On the day the club celebrates its 90th anniversary, Olimpia Milan plays a crucial game for its EuroLeague season against Anadolu Efes, a team whose records in no way reflect the strength of the squad and the talent available to Coach Pablo Laso. Olimpia is obviously in high morale: the team arrived in Athens with a roster decimated by injuries, including the last-minute scratch of Quinn Ellis and Shavon Shields, but as they have done so many times this season, the remaning players responded with the “Next Man Up Mentality”, determination, playing a proud, courageous game, defending to the best of their ability. And not only did they hold their own against a powerful team, built to win the title, but they even defeated Panathinaikos for the second time in a month, an incredible achievement. For Olimpia, it was the fifth road win of the season. But to give this win any meaning, Olimpia needs to repeat against Anadolu Efes, defeated in Istanbul after two overtimes. Efes will have a new look, having changed some pieces since then, including the addition of Saben Lee from Olympiacos to improve at scoring. Olimpia will have some of its injured players back: after five games, Leandro Bolmaro will return with restricted playing time due to caution, and Shavon Shields will be available to add tone and physicality to the perimeter. Quinn Ellis will be game-time decision.
NOTES – Olimpia Milano-Anadolu Efes is scheduled to be played on Friday, January 9th in Allianz Cloud, Milan, at 20:30.
REFEREES – Sasa Pukl (Slovenia), Saso Petek (Slovenia), Alberto Baena (Spain).
COACH PEPPE POETA – “It is a very important game for us, as always in the EuroLeague, but it comes on a very special day for our club and, before the eyes of our fans, we intend to play an intense and tough game. However, we fully understand that Efes is a team much better than what the record indicates so we will go there prepared to play a very difficult game.”
ANADOLU EFES OUTLOOK – Of the historic team that has played in three EuroLeague finals, two of which were won, only the two guards remain, although affected by physical problems, Shane Larkin (11 appearances, 15.8 points per game) and Rodrigue Beaubois (nine appearances, 5.9 points per game). Compared to the first season game, played in Istanbul, the coach has changed at Efes, with Pablo Laso taking over from Igor Kokoskov. Furthermore, guard Saben Lee was acquired from Olympiacos. Efes has certainly been affected by absences throughout the season, even if the situation is gradually improving, given the returns of PJ Dozier and Vincent Poirier (who was out against Paris Basketball last Wednesday). The constant feature in the starting five is that of Nick Weiler-Babb, an all-around player who defends strongly (1.6 steals on average), grabs 3.9 rebounds per game, has grown enormously as a playmaker (5.2 assists per game) and is now also a reliable shooter (41.5 percent from three for 9.3 points per game). He’s an athletic player, big for his position and physically solid, now complete. Isaia Cordinier, a French national team silver medalist at the last Olympics, plays nearly 28 minutes per game, averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds per game, on 56.4 percent two-point shooting. Jordan Loyd, a veteran of the competition, who spent the year in Monaco, generally comes off the bench and averages 9.9 points per game. PJ Dozier, who was at Partizan two years ago and was in Dallas last year, is another effective all-around player on both ends of the floor (he averages 9.1 points per game). Before his injury, he scored 34 points against Olimpia in the game Milan won after two overtimes. Turkish international Sehmaus Hazer, a great athlete who also played for Fenerbahce, plays a little over 10 minutes per game coming off the bench. The starting power forward is another Turkish international, Ercan Osmani, a player who has made a splash in recent seasons, currently averaging 11.6 points per game on 40.8 percent three-point shooting. Osmani also averages 4.3 rebounds per game. The alternatives are American Cole Swider (5.3 points per game, 42.9 percent from three), making his first European experience after trying to find a stable place in the NBA, and Latvian veteran Rolands Smits (8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, 64.2 percent two-point shooting). The centers are Kai Jones, another European rookie, who is currently averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, and Vincent Poirier, who recently returned from injury but is already playing nearly 20 minutes per game, averaging 10.0 points and 4.4 rebounds, and 57.6 percent two-point shooting.
ANADOLU EFES CONNECTION – Bryant Dunston built much of his career at Anadolu Efes where he played for eight seasons from 2015 to 2023, winning the EuroLeague title twice, in 2021 and 2022, alongside some of the current Efes players such as Shane Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois
