Efes (16-17) knows that victory will be enough to secure a place in the play-in as it faces a Zvezda team (11-22) that will finish the season 16th, win or lose.
Game Notes: Efes vs. Zvezda
The Turkish team is in fabulous form, keeping its season alive with four straight victories. Shane Larkin, the league leader in PIR (20.5 per game), received great help in last week's Istanbul derby triumph over Fenerbahce from Will Clyburn, who has returned to his best after an injury-hit campaign with double digits scoring in the last eight games. Zvezda has lost eight of the last nine games to finish the season in disappointing fashion, failing to win on the road since January, but battled hard against playoff-bound Olympiacos last week as Joel Bolomboy powered the paint with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Serbian team will play with pride as its challenge concludes.
- The home team has won each of the last six games between these sides, and Efes is 7-0 at home against Crvena Zvezda.
- Efes's single-game record for assists by a player is 15, which Thomas Heurtel tied against Crvena Zvezda in February 2017.
- Efes guard Elijah Bryant played for two seasons under current Zvezda head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos at Maccabi Tel Aviv, from 2019 to 2021.
- Zvezda center Joel Bolomboy was a teammate of Efes forward Will Clyburn at CSKA Moscow. Bolomboy and Clyburn played together at CSKA for four seasons and won the 2019 EuroLeague title together.
- Efes playmaker Darius Thompson and Zvezda forward Rokas Giedraitis were teammates at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz last season.
- Giedraitis collected a career-high 18 rebounds and tied a career-high with 6 assists playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in a road win over Efes in January of last season.
- Giedraitis also dished a career-best 6 assists playing for Baskonia in a road win over Efes in December 2020.
- Darius Thompson posted his career high in steals with 4 playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Crvena Zvezda in October 2022.
- Efes center Tibor Pleiss was a teammate of Zvezda forward Adam Hanga at Baskonia during the 2013-14 season.
- Hanga was a teammate of Efes guards Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz during the 2016-17 season.
- Hanga had a career-best 11 rebounds, including a career-high 10 defensive rebounds, playing for FC Barcelona against Efes in April 2019.
- Hanga blocked a career-high 4 shots playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Efes in November 2015.
- When Efes edged Zvezda 84-83 in December 2021, Tibor Pleiss scored 23 points and made a career-high 5 three-point shots that game.
- Zvezda center Mike Tobey posted his career highs with 21 points and a PIR of 27 playing for Valencia Basket against Efes in December 2020.
- Efes guard Rodrigue Beaubois made a career-best 9 two-point shots playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Crvena Zvezda in February 2018.