One week later, Olimpia returns to Istanbul, this time to face Fenerbahce (Friday 24th, January, tip-off is 6.45 pm Italian times). It’s a crucial game for the access to the playoffs, in a race that still involves many other teams. Fenerbahce – who made it to five consecutive Final Fours – won three games in a row before losing at home to Barcelona last week and responded to its injury problems by signing Malcolm Thomas (a center, who last year for Khimki) and James Nunnally. Fenerbahce now has an 18-player roster. Last week, the only player missing due to injury was Ahmet Duverioglu, but in a spot where, in addition to Thomas, Coach Obradovic has also Lauvergne and the returning Jan Vesely, the EuroLeague MVP last season.
OLIMPIA – It’s the third consecutive road game, after Istanbul / Efes and Tel Aviv, last week. After the Fenerbahce game, Olimpia will play two straight games at home, with Alba and Bayern, three of the next four, including the home game with Khimki after the break for the national cups. In Istanbul – the last win was in 2014 – Olimpia will miss injured Riccardo Moraschini and Jeff Brooks.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We face a team whose record doesn’t reflect its value and it was caused by a long series of injuries suffered throughout the first part of the season. They are also a very angry team because of the last week loss to Barcelona. Fenerbahce is a very physical team, mentally aggressive especially at home. Patience, good shooting percentages and defense for 40 minutes will be necessary. Apparently, it’s another prohibitive game, we’ll try to stay close to the end, just like we were capable to do in Tel Aviv.”
THE LAST TIME… – With a 14-0 run in the first period, Olimpia immediately split the game, leading by 17 at one juncture. Fenerbahce has never come within less than seven points. Sergio Rodriguez was instrumental with 22 points and five assists, Arturas Gudaitis scored 17, Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, generating the early run. Olimpia held Fenerbahce at 29 points in the first half.
FENERBAHCE – Kostas Sloukas is Fenerbahce’s hottest player: in the last four games, he has averaged 12.8 points per game with 9.8 assists and has led the team to three wins. He’s converting 95.4% of his free throws too. The team top scorer is Nando De Colo, 18.8 points per game, fourth overall, 96.9% from the line, one of the two MVPs of Obradovic’s team. The other is Jan Vesely, who has had a season plagued by injuries, but has returned to help the team solve the rebounds problem. Fenerbahce is last in total rebounds and is allowing over 11 offensive rebounds per game. On the other hand, in the last four games it has allowed less than 70 points on average, rediscovering its historically tough defense. Fenerbahce is a very deep team: after the additions of Malcolm Thomas and James Nunnally and the return of some injured players, it can actually use a 12-man rotation. Melih Mahmutoglu is shooting 51.7% from three-point range, but he is only one of the many specialists on the team: Gigi Datome is converting 44.4% of his threes and Sloukas is shooting 41.7%.
THE OBRADOVIC CONNECTION – Zeliko Obradovic, a nine-time EuroLeague winner, won the trophy with five different teams: Partizan, Joventut Badalona, Real Madrid, Panathinaikos (five times) and Fenerbahce. Obradovic’s first European triumph took place in 1992 in Istanbul, when his team defeated Olimpia in the semifinal and then won the championship with the iconic Sasha Djordjevic three at the end. Djordjevic moved to Milan after that season. It was Obrdaovic’s first year as head coach. Olimpia was coached by Mike D’Antoni and the star was Darryl Dawkins. Obradovic and Ettore Messina combined for 13 EuroLeague championships in 27 years.
BEWARE OF … – Nando De Colo is the fourth best EuroLeague scorer with 18.8 points per game, and he is also fifth in the Index rating. Kostas Sloukas is second in assists with 6.9 per game. Melih Mahmutoglu is red-hot from three, 51.7%, and is actually fourth overall. Sloukas is riding a nine consecutive double-digit game streak and has made 42 consecutive free throws. De Colo has been a double-digit scorer in 18 of the last 19 games and Nikola Kalinic has scored all of his last 23 free throws.
KING OF THE BLOCK – Paul Biligha’s four blocks in Tel Aviv are his career-high, but also the second-best performance ever for a Olimpia player in the EuroLeague. The record belongs to Gani Lawal (5 in Athens against Olympiacos in 2014). Ansu Sesay (2007/08 against Cibona), Arturas Gudaitis (2017/18 against Real Madrid), Kaleb Tarczewski (2018/19 against Maccabi) and Jeff Brooks (2019/20 against Efes) have had four too. With 11 blocks over 11 appearances, Biligha is also third overall with an average of 1.00 per game, behind Walter Tavares and Jordan Mickey, both of Real Madrid, on a tie with Ismael Bako of Asvel Villeurbanne.
VLADO’S CLIMB TO THE 300 THREES – Micov has become the 18th of all time in the EuroLeague for threes made with 293. 11 threes ahead, at 304, there is another former Olimpia shooter, Antonis Fotsis.
CHACHO FROM THREE – Sergio Rodriguez is in seventh place all-time for the threes scored in his career. Rodriguez among the top seven is the one with the best shooting percentage, the only one over 40%. El Chacho is two threes shy of Gianluca Basile’s sixth place.
RODRIGUEZ IS AIMING AT MARCUS BROWN – Sergio Rodriguez has scored 2689 points in his EuroLeague career and is therefore 50 points away from Marcus Brown’s 2739 who is 10th overall.
GUDA’S REBOUNDS – Arturas Gudaitis is 14 rebounds shy of 500 in his career, and is also one offensive rebound shy of 200.
NEDOVIC FROM THE LINE – Nemanja Nedovic rides an open streak of 16 free throws made in EuroLeague games.
