The week's opening tip-off will see red-hot Monaco (5-2) aim for a sixth straight win against an Efes team (3-4) that hopes last week's victory over Zalgiris proves to be the start of a renaissance.
Game Notes: Monaco vs. Efes

There are stars galore in the backcourt as Mike James (18.6 ppg., 5.4 apg.) and Elie Okobo (10.1 ppg., 3.4 apg.) go up against Shane Larkin (13.1 ppg., 5.7 apg.) and Darius Thompson (11.6 ppg., 3 apg.). Monaco is the league's second most-accurate three-point shooting team (39%), helped by Alpha Diallo draining 6 triples on 9 attempts against ASVEL last week. Efes will hope for another strong performance from Derek Willis, who posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in Round 7.
- The last time they played, Efes beat Monaco at home 87-72, and Monaco's Mike James pulled down a career-high 9 rebounds.
- When Monaco pulled out a 95-92 overtime home win last season, Alpha Diallo had a career-high 7 assists.
- In the first meeting between these two sides in November 2021, Efes beat Monaco 98-77 in Istanbul with Rodrigue Beaubois scoring 17 points and dishing a career-high 7 assists.
- Efes center Tibor Pleiss started his professional career in 2006 at Rhein Energie Cologne, under current Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic.
- Efes forward Will Clyburn and Monaco guard Mike James were teammates at CSKA Moscow for two seasons, from 2019 to 2021.
- In the 2019-20 season in Istanbul, while playing for CSKA Moscow, Mike James hit the game-winner with 17 seconds to go to lift CSKA to an 80-81 win over Efes. James earned MVP of the Round honors with a PIR of 36; he scored 28 points on a near-perfect shooting night, making 5 of 5 two-pointers and 5 of 7 triples. He also led CSKA with 6 rebounds and added 4 assists that night.
- Efes forward Will Clyburn posted had a career-high 6 assists in Round 2 loss against Monaco.
- Monaco forward Alpha Diallo posted his career high with a PIR of 31 in Monaco's 102-80 win against Efes in March 2022.
- Elie Okobo set career highs in assists (10) and steals (4) playing for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne against Efes in October 2021.
- Monaco forward John Brown posted his career high in PIR with 28 playing for UNICS Kazan against Efes last season.