Red-hot Olympiacos (18-11) will look to make it seven straight wins with a trip to Efes (12-17), which is battling hard for a place in the top 10.
Tomislav Mijatovic, Efes: 'They are super competitive in the EuroLeague'
Lucky charm Moses Wright has won all six of his games for the Reds, netting a team-high 19 points on perfect two-point shooting in last week’s derby win over Panathinaikos, and the task of slowing him down falls to Efes big man Tyrique Jones, who has double-digit scoring in three of the last four games. Olympiacos relied on stingy defense to claim a comfortable win, 75-57, when the teams met in October, with dependable veteran Kostas Papanikolaou providing 14 points and 7 rebounds. This matchup has been remarkably close over the years, with 24 wins apiece in their 48 meetings this century, but the Reds haven't won in Istanbul since 2017.
Tomislav Mijatovic, Efes head coach
"A very challenging and very experienced opponent for the beginning of the double-round week in EuroLeague. We are hosting our old sports rival Olympiacos, with a super experienced coach and with the team that has the base and the unity quite for some time. With additional new pieces this year and they are super competitive in the EuroLeague again. Therefore we are gonna have to have our full energy, concentration and help of each member of our team and our constant support from our wonderful Sinan Erdem crowd in order to reach our goal at the beginning of the double round week. We will try to win the game against Olympiacos."
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach
"For me, the game is something like a final for Efes, in terms of their effort to make the playoffs. There's no doubt they have a high-quality roster, with lots of talent. They have scored an average of 107 points in their last two home games. It's obvious that except for the fundamentals, we are going to have to do a lot of things well in order to win".
Rodrigue Beaubois, Efes player
"We are starting the double-round week with Olympiacos, which is a very serious and a strong opponent. They play good basketball and have been getting good results lately. We need to be ready for a very physical game!"
Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos player
"We have a difficult game in Istanbul in Anadolu's home court, where we haven't won in years now. Let's hope this year is the one the spell breaks because it's a win we need a lot in view of what comes next. The game against Panathinaikos is over. It's been a new week now. We play against a team with great offensive talent. They have players that have tremendous scoring skills. And despite not making their best season, it doesn't mean they don't have the talent to hurt or kill a team. We must be very focused on our defense, very aggressive with all aspects of the game and win all 50-50 plays. As I said before, they are a team fighting to make the top ten so as to guarantee the playins. So, it's a crucial game for them, just like it is for us."