Anadolu Efes are hosting Crvena Zvezda in Istanbul in a huge game for both teams. Efes and Zvezda are both in the hunt for a playoff berth in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Currently, they sit just outside the playoffs, and a win in this game would make a big difference.
Anadolu Efes sits at the 11th spot in the Euroleague standings. Efes have a record of eight wins and seven losses so far. Last week Efes took really good care of Panathinaikos. Efes won the game 93-67. They outplayed the reigning Euroleague champions. Efes have recorded two wins out of their last three Eurolaegue games. The best eight teams will get into the playoffs. So Anadolu are currently just one win away from the 8th position. Efes are third in the domestic Turkish league with 8 wins and two losses.
Anadolu Efes is a team with serious potential. They can beat anybody in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague on a good day. Efes can lose to anybody on a not-so-good day too. Efes has a rebounding problem, and they waste too many rebounds on both ends of the floor. That is a huge area for improvement as far as the head coach Tomiskav Mijatovic goes.
Zvezda has a record of eight wins and seven losses at this point in the Euroleague. Crvena Zvezda are one spot ahead of Efes in the standings due to a better point differential. Zvezda are on a two-game winning streak. They got the better of Olympiacos (87-73) and Virtus Bologna (94-87). Crvena Zvezda has won three out of their four last Euroleague games. In the domestic league, Zvezda has won eight straight games.
Bolomboy got injured a couple of weeks ago, and Zvezda dropped in level of play after that one. The big man is back and ready to go. He is a very good rebounder on the offensive end of the floor, and that could hurt Efes if they don't step up in the rebounding area. Nemanja Nedovic and Nikola Kalinic have been playing well as of late for Zvezda.
