It will not be just any other game in Istanbul. Olimpia approaches it from the top of the standings, alone, and has never happened during EuroLeague’s modern era (and previously there has never been a single group to take on as an example), but Fenerbahce has been one of the great European contenders for a decade with five consecutive trips to the Final Four, from 2015 to 2019 (including one championship and three championship games appearances). Furthermore, Fenerbahce is coming from a big win in Moscow, and is position in the standings is affected by four very close defeats. Finally, Fenerbahce represents a lot for two Olimpia players. Gigi Datome played for five seasons at Fenerbahce, returned to Istanbul as an opponent last season, but it was a closed-door game, so he failed to receive the ovation from the fans. Nicolò Melli spent two years in Fenerbahce with two Final Four appearances, then he moved to the NBA, so this will be his first time against his former team and in Istanbul. It is therefore a game full of meanings. Fenerbahce, despite having the overwhelming offense talent of players like Nando De Colo and Marko Guduric, have so far done most of its damages at the defensive end of the floor: they are holding their opponents at 71.0 points per game on average, just like Olimpia is doing; the opponent’s 28.3 percent in the three-point shooting is slightly better than the exceptional 29.2 percent that Milan allows from the arc. The difference so far is at the offensive end: Olimpia has scored almost four more points per game and is the team that makes the most threes per game, 9.75 (compared to 6.88 in Fenerbahce case).
NOTES – The game will be played on Friday 12 November at 6.45 pm Italian time.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA– “Fenerbahce is a well-organized team, around their two big men, Booker and Vesely, both capable to play inside and out at the same time. Even when they lost, they played a lot of very close games, they are experienced and have a great support from the home crowd. It is obviously a very difficult game, we’ll have to pay close attention to how to defend their pick and roll and the play of their great perimeter guys, while being careful to the rebounding battle, because they can be powerful under the boards.”
NICOLO’ MELLI – “It’s going to be a beautiful and complicated game, however it is going to be special for me to return to a place that means a lot, a place where I spent two great years. Obviously, we are going there with a clear goal, but I’m also happy to have the chance to see a lot of people that I know and to play in front of the Ulker Arena crowd.”
GIGI DATOME – “Fenerbahce has lost some close games, in the closing seconds, so its record is not representative of the team’s quality. They are good and equipped with high-level players. I expect a very difficult game in a hot atmosphere, as always in Istanbul when they have a full-capacity arena.”
REFEREES –Sasa Pukl (Slovenia), Fernando Rocha (Portugal), Jakub Zamojski (Poland).
FENERBAHCE – Although the record speaks of three games won and five lost, Fenerbahce has lost three times by one or two points of margin (in Madrid, at home with Barcelona, in Piraeus against Olympiacos) and one game by four in Athens against Panathinaikos. Thus, its points difference, +29, is worth much more than the place in the standings it currently sits on. Moreover, during the last round Fenerbahce was able to go on to win in Moscow. So far, Coach Djordjevic has always started three players, Pierria Henry, Jan Vesely and Devin Booker, and used Nando De Colo off the bench in seven out of eight games. Vesely is the team leading scorer with 12.9 points per game and its best rebounder averaging 6.8 per game. The Czech big man, who also played in the NBA in Washington, is shooting 58.9 percent from two. Next to him there is Booker, 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds per game, a center that knows how to hit a long-distance jumper, just like Achille Polonara, who is averaging 7.1 points per game and his shooting 71.4 percent from two. De Colo is the second-best scorer averaging 11.8 points per game, shooting 57.1 percent from two and 40.0 percent from three. He made two threes down the stretch that decided the Moscow game last week. Marko Guduric, the other perimeter scorer, who returned from the NBA (Memphis) last season, is hitting 47.8 percent of his threes. Marial Shayok, making his EuroLeague debut, has so far been more effective attacking the rim. Against CSKA, he scored 12 points with five rebounds and four assists. The point guard is Pierria Henry (6.1 points and 4.0 assists per game), who was signed from Baskonia. The guard rotation is including Melih Mahmutoglu, and among the big men there is also some minutes for the veteran center Ahmet Duverioglu. Dyshawn Pierre, a two-dimensional player, who can play at both small forward and power forward position, missed the Moscow game because of an injury. He is averaging 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
GAME NOTES – Sergio Rodriguez has scored 788 points for Olimpia and enters the game 12 points shy of 800. Shavon Shields has scored 597 points, three points away from 600. They are seventh and 13th ever in the Milan scorers’ list. With 4.38 per game, Nicolò Melli is fifth overall for fouls received, a list led by Shane Larkin with an average of 5.50. With an average of 4.50 he is also the seventh-best defensive rebounder (in first place there is Mario Hezonja with 5.25). With 2.25 threes per game, Devon Hall is seventh overall in the list led by Darrun Hilliard with 2.88, but he is second overall in terms of accuracy. He is making 52.94 percent of his three and follows only Elie Okobo (53.13 percent). Sergio Rodriguez is sixth with 4.38 assists per game, exactly one less than the leader Nick Calathes. Shavon Shields with 30:49 minutes per game is the second most used player in the EuroLeague behind Rokas Giedraitis (32:37). Five players are averaging over 30 minutes per game.
ROOKIE IMPACT – Five rookies so far in the EuroLeague are among the top 50 for minutes played, and all five of them are earning the playing time with high-level play. Among them, Devon Hall who is second in three-point shooting behind Elie Okobo, who is another rookie by the way.
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