Baskonia vs Partizan Belgrade Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Round 11

Baskonia arrive in Belgrade last in the table, on seven straight defeats and still winless on the road. Partizan, fresh off a 21-point rout of Maccabi in this building, are exactly the wrong host for a team that cannot stop anyone.

The Matchup

Partizan's season has been a grind, 5-5 with the league's lowest-scoring attack, but Friday was a glimpse of what this team looks like when the defense travels home with it. Maccabi were beaten 88-67 at Belgrade Arena, and the shape of the win matters more than the margin: Partizan recorded 27 assists against just 7 turnovers, held Maccabi to 67 points, and got scoring from everywhere. Ethan Thompson led them with 16 points on 5 of 9 three-point shooting, Lamar Stevens added 14 points with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Antonio Reeves scored 13 off the bench.

Carlik Jones runs all of it. Partizan's point guard leads the team at 13.6 points and 6.0 assists per game, and the Maccabi game showed his value on a quiet scoring night: head coach Joan Penarroya noted afterward that his team did not need Jones to score 25 or 30 points because he shared the ball in a mature performance and the offense still produced 88. When Jones is creating rather than forcing, Partizan's defense, which allows just 78.2 points per game, gets to play with a lead and squeeze.

Baskonia have no such identity to fall back on. They are 1-9 and bottom of the table, their only win came against Olimpia Milano on October 2, and they have lost seven straight since. A.J. Lawson leads them at 12.1 points per game and Kenneth Faried works the glass at 6.8 rebounds per game, but the team numbers are bleak in both directions: 81.3 points scored and 93.1 allowed per game, and the latest defeat, 84-65 at Fenerbahce on Thursday, was their lowest score of the season.

Key Factors

Baskonia's problem travels with them. They are 0-5 on the road this season, at Valencia, Virtus Bologna, Panathinaikos, ASVEL and Fenerbahce, and the defense that allows 93.1 points per game has not held a single road opponent under 84.

Partizan are 3-1 in this building, and the one visiting team that won here, Panathinaikos, had to drag them down to a 55-point night to do it. A team that cannot stop anyone is a bad match for a Belgrade crowd, because Partizan's home games feed off defensive runs: the Maccabi game turned on a 23-7 start and a 50-35 halftime lead.

Both frontcourts are thinned, and the absences matter on both sides. Tadas Sedekerskis is out for Baskonia with a right thigh muscle injury, and he was their most efficient scorer at 10.1 points per game, while Marcio Santos is out with a left calf muscle tear. Rodions Kurucs is back for Baskonia. He has not played since Round 7 with a hip injury, and head coach Velimir Perasovic said his return gives Baskonia a bigger lineup.

Partizan's losses sit in the same place: Kevarrius Hayes is out with shoulder discomfort and Derek Willis is out with an ankle injury. Tonye Jekiri is questionable to play on Wednesday. He has been out with an adductor strain since Round 6, but he has started practicing with the team again and Partizan lists him as a game-day decision. Keep an eye on whether Tonye Jekiri plays before placing a bet.

Luca Vildoza is questionable to play on Wednesday with a hand injury. Keep an eye on whether Luca Vildoza plays before placing a bet. Carlik Jones and Thompson carry no listing on either injury source for Partizan, and Lawson and Faried are clean for Baskonia. Lamar Stevens is out with illness, a late absence for Partizan.

The history offers Baskonia no comfort either. Partizan won both meetings last season, and both finished 91-79, one in Vitoria-Gasteiz and one in this building.

Neither side is on short rest: Baskonia last played in this competition on November 5 and Partizan on November 6, and Partizan warmed up with a 92-80 ABA League win over SC Derby on Sunday. For Baskonia to keep this close they need their best defensive game of the season, on the road, in the loudest arena in the competition, with two rotation players already ruled out.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.