A high-powered matchup between direct rivals – two of the five teams currently tied for fifth place – closes the round as Baskonia (6-5) hosts Fenerbahce (6-5).
Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce: 'They have everything'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 12 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Dimitris Itoudis’s men are on a high after becoming the first team to beat Real Madrid with last week’s overtime classic, and they now have the mission of ending a four-game losing run on the road. Baskonia has won five of its six games under head coach Dusko Ivanovic, who has seen great long-range shooting from Markus Howard with 22 triples drained in the last four games. Visiting star Scottie Wilbekin will be eager to take on Howard in a battle of two sharpshooters, averaging 13.4 points per game and 3.0 triples per game in the last four outings.
Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce head coach
"We're playing against a team that is restructured within the same system, with the same players, with a different coach. They have won the last five games in EuroLeague playing very aggressive basketball on both ends. We are going into the double-week. Obviously, we want to build on the huge amount of effort we put in the game against Real Madrid. We know that we are playing two very good Spanish teams starting from Baskonia. Baskonia generates a lot of points on their transition game, on their aggressiveness full court, shooting a lot of threes, playing big, playing small... They have everything. So, a very respectful opponent."
Dusko Ivanovic, Baskonia head coach
"It's a very complete team, to be honest. They had problems the last month with injuries, and for that reason lost some games. But now they are healthy, and when healthy, it's one of the best teams out there. They have solutions with a lot of low-post players, others that play the pick-and-roll very well, players like [Marko] Guduric, [Scottie ] Wilbekin, [Tyler] Dorsey and [Tarik ] Biberovic are excellent shooters and play the pick-and-roll well. We are now in a situation in which we don't have much time to practice and train. We have games every two days, and this injury to Matt [Costello ] will cost us, surely... but we will try to enjoy and fight against them."
Dyshawn Pierre, Fenerbahce player
"Obviously, it’s a really important week. We’re tied with Baskonia in the standings right now. Winning away games is really important. We started our practices and preparing really hard for this week. We’re gonna be ready."