Local hero Sarunas Jasikevicius will lead his high-flying Fenerbahce (13-8) into battle against a Zalgiris (7-14) team determined to defend its home court.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce: 'It's extremely difficult to play in Zalgirio Arena'
Seasons
3 Minuto di lettura
Regular Season
Round 22 of 34
Group Regular Season
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The Turkish team has won six of the last seven, one of which was an 80-78 thriller against Zalgiris last month. Tyler Dorsey (19 points) was the key performer on that occasion, and he remains in great form with an average of 17.3 points in the last three games. Zalgiris will hope for a return to form from power forward Rolands Smits, who had 16 points and 9 rebounds in the December meeting with Fenerbahce but was held to just 5 points on Friday at Barcelona.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach
"Zalgiris is playing with a great energy right now with the change of the coach. They have a lot of players who are coming back from injuries. They are ready to contribute. Also, new guys like Sumner are now understanding what probably the other coach is asking. It's extremely difficult to play in Zalgirio Arena, over there with a full crowd. It's one of the most difficult road games for sure for our team. So we must expect a physical, very tough game with a lot of pressure from Zalgiris and we need to be ready."
Dyshawn Pierre, Fenerbahce player
"We had trouble the first time playing them at home. We know how important it is to get a single win. They are better when they play at home so we just have to lock in and keep playing the way we have been playing for the last couple of games."