Three opening EuroLeague games — three third-quarter losses for Baskonia. The Spanish team have already recorded their first win, but continue to be outscored immediately after half-time. That is an important detail for the meeting with Besiktas JK: the Turkish team have recently won this quarter twice. These ten minutes are the basis for the bet: the hosts have recurring problems that the visitors can exploit.
Baskonia
Baskonia can win a game even with a poor third quarter. That happened against AC Milan: the hosts won (86:76), but lost the ten minutes after half-time (21:24). Their lead shrank from eight points to five during that quarter. Across three rounds, the Spanish team have scored a total of 62 points and conceded 80 in this period. Their scoring is not enough to offset the opposition's points. Moreover, Baskonia have played two of those three games at home — familiar surroundings have yet to solve the problem.
Besiktas JK
Besiktas JK have already shown how they can capitalise on this period. Away against Maccabi Tel Aviv, they won the third quarter (26:17), and in their latest meeting with Trabzonspor they did so again (26:20). In the latter game, the teams were level at half-time: it was the next ten minutes that gave the Turkish club an advantage heading into the closing stages. The visitors' record is not flawless — between those wins, they lost the quarter against Barcelona. But two successful periods after half-time in their last three games provide a clear basis for the bet.
Baskonia vs Besiktas JK Prediction
The main argument here is Baskonia's recurring difficulties immediately after half-time. Besiktas JK can score enough points during this period to leave the hosts playing catch-up. The Spanish team will still have time to recover in the closing stages, but for this selection, it is the score in the individual quarter that matters. Our prediction is for Besiktas JK to win the third quarter.
