Barcelona vs Olympiacos: Analysis and Prediction – Barcelona will host Olympiacos in the EuroLeague quarterfinals Game 2.
Barcelona vs Olympiacos Odds
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona lost the first game of the quarterfinal series to Olympiacos with a score of 75:77. They trailed for much of the second half and failed to capitalize on the opportunity to turn the game around late in the fourth quarter. As a result, they are now in a “must win” situation.
A decisive factor in Barcelona’s loss was poor shooting from inside the arc. They didn’t excel in three-point shooting either, but Olympiacos was even worse in that regard. Defensively, Barcelona struggled to respond in the paint. Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez lost many battles under the basket, something that needs to change if they want to even the series at 1-1 heading to potential games three and four in Piraeus. Jabari Parker and Alex Abrines had solid roles, as did Ricky Rubio, while Nicolas Laprovittola and Tomas Satoransky faded into the background of their team.
For a different outcome in game two, Barcelona will need to pick up the pace. Olympiacos prefers a half-court game, and they succeeded in imposing their rhythm on Wednesday. Better shooting from the perimeter and stronger resistance in the paint are also essential factors for Barcelona to secure a win in this matchup.
Olympiacos Team News
Olympiacos traveled to Spain with the intention of making a break in the first two games, which they accomplished at the start of the quarterfinals. Now they can play more relaxed compared to their opponent and potentially take a full prey from Barcelona.
There was no doubt that Olympiacos could play a much harder defense against their opponent, as demonstrated by limiting Barcelona to just 75 points. Georgios Bartzokas’ team played long possessions, sought the best solutions, and Moustapha Fall and Moses Wright had plenty of easy points at the rim thanks to patience on offense. Coach Bartzokas surprised Barcelona by deploying Alec Peters at the small forward position, while Luke Sikma started as the power forward. Isaiah Canaan hit threes whenever necessary, and Nigel Williams-Goss orchestrated the offense. Filip Petrusev also played an excellent role off the bench.
Olympiacos may not be able to improve much defensively compared to the first game, but they can certainly be more efficient on offense. They shot only 5/17 from downtown, and on Friday, we could see more attempts from long range and different offensive setups.
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Barcelona vs Olympiacos H2H
Barcelona won both games against Olympiacos in the regular season, but the red and whites lead 1-0 in this best-of-five series and that’s all that matters.
Absences and Injuries
Barcelona have all players available. Kostas Papanikolau will be absent from Olympiacos, while Filip Petrusev and Michalis Lountzis are questionable.
Barcelona vs Olympiacos Prediction
On Wednesday, we saw an extremely defensive game with a small number of possessions that ended with a score of 75:77. The teams combined for 152 points despite pathetic three-point shooting percentages. Barcelona will need to accelerate the pace in game two, leading to more possessions, and it’s realistic to expect better shooting percentages. Therefore, we anticipate seeing more points than in the first game.
Tip-off Time: Friday, 26.04.2024, 21:00 CET
Prediction: Over 153.5 points
Odds: 1.81
Sportsbook: MyBookie
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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