New Efes (10-15) coach Tomislav Mijatovic will look to start his reign with another win against 10th-placed Maccabi (13-12).
Tomislav Mijatovic, Efes: 'We have a large task ahead of us'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 34
Group Regular Season
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The Turkish team will hope to build on last week's success against Milan, once again led by Shane Larkin with 19 points. Maccabi has struggled on the road, especially defensively, with five straight losses allowing at least 88 points. Efes will target a win of 10 points or more after suffering a 95-86 loss at Maccabi in December, with Bonzie Colson producing one of his many excellent performances by pairing 19 points with 7 rebounds. That game also featured 21 points from Lorenzo Brown, whose backcourt battle alongside Wade Baldwin with Larkin and Darius Thompson will be worth the admission price alone.
Oded Kattash, Maccabi head coach
"Anadolu Efes are coming to this game after a coaching change and a nice win, and with five players that missed the previous game against us, which means that they are a completely different team now. In this intensive schedule, we will have to be very focused. We face a team with many abilities and players that are in form. It means we have to be concentrated on defense, control the boards and protect the ball."
Tomislav Mijatovic, Efes head coach
"We are facing a very dangerous and difficult opponent this week in EuroLeague. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has been playing at a very high tempo all season. They play high-paced and very effective basketball. We have a large task ahead of us. But at the same time we are Anadolu Efes. We are a team that has to implement our tempo and try to play our A game in order to reach our final goal in this game."
John Dibartolomeo, Maccabi player
"A really important game for us. Efes has a lot of talent, especially on the offensive end. The key will be slowing Larkin down. He is having a great season."
Erten Gazi, Efes player
"Maccabi are playing fast basketball, so we have to be very careful in offense in order to not to give them fastbreaks. It will be a tough game. They are also in good shape and found their rhythm. This is a must-win-game for us. I hope we will return to Istanbul with a victory."