Due to recommendations from the Turkish and Israeli governments, the game will take place in Riga, Latvia.
Efes keen to ride the Mijatovic wave when it takes on Maccabi
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Tomislav Mijatovic couldn’t have wished for a better start to life as Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach: two games, two wins.
Admittedly, just one of those came in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after Efes defeated EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 79-73 in Round 25 last Friday, before downing Bahcesehir Koleji 91-82 in the Turkish League a couple of days later.
The 10-15 Efes is back in EuroLeague action this Thursday night as it takes on the 13-12 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, but the game will take place in Riga, Latvia, some 2,838 kilometers away from home, due to recommendations from the Turkish and Israeli governments.
Therefore, after enjoying two home wins from two at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, Mijatovic will take charge of what will effectively be his first road game in the hot seat. It is a game that is a must-win for Efes, too.
Staying in play-in contention
Currently sat 16th in the EuroLeague standings and with nine games left in the regular season, Efes needs several things to go its way if it is to cut the three-game gap to Maccabi in 10th, the final play-in spot.
The good news is that, even if it’s a small sample size, Coach Mijatovic seems to have given Efes a boost. In particular, having worked as an assistant coach at the club since 2010, the players that have spent plenty of time by his side are those that are likely to benefit most from his arrival.
Last week against Milan, for example, Shane Larkin and Tibor Pleiss, who have trained under Coach Mijatovic’s supervision at Efes since 2018, led the team in scoring with 19 and 17 points, respectively. Elijah Bryant, who has been at Efes since 2021, contributed 9 points as well.
Another big boost for Efes has been Will Clyburn working his way back into form post-injury, as he had 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in the triumph over Milan. Derek Willis had similar numbers, posting 9 points and 8 rebounds, in addition to recording 2 steals.
Mijatovic will certainly lean on those players, as well as others, to keep the good times rolling in Round 26 against Maccabi. Notably, if Efes is able to defeat Maccabi, it has a tricky road fixture at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 27 before having three games from four in Istanbul – and those three visitors to Sinan Erdem Sports Hall currently occupy three of the bottom four spots in the standings.
There is therefore the opportunity for Efes to continue its momentum and make a late surge towards the play-in spot, but Mijatovic will surely be stressing a game-by-game mentality to his players.
Maccabi eager to get back on track
The double-round week went badly for Maccabi last week, losing at Real Madrid and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, and it means that Oded Kattash’s men remain winless once on their travels since the turn of the year. In fact, the team’s last victory away from Belgrade, its temporary home since Round 1, came on December 28 when it beat Zalgiris Kaunas 70-78.
Despite going 0-for-2 on its trip to Spain, Maccabi’s Wade Baldwin did at least keep shining on the offensive end. The 27-year-old has now scored 22 or more points in three straight games, having netted 28 in Round 24 and 25 in Round 25 last week. Efes will certainly have its hands full when it comes to trying to contain Baldwin.
One player who will be looking to get back on track is Lorenzo Brown. After averaging a 13.8 PIR through his first 19 games of the season, the last five contests have seen Brown average a 6.0 PIR, according to Darius Garuolis. Maccabi is a better team when Brown is playing at his best, so he will be hoping to get back on track and lead his team to an important road win in Round 26.
If Maccabi is able to end its poor run on its travels, it is just two games back of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in sixth – the final spot that guarantees direct qualification to the playoffs – and still has a realistic shot at a top-six finish.
Like Efes, Maccabi has a friendly run of games coming up, with its next five fixtures against teams outside the playoff or play-in zones. As such, it will want to get this monkey off its back regarding its struggles on the road, starting in Round 26 against Efes.
Make sure to tune in from 18:30 CET this Thursday for what should be an intriguing game between two sides hoping to build up some momentum entering the final weeks of the campaign. Will a rejuvenated Efes keep charging under Coach Mijatovic, or will Maccabi use this game as a turning point? We’ll find out later today!