Tomislav Mijatović and Anadolu Efes will look to open the Basketball Development Center in Istanbul to Euroleague Basketball in style. They’ve just got the small matter of Sarunas Jasikevicius and Fenerbahce to deal with.
The first big derby of the Euroleague Basketball season is in Istanbul. Tomislav Mijatović and Anadolu Efes host Sarunas Jasikevicius and Fenerbahce.
Key details
Who: Anadolu Efes (1-0) vs Fenerbahce (1-0)
Where: Basketball Development Center, Istanbul
When: Thursday 10 October at 20.30 local, 19.30 CET, 18.30 UK/Ireland, 13.30 EST
Last time out
Dan Oturu played a starring role for Tomislav Mijatović’s side as Anadolu Efes took a 67-76 win away to Virtus Bologna. It wasn’t the most efficient night for Efes on the road and they’ll expect to improve their offensive accuracy in this battle.
Fenerbahce won the game but lost a key piece in their 82-71 win over Olympiacos. Scottie Wilbekin’s season ended after just 2 minutes on the floor. An ACL injury means Sarunas Jasikevicius will be seeking a replacement for the guard for the remainder of the campaign.
Key battles
Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes) and Wade Baldwin IV (Fenerbahce) are the obvious names to watch here. Neither man will have been overjoyed with their shooting performances last time out. Both still contributed significantly in their wins and they may be in the mood for a shootout.
Up front, Oturu will seek to impress again while Vincent Poirier will also want to make his presence felt for Tomislav Mijatović. The biggest man in Euroleague, Boban Marjanovic, didn’t gesture heavily last time out but was quite efficient. He may be keen to make a statement for Fenerbahce in this one.
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Need to know
This is the first ever Euroleague game in the Basketball Development Center. This is the new home of Anadolu Efes after an extended spell in the Sinan Erdem Dome. A full house is a certainty, especially with it being derby day.
The obvious aspect to watch with Fenerbahce is how it adjusts without Wilbekin. Sarunas Jasikevicius tends to like playing with some kind of adversity. Don’t be surprised if he uses this as a rallying point for his side.
What the bookies think
This one is as close as it gets to a pick’em with the sportsbooks. Fenerbahce are 11/10 in Euroleague basketball betting. Anadolu Efes are 4/5 with the bulk of bookies. That makes the spread irrelevant. If you’re betting on a winner, go straight up.
The total is still in flux quite a bit. It is moving between 159.5 and 162.5 on sportsbooks. That’s a level of volatility so close to a game that doesn’t really happen. It shows how early it is in the season and how sportsbooks are struggling to factor in the loss of Wilbekin.
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What we think
Tomislav Mijatović and Sarunas Jasikevicius are both familiar enough with the drill despite being relatively new to their roles. The Istanbul derby is a matter of pride for both of these sides. It could also set down a marker for the season ahead.
Despite this, I don’t expect this game to be cagey basketball game. Instead, look for both sides to lean on what they see as athletic and scoring advantages. Saras may opt to close ranks a bit should it get tight but, at this early stage of Euroleague, I don’t expect him to get that conservative.
The prediction
There may be no Wilbekin but there’s a lot of motivation for Fenerbahce here because of it. While Anadolu Efes may be more battle hardened, they still don’t have the depth of their cross city rivals in my eyes. I’m taking the visitors.
Pick: Fenerbahce to win straight up
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