Regular Season Game 4 - November 10, 2011 CET: 19:00 Local time: 20:00 - SINAN ERDEM ARENA

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
2-1 Regular Season 2-1
2-1 Overall 2-1

Referees

Crew Chief
PUKL,SASA, Slovenia
Referee
LOTTERMOSER, ROBERT, Germany
Umpire
KOROMILAS, ELIAS, Greece

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
75.0 Points 80.0
30.7 Rebounds 30.7
8.0 O. Rebounds 9.0
22.7 D. Rebounds 21.7
13.0 Assists 13.7
9.7 Steals 6.3
3.3 Blocks 1.7
12.0 Turnovers 8.0
46.8 % 2PT 55.3 %
34.0 % 3PT 27.1 %
78.9 % FT 65.2 %
79.0 Index 83.0

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
15.0 / KINSEY, TARENCE Points 14.7 / Farmar
6.3 / ILYASOVA, ERSAN Rebounds 4.0 / Hendrix
1.0 / Kuqo OR 1.7 / Schortsanitis
5.3 / ILYASOVA, ERSAN DR 3.0 / Hendrix
3.7 / Ilievski Assists 4.3 / Farmar
2.7 / KINSEY, TARENCE Steals 1.7 / Farmar
1.3 / KINSEY, TARENCE Blocks 0.7 / Hendrix
2.3 / Barac Turnovers 1.7 / Papaloukas
71.4 % / ILYASOVA, ERSAN 2PT 100.0 % / BURSTEIN, TAL
50.0 % / Savanovic 3PT 41.7 % / BLU, DAVID
100.0 % / Vujacic FT 100.0 % / Pnini
19.7 / ILYASOVA, ERSAN Index 19.7 / Farmar

THE TAKE

Anadolu Efes
Maccabi Electra
RECORDS
2-1, Group C
Regular season 2011-12
2-1, Group C

PROBABLE STARTERS
Guard
Guard
Forward
Forward
Center

THE STAKES

A fight between two Turkish Airlines Euroleague powerhouses is set in Istanbul, Turkey, where Anadolu Efes faces Maccabi Electra on Thursday. Both teams join a three-way tie atop the standings at 2-1, so the winner will take a decisive step not only to reach the Top 16, but to win Group C. The two last played in the 2009-10 Top 16. Maccabi leads the 2011-12 Euroleague in fewest turnovers (24 in 3 games), but Efes is one of the leading teams in steals (9 per game). Maccabi head coach David Blatt worked for Efes in the 2007-08 season, while Efes center Esteban Batista once played for Maccabi, helping the team reach the 2008 Euroleague final.

INJURIES

Kerem Tunceri, who missed a Turkish League game last week, returned to action against EA7 Emporio Armani. Tarence Kinsey, however, got injured in a Turkish League game this weekend and is doubtful. Maccabi enters the matchup at Sinan Erdem injury-free.

THE TAKE

Efes must be ready to stop Jordan Farmar, who comes off an outstanding game against Real Madrid that earned him Week 3 bwin MVP honors. His matchup against Sasha Vujacic will be one of the keys to this game. Both teams have plenty of firepower – Maccabi relies on sharpshooters Keith Langford, Guy Pnini, Devin Smith and David Blu, while Efes has Dusko Savanovic, Ersan Ilyasova and Tunceri. Tarence Kinsey, however, has been Efes' most consistent player thus far, adding athleticism and power at small forward. His matchup against Devon Smith will be critical to this game. As with any team facing Maccabi, Efes needs to stop Sofoklis Schortsanitis and will assign the job to three big men – Stanko Barac, Batista and Ermal Kuqo. Efes cannot allow Theo Papaloukas and Farmar to control the game tempo and use its size advantage at power forward. Maccabi must get Schortsanitis and Lior Eliyahu involved to improve its chances to win.

Game notes, Anadolu Efes
 
Game notes, Maccabi Electra
  • Kerem Tunceri has made 12 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action.
  • By dishing 11 more assists Tunceri will reach the 400 mark, an achievement only 12 players have accomplished thus far.
  • Tarence Kinsey has recorded at least 1 steal in each of his last nine Turkish Airlines Euroleague contests.
  • Stanko Barac recorded the best game of his career against Maccabi Electra last season with 18 points and Euroleague career highs of 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for a performance index rating of 34. Despite his memorable game, his team at the time, Caja Laboral, lost 81-70 at Nokia Arena.
  • Esteban Batista started his Euroleague career and played a season-and-a-half with Maccabi between the summer of 2007 and December 2008. He helped the team reach the 2008 Euroleague Basketball Final Four in Madrid. During his time with Maccabi he played alongside three current Maccabi players, Tal Burstein, Lior Eliyahu and David Blu, as well as assistant coach Derrick Sharp.
  • Batista played alongside Tal Burstein during the 2009-10 season in the Spanish League for Fuenlabrada.
  • Anadolu Efes and Maccabi are the teams that have drawn the most fouls in this Euroleague season. Both teams share the top spot with 75 drawn fouls so far.
  • Theo Papaloukas needs 5 more three-pointers to reach 100 for his Euroleague career.
  • Jordan Farmar was teammate of Anadolu Efes guard Sasha Vujacic for four seasons – from 2006 through 2010 – with Los Angeles in the NBA. The two helped the Lakers win NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.
  • Farmar was the bwin Week 3 MVP after his great performance last week against Madrid.
  • Tal Burstein needs 7 more assists to reach 300 for his Euroleague career.
  • Keith Langford missed all four attempts from the foul line in his short debut with Maccabi last week. It was the first time in his 25 games Euroleague career in which he finished a game without a single point from the foul line.
  • Maccabi has made the fewest three pointers in the competition after three games with a total of just 13.
  • Maccabi turned the ball over fewer times than any other Euroleague team with only 24 turnovers so far this season.
  • Jon Scheyer could make his Euroleague debut this week.
  • REFEREES
    Crew Chief
    Referee
    Umpire
    Sasa Pukl
    Sasa Pukl

    Slovenia
    Robert Lottermoser
    Robert Lottermoser
    Germany
    Elias Koromilas
    Elias Koromilas
    Greece




    Anadolu Efes
    Min Pts 2FG
    M-A
    3FG
    M-A
    FT
    M-A
    Rebounds As St To Blocks Fouls Rkg
    O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
    Totals 600:00 225 59/126 17/50 56/71 24 68 92 39 29 36 10 8 74 75 237
    Average 200:00 75.0 46.8% 34.0% 78.9% 08.0 22.7 30.7 13.0 09.7 12.0 03.3 02.7 24.7 25.0 79.0

    Totals 600:00 240 78/141 13/48 45/69 27 65 92 41 19 24 5 10 67 75 249
    Average 200:00 80.0 55.3% 27.1% 65.2% 09.0 21.7 30.7 13.7 06.3 08.0 01.7 03.3 22.3 25.0 83.0
    Maccabi Electra
    Monday, November 07, 2011
    Euroleague.net

    Quotes Head Coaches

    SARICA, UFUK
    Anadolu Efes
    "We will play against a team which played at the Final Four last year and fighting for the top like us in our group. It is a very important game for us which may affect the ranking in the group. So we absolutely want to win. To stay at the top in our group we must not lose at home."
    BLATT, DAVID
    Maccabi Electra
    "For us, two or three days of preparation time is a luxury. We had it before Real Madrid. This will be a different kind of game, not only because we’re not playing at home, but also because it’s against a very strong team with an impressive roster and, most significantly, a team that will be hosting this year’s Final Four. We had an amazing game against Real on both ends of the court, and both teams played well. Also, the team we’ll face on Thursday is a great team; it should be an attractive and enjoyable game, and a very competitive one. I hope it will be the same kind of game, and I also hope that we’ll be the ones with the upper hand at the end of the day."

    Players

    VUJACIC, SASHA
    Anadolu Efes
    "This will be the first game at Sinan Erdem Arena in front of our big crowd expecting them to be our sixth player. Obviously we are going to play against a great team. They have played also at last year’s Final Four. It will be a tough game so we have to find the way to protect our home court and reach the victory."
    ELIYAHU, LIOR
    Maccabi Electra
    "We have a very tough game ahead of us with a very strong crowd. We’re refreshed and hungry. I think that we’re in a good place now; we have a series of difficult games ahead of us. I hope we’ll be able to stand up to that and that we’ll come back to Israel on Sunday healthy and with two victories. We’ll see how we stop them. They’re a team with a deep bench and great players in every position – good big men and good guards who score from outside the arc; their tall players can also score from outside. They’re truly a deep team both from the standpoint of the number of players and the quality of players. We’ll be competing in a game at the very highest level of the Euroleague."
     
    Euroleague TV
     
    Jordan Farmar - Maccabi ElectraMaccabi Electra took the battle atop the Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season Group C standings by edging Anadolu Efes 72-79 in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday night. Maccabi became the first team to win a Euroleague game in Sinan Erdem Arena - home of the 2012 Final Four - this season and improved to 3-1 in Group C. Efes dropped to 2-2 and registered its second home loss in this group. Jordan Farmar paced the winners with 18 points. David Blu added 15 while Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Lior Eliyahu each had 12 for Maccabi. Sasha Vujacic led Efes with 21 points while Stanko Barac added 17. A 0-6 run that Shawn James capped with a dunk allowed Maccabi to get a 13-14 lead after 10 minutes. Schortsanitis shined in the second quarter, allowing the guests to boost their margin to 35-38 at halftime. Blu took over after the break and got some help from Eliyahu, Farmar and Devin Smith for a six-point margin, 53-59, at the end of the third quarter. A three-pointer by Vujacic tied it at 70-70 with 2 minutes to go but Blu, Tal Burstein and Farmar combined for 9-of-10 free throws in crunch time to lead Maccabi to a very valuable road win.

    Efes surprised everyone by placing twin point guards - Kerem Tunceri and youngster Dogus Balbay - in its starting lineup. Barac got the hosts going with a close basket and managed to stop Schortsanitis early in the game. Tunceri added a six-meter jumper and soon scored in transition for a 6-1 Efes lead. Ersan Ilyasova buried an off-balance shot but Eliyahu quickly answers with an easy basket in transition. Farmar scored off a midcourt steal, as Maccabi changed its strategy without Schortsanitis on the floor. Barac scored around the basket and even when Farmar answered from downtown, a layup-plus-foul by Vujacic restored a 13-8 Efes lead. Blu scored in penetration, as Maccabi adjusted its defense with a more physical lineup on the floor. Farmar took over with a driving layup, as Efes kept missing open shots from downtown. Theo Papaloukas fed James for a dunk that gave Maccabi its first lead, 13-14, after 10 minutes.

    Sasha Vujacic - Anadolu EfesVujacic hit free throws early in the second quarter but Blu matched those with a baseline jumper and James added free throws for a 15-18 Maccabi edge. Ermal Kuqo stepepd up with a layup but Schorstanitis answered in the same way. Barac came off the bench and immediately hit foul shots. Maccabi kept struggling to get Schortsanitis involved and a three-pointer by Cenk Akyol put Efes back ahead, 22-20. Farmar stepped up with a driving layup and fed Eliyahu for an easy basket but a jumper by Barac tied it at 24-24. Schortsanitis scored twice in the paint but a running jumper by Barac and a big triple by Ilyasova gave the hosts a 29-28 edge. Schortsanitis and Oyahon split free throws and a finger roll layup by Eliyahu made the hosts stop the game at 29-32. Burstein hit a jumper in the lane and Eliyahu added a layup in transition for a six-point Maccabi edge, 30-36. Akyol struck from downtown and Esteban Batista added a layup but Burstein fed James for a dunk that fixed the halftime score at 35-38.

    Blu struck from downtown right after the break but Efes quickly found a go-to guy in Ilyasva, who stepped up with consecutive layups. A follow-up layup by Blu soon gave Maccabi a 39-43 edge. Balbay shined with a high-flying layup that Schortsanitis erased with another close baskets. Vujacic sank free throws but Burstein erased it with a driving layup and an unstoppable Blu boosted the guests' lead to 43-49. Efes could not circulate the ball well and a corner three-pointer by Farmar broke the game open, 43-52. The hosts improved their defense off a timeout but could not find answers in the other end until Vujacic took over with back-to-back triples to make Maccabi stop the game, 49-52. Eliyahu shined with an alleyoop layup but Vlado Ilievski matched it with a driving basket. Richard Hendrix scored down low and Smith bettered Batista's off-balance layup with a corner three-pointer, good for a 53-59 score after 30 minutes.

    Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth quarter until Oyahon took over with a driving layup - and the free throw that came with it. Vujacic kept pacing Efes with a long jumper and Akyol buried another three-pointer to bring the hosts back to life, 58-62. Schorsanitis dived for a loose ball and shined with a reverse layup in the other end but Vujacic buried one from downtown to make it a three-point game, 61-64, with 6 minutes left. Blu gave Maccabi some fresh air with a backdoor layup but Tunceri scored in penetration. Eliyahu made foul shots but Barac beat the shot clock buzzer with a layup and hit a mid-range jumper for a 67-68 Efes deficit with under 3 minutes to go. Farmar sank a jumper but a three-pointer by Vujacic tid it at 70-70. Farmar kept pacing Maccabi in crunch time with 4-of-4 free throws, as Efes missed critical shots down the stretch. More foul shots by Burstein allowed Maccabi to seal the outcome, 70-76, as the guests got back home with a good-as-gold road win with the home to get back to Sinan Erdem Arena in spring.
    Thursday, November 10, 2011
    Euroleague.net
    Referees: PUKL,SASA (SLO), LOTTERMOSER, ROBERT (GER), KOROMILAS, ELIAS (GRE)
    Attendance: 8050 (Tentative)
    By Quarter1234
    Anadolu Efes13221819
    Maccabi Electra14242120
    End of Quarter1234
    Anadolu Efes13355372
    Maccabi Electra14385979
    Head coach: SARICA, UFUK
    Anadolu Efes
    # Player Min Pts 2FG
    M-A
    3FG
    M-A
    FT
    M-A
    Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
    O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
    4 BALBAY, DOGUS 12:55 2 1/1           3 2 2     1   4
    6 ILIEVSKI, VLADO 15:45 2 1/2 0/2     1 1 3 2       1   4
    10 TUNCERI, KEREM 29:16 6 3/5 0/3     1 1 4 1 2     3   2
    11 AKYOL, CENK 18:26 9 0/3 3/5   3 2 5 2 1       3   9
    15 BATISTA, ESTEBAN 10:16 4 2/4     2 1 3 1 1 1   1 2 2 5
    19 VUJACIC, SASHA 34:11 21 2/4 4/13 5/5   1 1 2 2 3     4 4 12
    20 SAVANOVIC, DUSKO 22:27   0/4 0/3   4 3 7 3       1   2 4
    21 ILYASOVA, ERSAN 17:33 9 3/8 1/2   1 5 6 1 1   1   1   11
    23 KUQO, ERMAL 3:49 2 1/1   0/2           1     2 1 -2
    32 GULER, SINAN 9:28   0/2 0/5   2 1 3           1   -5
    34 SIRIN, OSMAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    42 BARAC, STANKO 25:54 17 7/9   3/4 1 2 3 2 2       4 9 26
    Team           4 1 5               5
    Totals 200:00 72 20/43 8/33 8/11 17 18 35 21 12 9 1 2 22 18 75
    46.5% 24.2% 72.7%
    Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
    Head coach: BLATT, DAVID
    Maccabi Electra
    # Player Min Pts 2FG
    M-A
    3FG
    M-A
    FT
    M-A
    Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
    O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
    4 PAPALOUKAS, THEODOROS 4:36           1 1 2   1       1 3
    5 HENDRIX, RICHARD 12:52 2 1/3     1 2 3 1     1   3   2
    6 SMITH, DEVIN 17:32 3 0/1 1/2   1 1 2 1   1     3    
    7 BLU, DAVID 21:27 15 4/5 1/2 4/4 1 3 4     1     2 2 16
    8 ELIYAHU, LIOR 24:43 12 5/6   2/2       1   3     1 2 10
    9 FARMAR, JORDAN 35:49 18 4/7 2/3 4/4   5 5 6 2 4     1 5 27
    10 PNINI, GUY 8:09     0/1     1 1           1 1  
    11 BURSTEIN, TAL 24:42 7 2/2 0/2 3/4 1 6 7 3 1   1   2 3 17
    12 OHAYON, YOGEV 14:38 4 1/3 0/1 2/3   2 2 5 1 1     1 2 8
    15 JAMES, SHAWN 5:54 6 2/4   2/2 1 1 2 1       1 1 1 6
    21 SCHORTSANITIS, SOFOKLIS 21:13 12 5/8   2/6 2 3 5     3     3 4 8
    22 LANGFORD, KEITH 8:25   0/1       1 1 2   1       1 2
    Team             5 5               5
    Totals 200:00 79 24/40 4/11 19/25 7 31 38 22 4 15 2 1 18 22 104
    60% 36.4% 76%
    This game is not yet played

    Head Coaches

    SARICA, UFUK
    Anadolu Efes
    "Unfortunately we lost once again at home. But I cannot compare this game with the one we lost to Spirou Charleroi. We had one of the best, serious and traditional teams of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Generally our desire to win the game and challange in the game were good enough. But when we look at the stats we see really strange numbers, especially from the three-point line. We never did that amount (33) of three-point shots in our previous matches. We could have won the game if we scored some of those shots we missed. We couldn’t run inside the paint enough. Because we had a very experienced opponent which is well organized to stop us. Congratulations to Maccabi and their coach David Blatt for their deserved win."
    BLATT, DAVID
    Maccabi Electra
    “A very important road win. Congratulations to my players, who knew to step up in the most important times and never broke down, even though Efes never stopped fighting. We won every quarter, not by many points, but every quarter was ours and that’s very important. It shows that we were focused and paid attention to detail. We did not play perfect like last week against Real Madrid, but you can’t expect us to play like that every week. And it’s even tougher on the road, on a tough court, without your fans, but we took advantage of this opportunity and for a critical win. For most of the game we also played excellent defense and that helped us keep the lead. For me Tal Burstein was the most outstanding player tonight. He showed what it means to be the captain.”

    Players

    AKYOL, CENK
    Anadolu Efes
    "I think we challenged very well tonight. We were really good and tough in defense. But I can’t say the same thing for our offense. Because of too many missed shots, we gave Maccabi many fastbreak points especially in the second half. Even when we play that poor in offense, we have to find the way to win the games.”
    BURSTEIN, TAL
    Maccabi Electra
    “This is a very important road win on a court that is very difficult for us to play our regular game on. And even harder to win on. So we are very happy with this accomplishment. We maybe didn’t play the prettiest basketball in the world, but we accomplished out goal and that’s most important. I feel great. I have been practicing hard. Today coach gave me minutes and an opportunity and I’m glad I could help. “
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