Virtus Bologna vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Round 11

Efes lay 5.5 at home with both backcourts thinned out. Virtus are missing three guards, Efes are without Mike James, and PJ Dozier remains out for the hosts, sidelined since Round 7 with a back injury. Aliou Diarra anchors the visitors inside.

The Matchup

Two more 4-6 teams meet in Istanbul, and both are picking through a damaged backcourt. Efes have lost Mike James for most of the season to an Achilles injury, and Isaia Cordinier is still sidelined after surgery in May, while Virtus travel without three guards of their own.

PJ Dozier has been out since Round 7 with a back injury, and the second creator this offense is missing is not coming back. Efes score just 84.2 points per game, the product of an offense that now runs almost entirely through Cameron Payne, and Virtus will happily slow this into a frontcourt fight.

Key Factors

Payne leads Efes at 17.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, and the creation drops off sharply behind him: Efes conceded 95 at home to Paris in Round 10 in this same building. Virtus answer inside. Aliou Diarra averages 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, Derrick Alston Jr. leads the team at 12.8 points per game, and Marcus Carr adds 12.2 points and 4.9 assists as the guard left carrying the ballhandling.

Daniel Hackett, Davide Casarin and Tommaso Baldasso are all ruled out for Virtus, the club has confirmed, so Carr's load is heavy but his matchup is softened by Efes's own absences. Virtus lost at home to Dubai in Round 10, yet their frontcourt gives them a way to stay attached on the road against an Efes side that rarely gets out of the 80s itself.

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.