Baskonia vs Bilbao: Analysis and Prediction – Baskonia and Bilbao will play in the in the second round of the Endesa league.
Baskonia vs Bilbao Odds
Baskonia Team News
The Euroleague team from Vitoria opened the season with two away games. In the first round, they defeated Breogan, but lost to Murcia. In the second game, they were trailing from the start and couldn’t make a comeback.
Marcus Howard is once again in phenomenal form, averaging 26 points in the first two games. In the second game, his three-point shooting wasn’t on point, going 1/7, which is something that shouldn’t be repeated if they want to achieve good results in the championship. The problem is that besides him, no one else was in the mood to play. This is evidenced by the mere five three-pointers made, which is a dismal result for a team that heavily relies on three-point shooting. With those shooting percentages, they can’t expect many wins on the road.
We believe things will change in this match, as they will finally make their debut in front of their home crowd and in their own arena. A full arena, the first match of the new season – that’s enough motivation for Baskonia players. Bilbao isn’t an opponent they should fear, and we can expect a victory for the hosts.
Bilbao Team News
The team from the Basque Country is in excellent form, winning all of their preseason matches. More importantly, they secured a win in the first round. They comfortably defeated Andorra on their home court by 95-73.
During the offseason between seasons, there were several changes for the team from the Basque Country. In terms of departures, the notable name is Ludvig Hakanson, who left the team after three seasons to join Murcia. Additionally, Nikola Radicevic, Edi Sulejmanovic, and Jeff Withey also left, but they were more role players. On the incoming side, there were several interesting players. Most notably, experienced Alex Renfroe, as well as Swedish national team player Melwin Pantzar, and Sacha Killeya-Jones, who comes from the G League. The crucial point for the team is that diminutive point guard Adam Smith is still with them, and he was the top scorer in the first round.
Following a convincing win in the first round, Bilbao faces one of the toughest away games in the league in this round. They are up against an EuroLeague team that will have to bounce back in front of their home crowd after a loss in the previous round. Moreover, the tradition is not on their side, as they have only won once in the last ten matches against this team.
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Baskonia vs Bilbao H2H
The Baskonia team has won the last nine matches between these two teams.
Absences and Injuries
There is no available information about any potential injuries in these two teams.
Baskonia vs Bilbao Prediction
As we mentioned, this is the first match of the season for the home team in front of their fans, and they will likely be motivated to deliver an excellent performance in the season opener. Additionally, the historical record, which is in their favor against this opponent, adds to their advantage. Therefore, anything other than a victory for Baskonia would be a sensation. We believe in a win at least 10 points
Tip-off Time: Saturday, 30.09.2023, 19:30 CET
Prediction: Baskonia -9.5
Odds: 1.77
Sportsbook: 22Bet