Efes (13-14) will attempt to keep pushing for the top 10 with a visit from a Virtus team (7-20) whose postseason ambitions have vanished.
Game Notes: Efes vs. Virtus



Virtus must avoid the slow start that saw it trailing by 25 at halftime of last week’s home game against Olympiacos and needs to improve its three-point shooting after only making 4 of its 22 long-range attempts in that game. Veteran Daniel Hackett will play a key role in trying to control the backcourt, while Efes has plenty of big men in good form with Jordan Nwora netting 18 points in last week’s win over ALBA and Rolands Smits posting a season-high 17 points. Efes is aiming for a fourth straight win at home, while Virtus is in danger of suffering a sixth straight loss.
Game Videos
- Virtus edged Efes 64-67 in the Play-in Showdown last season after the two teams finished in ninth and 10th place, respectively. Tornike Shengelia paced Virtus with 13 points, while Will Clyburn, who joined Virtus this summer, scored 22 for Efes. Current Efes coach Luca Banchi was on Virtus's bench.
- Coach Banchi not only was on Virtus's bench last season, but he started this season there, too. In Round 1 in Bologna, Banchi coached Virtus and his current assistant Tomislav Mijatovic was on Efes's bench as Efes registered a 67-76 win.
- Last season in their regular-season clash in Istanbul, Efes beat Virtus 99-75 in Round 21 with Darius Thompson setting career highs in points (26) and steals (5).
- Last season in Bologna, Virtus beat Efes 93-81 as Tornike Shengelia earned MVP of the Round honors with 19 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds for a PIR of 30.
- When these two teams met in Bologna in the 2022-23 season, it was the first time they played an official game in more than two decades and Efes triumphed 80-85 with Rodrigue Beaubois scoring 19 points and collecting a career-high 8 rebounds.
- Virtus and Efes played six times during the 1990s, too, and Efes won four of those games.
- Will Clyburn joined Virtus last summer after spending two seasons with Efes.
- Efes center Vincent Poirier was a teammate of Virtus forward Tornike Shengelia at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz for two seasons, from 2017 to 2019.
- Poirier has also been a teammate of Virtus guard Isaia Cordinier on the French national team.
- Virtus forward Achille Polonara spent the first half of the 2022-23 season with Efes.
- Polonara posted career highs in points (23) and assists (6) while playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Efes in April 2021.
- Ante Zizic moved from Efes to Virtus ahead of Round 18 last season after spending a season and a half with Efes.
- Virtus's Andrejs Graziulis has been a teammate of Efes forward Rolands Smits on the Latvian national team and both have played under Efes coach Luca Banchi.
- Rodrigue Beaubois dished a career-best 7 assists in Efes's home win over Virtus in March 2023.
- Efes guard Elijah Bryant grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, all on the defensive end, against Virtus in March 2023.
- Virtus guard Daniel Hackett posted his career highs in points (31) and triples made (6) while playing for CSKA Moscow against Efes in February 2022.
- Efes center Dan Oturu tied his career high with 9 rebounds in a Round 1 win over Virtus.