Thursday's clash between Maccabi and Efes also delivers a backcourt showdown between two superstar guards.
Baldwin, Larkin set for another memorable showdown
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Wade Baldwin and Shane Larkin, superstar guards who are among the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's most productive players in recent years, are set to square off once again when Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv plays host to Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Thursday in Round 14.
This will mark the seventh time Baldwin and Larkin face each other on EuroLeague courts, and their previous matchups produced some stellar performances and memorable showdowns.
Larkin went off in their first meeting
None was more historic than the first time the two were on the opposite sides, in March of 2020. Baldwin, then with Olympiacos Piraeus, was a first-hand witness to Larkin making EuroLeague history, scoring 40 points in a 91-79 Efes win to become the first EuroLeague player this century with two 40-point games to his name. He also tied the EuroLeague single-game record by making 10 three-point shots that night.
Baldwin, then a EuroLeague rookie, had 8 points that night, which remains his only single-digit scoring performance against Efes and Larkin.
Baldwin has the edge in victories
Larkin's performance in that first meeting had a major impact on their numbers in six head-to-head games, over which he averaged 18.5 points and 3.8 triples made at a rate of 44.3% for a per-game PIR of 20.3.
Nonetheless, Baldwin owns 4-2 record when Larkin is on the other team, and if that one game is removed from the calculation, he is the one outscoring Larkin, 16.0 points to 14.2.
Baldwin has made just 6 triples in his six career games against Efes and Larkin, but has shot 60.0% on two-pointers and averaged 5.2 assists in those games. That number is boosted by a pair of 11-assist performances.
Baldwin's double-doubles vs. Efes
The first time Baldwin had double-digit assists in a EuroLeague game was in November 2020, when he posted 15 points and 11 assists while playing for FC Bayern Munich in a 71-74 road win against Efes.
Then, in March of 2022, Baldwin had 20 points and 11 assists in leading Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to an 87-74 win over Efes, which was both the defending and eventual back-to-back champion at that time. Larkin hit 7 triples and had 21 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in that game.
In their only head-to-head game last season, Baldwin also dominated in Maccabi's 64-86 win, scoring 23 points and delivering 4 assists.
This season, both players are off to a great start. Larkin is averaging 17.7 points and 5.5 assists this season, while Baldwin is posting 19.7 points and 5.7 assists over the last three games after having missed the first five due to injury.
With both playing well, and Efes heavily depleted by injuries, there are reasons to believe we might be in for another memorable game involving Wade Baldwin and Shane Larkin.