Tortona vs Venezia: Analysis and Prediction – In Round 11 of the Serie A, Tortona will host Venezia on Saturday.
Tortona vs Venezia Odds
Tortona Team News
During the week, Tortona defeated Chemnitz 77-61 away in the FIBA Champions League. This continued their pattern of fluctuating results, given that they were defeated by Treviso at home the previous weekend with a 95-90 score. In Serie A, they have a 5-5 record and are tied for seventh place, which is not a result they are satisfied with. However, in the FIBA Champions League, they have been dominating their opponents, and after five rounds, they are at the top of their group with a perfect 5-0 record.
Expectations within Tortona’s camp were very high heading into this season. They have one of the best coaches in the league in Walter De Raffaele, and their roster is filled with quality and experience. Tommy Kuhse is the leader of the team from the point guard position. He is not only the best assister (4.2), but also the team’s leading scorer (13.9) in Serie A. He is followed by Christian Vital, who has been playing exceptionally well recently at the shooting guard position. Arturs Strautins and Tommaso Baldasso complete the rest of the backcourt, with Kyle Weems providing experience at the small forward position. In the frontcourt, Tortona has Ismael Kamagate, a young and highly talented player with valuable EuroLeague experience. The frontcourt is further strengthened by Justin Gorham and Paul Biligha, making Tortona a very well-rounded and well-constructed team. However, unlike in the FIBA Champions League, where they steamroll over every opponent, they are struggling quite a bit in Serie A. Interestingly, they managed to defeat Milano away but also lost to Treviso at home. Three of their five losses have come on their home court, which is something they definitely did not expect. They are struggling with three-point shooting (32%), and their overall field goal percentage (45%) is not much better. They have the eighth-best offense and the eighth-best defense in the league, so their current position, tied between seventh and ninth, is absolutely deserved. Nevertheless, it is clear that their ambitions before the season were much higher, as evidenced by their results in the FIBA Champions League.
In this game, Tortona must control the opponent’s rebounding, as the opponent has the best rebounder in the league. They also need to find better shot selection and use it by shooting at higher percentages. A significantly better defensive performance is required than the one they showed in the previous round against Treviso, which they later demonstrated against Chemnitz. Considering they are facing the weakest offense in the league, Tortona is expected to be at the necessary level defensively.
Venezia Team News
After three consecutive wins, Venezia has suffered two straight losses, both at home to teams they expected to beat. Sassari defeated them 84-78 in Serie A last weekend, and then Cedevita Olimpija beat them 75-80 in the EuroCup. After ten games in Serie A, Venezia has a 4-6 record, which is only enough to place them in a tie for tenth position on the table.
Venezia has had truly unusual results this season, making it very difficult to predict what form they will show in any given game. This has been compounded by numerous injuries, which have prevented coach Neven Spahija from getting the right rhythm, both for individuals and the team as a whole. However, the injury report has been fairly solid for some time now, so their losses can no longer be explained by the absence of key players. It is also hard to explain the fact that Venezia has lost their last three home games, but won their last three away games. The team’s main issue is their offensive play. They are the worst offensive team in Serie A, with an offensive rating of just 101.5. In the EuroCup, they score 4.4 more points per 100 possessions than in the domestic competition, but they are still among the weakest offenses. On the other hand, Venezia has the second-best defense in Serie A, and they also play at the fifth-lowest number of possessions per game. This is why their games are not particularly efficient or enjoyable to watch. A positive sign for Neven Spahija is the return of Rodney McGruder. He was signed to address the team’s offensive issues caused by the numerous injuries but soon suffered one himself. However, in the ten games he has played for Venezia, he has shown his quality. The former NBA player is the team’s top scorer and one of the key players along with Mfiondu Kabengele. The powerful center is a double-double machine, and we will surely see him in the EuroLeague next season. He is also the reason why Venezia is one of the better rebounding teams in both competitions. Nevertheless, for better results this season, the team needs to improve their offensive play. A major problem is their dreadful three-point shooting, with a league-worst 25%, making them by far the worst three-point shooting team.
In this game, Venezia will try to slow the game down and win the battle for rebounds. If they manage to gain possession advantage, their chances of getting closer to a victory will increase. To achieve this, they must improve their shooting percentages, especially from beyond the arc. The return of Rodney McGruder is also crucial, as he already showed against Cedevita Olimpija how much the team has missed him in the recent period.
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Tortona vs Venezia H2H
Last season, Tortona and Venezia faced each other twice. In the first matchup, Venezia won at home with a 76-60 score, while Tortona responded with a 75-69 victory in the second game.
Absences and Injuries
Tortona is expected to play with their full roster. Venezia will definitely be without Xavier Munford, and there is a high chance that Davide Moretti and Juan Manuel Fernandez will also miss the game.
Tortona vs Venezia Prediction
Tortona is a team with far greater ambitions than what the current standings suggest, so they will be highly motivated to correct the slip-up from the previous round in this game. Venezia is not in good form or spirits, and there are increasing rumors about player dissatisfaction with coach Neven Spahija, who is very close to being dismissed. Tortona has an experienced and well-rounded team, with an excellent coach, so we believe they will start a run of good results, starting with this game.
Tip-off Time: Saturday, 14.12.2024, 20:45 CET
Prediction: Tortona -2.5
Odds: 1.76
Sportsbook: 22Bet
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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