT +24, Haifa +21, Spartak +34, Kalev +50, Riga +47, Lietuvos +20). Oostende are a good team, but they're much better at home. They did not fare well in any of their tougher away games this season (Cantu -25, Nymburk -22, Valencia -27). Today they're facing perhaps their biggest challenge so far, as apart from the quality of UNICS itself, their opponents will also be highly motivated. UNICS did not play a VTB league game this weekend, and had time to fully prepare for this match. Trinchieri will also surely ask for a maximum of effort, UNICS will crunch down on defense, and should show all the quality they have. Those feeling brave can choose the big -23.5 handicap, which pays with odds of over 3 in non-online betting houses. Details

Although Limoges went through a bit of a crisis over the last few weeks, they are still a top level defense team, able to limit any opponent to cca 70 points. Having in mind the style of play Nancy have been imposing at home, I doubt we will be seeing a very efficient game here. Only Chalon managed to get Nancy up to a very high score, but there we are talking about the best offense in the league, who managed to do the same to Dijon in an away game a few days ago. However, in their other games Nancy never allowed 70 points, and that was at home vs Strasbourg, Nanterre, ASVEL, Gravelines... Vs Cholet last week Limoges managed to play a 146 point game, and Nancy have an even tougher defense. In the first part of the season Limoges and Nancy played a 145 point game, with 44 scored in the last quarter. I see this match ending closer to 140 points, or even less, than over 150... Details

Astana and Oktjabr are among the most efficient teams of this competition, but the margin set is really huge. When Triftunovic came to the bench, Astana started putting more accent on the defense, which could best be seen in the last away game against Samara. Astana went over this margin in only two games this season, against Samara and Oktjabr, both times when Bonichiolli was on the bench. On the other hand, Oktjabr played almost all of their games with a big number of points, and went over this margin six out of eleven times. However, they lost their best striker Culpepper, and that left the offense struggling. This is a very important game for the play-offs fight, the defeat would leave both of these teams far behind their goal, and I simply don't see this game ending with a lot of points, as this margin suggests. They'll play the defense tougher than at the beginning of the season, the stakes are much higher now, and they don't have as much time to fix things. Details

A single look at the table will tell you just how important this game is. Both teams regard it as crucial in their battle to avoid relegation. A win for Roanne would give them a chance to get away from the bottom and get some peace. On the other hand, Espinoza is aware that in this case it would be very difficult for them to stay in the top flight. Both teams have the worst attacks in the league as they score only 67.6 points per game. Roanne have the third best defense in the league (71.6 points) while Antibes have shown they also know how to keep things tight at the back (they kept (Strasbourg, Le Mans, Nancy, even Roanne under 70 points). Both teams are defensively-minded and in the game with a lot at stake, this should be even more emphasised. Details