Check out what the coaches and players are saying ahead of Round 15 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
Pregame quotes hub: 'I'm coming back to a place I consider home'
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Friday, December 13
Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (18:30 CET)
Tomislav Mijatovic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach
"We are getting ready to play against the current EuroLeague champion at our home court, a team that has one of the most successful EuroLeague coaches. As their culture has a great system, which presents not only a great challenge for us, but it presents a super motivation for us, for our team and for our fans to present ourselves in the best possible way. We want our fans to support us for 40 minutes and all together to do our absolute best to finish the game with a victory at home."
Rolands Smits, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward
"Panathinaikos is a very physical and an experienced team. Last season’s EuroLeague champions... They are playing very good basketball with many talented players. So we need to be ready for the fight and I think we are ready, so we need to take care of all those players and I think everything will be good for us at the end of the game."
Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach
"We will play a very important game. Efes, on their home court, they play with a lot of confidence. We must play good on defense. They have very big offensive players on the perimeter."
Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard
"Undoubtedly, this will be a very difficult game. We all know that in our recent matches, we haven't achieved the results we wanted. However, we need to enter the court fully focused, with defense as our primary weapon. In our latest games, we've conceded 85 and 90 points, and our away record has been poor—not just in Europe but also in Greece. When playing away, we lack focus and end up fighting for the game in the final possessions. We need to bring energy, start the game well, and avoid falling behind. Focus, defense, and more defense!"
FC Barcelona vs. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (20:30 CET)
Joan Penarroya, FC Barcelona head coach
"We know the kind of player Niko [Nikola Mirotic] is, who made important history in this club recently. We know he is one of the best players in the EuroLeague, but also know that if we only take care of Mirotic, we will have a big problem because Milan has a great roster. It is obvious that stat-wise, he is one of their important players, as always, in the upper part of all stats standings even when he is playing fewer minutes, and even in the '5' spot along with [Zach] LeDay. Milan has very important player in a good moment and even when they lose their last domestic game, they won six of its last seven EuroLeague games. They play really well on offense, with great three-point shooting percentage, which goes to the foul line a lot. Milan is a very dangerous opponent right now and I am sure it arrives in its best moment."
Juan Nunez, FC Barcelona guard
"We had a negative streak and have started to win games. I think it is important to play together, to play well, as a team and keep building. We are still in December. All teams in Europe have ups and downs, with so many games in such few days. Therefore, it is important to build not just to win the game, but to improve day by day as a team, play as a team. This is what we focus on, and that should help keep winning games. The EuroLeague is a very demanding competition in which play a lot of games and cannot relax. I am sure that things will be different in February or March. We have to keep calm, keep playing as a team and win games. I am feeling more comfortable as time goes by. I think I can be the point guard of a team like Barca, which demands the responsibility to run the team when you are on the court. In general, I have to play at a EuroLeague level every day: it is an important challenge which I want to achieve."
Ettore Messina, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach
"We are facing a very high level opponent, so it is obviously a very difficult game. For us, the defensive transition phase and controlling rebounds against their big men and physically imposing lineups, will be very important. Offensively, we need to have good ball circulation against a team that is used to generate steals and to use them to fuel their fast breaks. As always, we are happy to meet Kevin Punter, because he is a player of whom we have great memories and of whom we are very fond of."
Nikola Mirotic, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward
"For me personally, it will a special game and a special night. I'm coming back to a place I consider home for the first time after more than 500 days, so I anticipate a night full of emotions. At the same time, we have an important game and we'll try to win against an obviously great and very competitive team."
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (20:30 CET)
Ioannis Sfairopoulos, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade head coach
"Olympiacos is built to go to the Final Four and win the EuroLeague. We know they have quality, but we want to fight for victory in front of our fans. We have a tough mission ahead of us, but I expect the players to fight for every ball."
Dejan Davidovac, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade forward
"We are playing against one of the best teams in the EuroLeague right now, which has problems with injured players, but has a large enough roster to compensate for that. It will be a physically demanding game, they don't play so much in transition, but they are one of the best teams in terms of position. We need to stop a lot of players, it's not just [Sasha] Vezenkov. He is one of the best players in the league, but there are also [Evan] Fournier, [Thomas] Walkup, and [Nikola] Milutinov who will certainly have a big role."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"Some players must do things on the court that usually they don’t have to do. They must overcome themselves like they did at the end of the game against Paris. Of course, no team is able to play at that high tempo for 40 minutes. We have to find a way to fulfill the absences at the '5' position, with unusual fives on offense and defense. I am optimistic that we will play well. It is going to be a tough game, but we will fight hard for the win."
Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus forward
"It is going to take special effort from everybody to get the win. Based on the circumstances in our team right now, it takes everybody stepping up. We have to find a way to start winning games on the road. Red Star is a good team, but the truth is that there are no bad teams in the EuroLeague. Everywhere we play is tough; the level is really high."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Paris Basketball (21:00 CET)
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Thursday, December 12
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs. AS Monaco (18:45 CET)
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul head coach
"We are facing one of the most talented teams in the EuroLeague. Obviously their guard play is great. We understand that we can not stop their guards, so we have to make it as difficult as possible for them. We need to make them work for everything, without forgetting the other players who also do a great job, especially in rebounding and giving them extra possessions."
Nicolo Melli, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward
"It is going to be a tough game. We are playing at home and we have to win at home. We have to bounce back after the last home game. Monaco is coming after a loss in their domestic league and they just changed their coach. So, they will be super-motivated. It is not going to be an easy game, they are very talented."
Vassilis Spanoulis, AS Monaco head coach
"We're playing against one of the best teams in the EuroLeague, coached by a very good coach, Saras, so we need to be focused and apply our style of play... We have to be prepared for a tough challenge. Our team plays very well together, we can't change everything in 10 days, it's impossible, but the guys are making incredible efforts. We'll proceed step by step, improving each time. Alpha Diallo? Yes, it's a big loss for us. Everyone knows Alpha's important role on both sides of the floor, we hope he'll be back as soon as possible, but during this period everyone has to do their utmost to compensate for his absence."
Georgios Papagiannis, AS Monaco center
"I'm delighted to be back in Istanbul against my old team. We're expecting a tough game. Fener run a lot and get the rebounds. We'll have to be very vigilant on our defensive rebounds in transition, because Fener moves fast. We're passing the ball better and better, which is very positive, now it's up to us to be stronger defensively and find easy baskets."
ALBA Berlin vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (19:00 CET)
Israel Gonzalez, ALBA Berlin head coach
"Partizan is a dangerous opponent for us, and after problems in the beginning they're playing really well at the moment. Four EuroLeague wins in a row after six defeats in a row shows Partizan's strength. But it also shows us that a good streak can follow a difficult phase. But after all the injuries, we have to build up our rhythm step by step."
Matteo Spagnolo, ALBA Berlin guard
"We're expecting an intense and high-energy game on Thursday. We know that Partizan is a very good team that plays hard and always brings a lot of fans with it on the road. It will be very important for us to match the energy, control Partizan in offense and focus on our game."
Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach
"ALBA is a team that plays a very specific style of basketball, consistently, under the same coach – everything about their game is clear. What’s particularly important is that they are adaptable and capable of playing both zone and combination defenses. Regarding their offense, it’s clear they have a lot of movement, and they are most dangerous on backdoor cuts, where they score a lot of easy points. Additionally, they rely on three-point shooting, and after each shot, they aggressively go for offensive rebounds. We have experience playing against them before, and we’ve talked to our players about it. We've prepared for this game thoroughly and will approach it with the utmost seriousness because this match is, of course, extremely important to us."
Vanja Marinkovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade guard
"I believe we are in a very good rhythm in the EuroLeague, and the game against Alba comes at the right time. A challenging game awaits us against a team that has been playing the same way for many years, and we will try to prepare in the best possible way."
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (20:30 CET)
Dusko Ivanovic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach
"I am very happy to be in Bologna, it is a great team with great players. I believe in this team and I believe in these players, I think they have the right character and we are ready to fight. With Baskonia it will be a very special game, but we are professionals and we will go there to fight, we will not be conditioned by different situations."
Ante Zizic, Virtus Segafredo Bologna center
"Like every EuroLeague game, especially on the road, it will be tough and difficult. Baskonia is a good team but we want to give continuity to the game in Milan, playing 100 percent with energy and patience."
Real Madrid vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (20:45 CET)
Chus Mateo, Real Madrid head coach
"We have to win at home. We have to try not to let any more games slip away from us at home, try to keep on winning and be prepared to be in a position to be among the best when that moment comes, but it is clear that we have to win. Tomorrow we play a game against a rival that is above us and I think we have a good opportunity to take a step forward and move up in the standings. Hopefully we can be serious for 40 minutes and we can beat a team like Zalgiris that is very strong in Europe and is playing very well."
Andres Feliz, Real Madrid guard
"Tomorrow we play a very important game because we want to continue to get into a rhythm and move up. It will be a tough game because Zalgiris is doing very well this year and is a very physical team. Our goal is to be good both on defense and offense, share the ball and play fast as we know how to do. We have to be tough from the start and set a very high physical level because that is what Zalgiris is going to demand from us. We are growing in defense and that is where we must be stronger because behind is where we win games. The level of the competition is very high, every game is very important and it would be very important for us to get back to winning ways at home in front of our fans."
Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach
"The schedule has no mercy. In one week, playing Partizan, Efes, Rytas and Real Madrid, it's a high mountain to climb. It's a great challenge and we want to embrace the challenge. Our goal is to compete and go to Madrid to show to ourselves that we belong and that we want to put together the best possible game. Dovydas [Giedraitis] will not play. We need to shuffle the roles in the team a little bit, but I expect my team to play with personality because when you play Real, you always play against the best players in Europe. You need to know how good they are, but you need to have personality to play against them."
(Dealing with the loss of Giedraitis): "Of course, we are going to miss him. The work that a team has to put in place in order to play is like a cake, and everybody has a slice of the cake. So, now we are missing a slice. We won't put someone else to fill this slice, so everybody should bring something to fill the gap."
(In response to a question about Facundo Campazzo): "Madrid is his house. He feels at home there, he takes the team on his shoulders, and he is playing with great creativity. He can do everything. He is a true point guard who can make passes... he has a passing ability that is unmatched. He can also score, and he is also very good at scoring clutch shots. One of the top three point guards in Europe."
FC Bayern Munich vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (20:45 CET)
Gordie Herbert, FC Bayern Munich head coach
"We need to stay on the defensive path we’ve been on since the second half against Baskonia. Maccabi has a lot of talent, but we want to control the game through our tempo again. I hope our amazing fans will once again act as a sixth man behind us and give us the energy we need."
Devin Booker, FC Bayern Munich center
"Maccabi presents some challenges for us, both inside and outside the paint. They are certainly better than their current position in the standings suggests. However, if we focus well on our game and defense again, things can go our way once more, and that's our goal."
Oded Kattash, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv head coach
"Bayern is very impressive from the beginning of the season. They are a top offensive EuroLeague team. They play in a high-tempo game. They have bigs that can step outside and shot the ball well. It is one of the toughest games to handle if we are looking at the shape of the teams are in right now in the EuroLeague. We'll need to slow them down, be aggressive and control the boards."
Marial Shayok, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv guard
"I think it's a great opportunity for us to come in and see if we can get a great road win against a great team at home. We're looking forward to it, having come off two wins in a row. We're excited that things are coming together, and we'll see what we can do. We've got to continue to just grow, continue to build chemistry with one another. It feels good coming off two wins, so just using that momentum going into the next game. Being a part of this team and this group of guys, win or lose, we've done a good job of staying together no matter what the environment is. I'm just looking forward to continuing to grow as a player and as a team as we continue this season."
