When you have home court advantage in a playoff system, you know that at the very least, if you win your home games, you will make your through the matchup. This is what all teams know and face, and Barcelona managed to achieve their primary objective in grabbing a win in their opening home game. They defeated Olympiacos Piraeus of Greece by a score of 73-57 in Barcelona on Wednesday night and with another home game to come on Friday night, the Catalan club have an excellent chance to put one foot in the next round.
This win was the 9th consecutive victory for the Catalan club as well as being their 8th home win in a row over their opponents. Barcelona had a balanced attack with no one running away with the points as Juan Carlos Navarro and Bostjan Nachbar both grabbed 10 points in the win. Maciej Lampe offered up 8 points and 9 rebounds in a game where no one grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
The Greek side offered little over the course of the game
The top scorer for the Greek side was Dimitris Agravanis, who offered up 9 points over the course of the game. Things got off to a decent start for the visitors, moving into a 3-6 lead early on, but Barcelona tightened up on their defence and a 19-2 run in the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the evening. After a three-pointer from Nachbar, it was a 15 point game in the second quarter but by half-time, the home team lead had been reduced to 35-26. This was the cue for Navarro to step up and with a strong defence behind him, the Catalan club moved on to a 50-38 score line at the end of the third quarter. Olympiacos couldn’t muster a challenge and when Nachbar downed three-pointers consecutively to create a 61-42 lead; it was all over bar the shouting.
We move on quickly to game 2
At that point, the Greek team probably wanted the game done and dusted to give them the chance to focus on Friday night’s game and the opportunity that will present them with to level the tie. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself in this style of basketball match up, which is great when you want to bounce back quickly. It is also great for sports fans who are looking to bet on as many Euroleague games as they can.
If you are looking to take the Money Line bet on the second game in the Barcelona versus Olympiacos Piraeus series, you will find that Bwin is offering odds of 1.28 on the Catalan giants to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Olympiacos are listed at 3.60 for the second game in the series, one that the Greek side will be desperate to get something from before the matches make their way to Greece. Game two in this series takes place on Friday the 17th of April.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucius probably didn’t have modern day athletes in mind when he made his famous quote about bouncing back, but the best names in the leading sports know a thing or two about bouncing back from adversity. This is why many... 
The day has finally arrived, the 2020/21 EuroLeague Final Four is set to get underway, and we could not be more excited. If you are a European basketball betting fan, this is the time to finalise your bets, and get set to put your money where your mouth is. We have already discussed the opening...