Murcia vs Unicaja: Analysis and Prediction – Murcia and Unciaja will play against each other in semifinal of The Supercopa Endesa.
Murcia vs Unicaja Odds
Murcia vs Unicaja (1/2): 2.62 / 1.49
Asian Handicap (+4.5 / -4.5): 1.91 / 1.89
Total Over/Under (164.5): 1.85 / 1.91
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
Murcia Team News
Murcia played three preparation games. After the defeat against Manresa, they beat Andorra and Granada, so they are in good shape for the next match.
This team finished the previous season close to the playoffs, in ninth place, with a 16-18 record. In the FIBA Champions League, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Against Unicaja, they lost convincingly twice. This summer, the team’s second leading scorer Travis Trice and former NBA player Chris Chiozza left Murcia as some of the more important players. The management of the club confirmed to replace them in the right way and made an interesting team. Former Crvena Zvezda player Dylan Ennis returned to the Endesa League, and Rodions Kurucs, who returns after the historic fifth place with Latvia at the FIBA World Cup, became part of the team.
Sito Alonso has gathered an interesting team, since next season he will count on players such as Troy Caupain, Dustin Sleva, Ludvig Hakansson and Howard Sant-Roos, who had behind them seasons with double-digit performances in the Italian, Spanish and German championships. With players such as Nemanja Radovic and Thaddus McFadden, it seems that this team could fight for the playoffs next season as well. Last season, Murcia could not boast of either a good offense or a good defense, as it was in the lower house in both categories. They will not have an easy task in the semi-final match. Primarily because the performance of McFadden and Kurucs, due to obligations at Mundobasket, is under a big question mark.
Unicaja Team News
Unicaja played three preparation games and the results were very good. They beat Obradoiro, then Bayern Munich and finally, Real Madrid. That certainly encourages the defending champions of the Copa del Rey before the next challenges.
This team had a historic last season, which ended with elimination in the semifinals of the Endesa League, after 24-10 in the first part and fifth place. It will be remembered that they won the Cup, while they qualified for the Final Four in the FIBA Champions League, but could not go any further. In Malaga, there is great interest from the fans and over 9,000 season tickets have been sold. The main question is whether it will be possible to replace the departure of the most important player. Dario Brizuela signed for Barcelona, and Alberto Diaz immediately extended his contract for another five years. The team was strengthened by Cameron Taylor. He averaged 14.5 points in the Spanish league, along with 1.6 steals, which was second in the entire championship. Unicaja also brought Ilimane Diop.
The core of this team has remained the same, which will be the strongest asset of the team led by Ibon Navarro. The team from Malaga was the third offense of the league last season. So, with the same coach and the same team, we should expect that philosophy to continue in the coming period.
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Murcia vs Unicaja H2H
These two teams played 10 duels and Unicaja was more successful, winning six times.
Absences and Injuries
The two teams do not have injury problems. But, Thaddus McFadden from Murcia and Melvin Ejim from Unicaja are questionable, because they played in Mundobasket. In a slightly better position is Rodions Kurucs. He announced that he will play, but that he is mentally unprepared, so there is also the possibility of skipping the duel.
Murcia vs Unicaja Prediction
The advantage of Unicaja will be greater harmony, due to the fact that a large part of the team from last season has been preserved. This is not the case with Murcia, whose very important players, such as Kurucs and McFadden, have not yet caught a real competitive rhythm. When you take into account the fact that the team from Malaga won three out of four meetings last season, it is clear who is the favorite.
Therefore, our suggestion is that Unicaja will win by a margin higher than the offered handicap.
Tip-off Time: Saturday, 16.09.2023, 21:30 CET
Prediction: Unicaja -3.5
Odds: 1.76
Sportsbook: 22Bet
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