The runner-up in full strength

Our team to face Anadolu Efes in its second EuroLeague game in three days.

Pre-game breakdown

The last year runner-up started the season well. Efes has the sole lead in the standings.

The Army Men had no chance to have a breather. The team gathered in USH CSKA in the morning after defeating Crvena Zvezda to have a video session and shortened practice. After that the Red-Blues went to the airport. Efes was in different situation: they beat Zalgiris in Kaunas on Tuesday, so they had one extra day to prepare. “It happens for the second time this season: we play back-to-back games in three days while our second opponent has two days to rest,” Dimitris Itoudis said. “I don’t know, if it is a coincidence, if some other team will be in the same situation. We had the same, when we played Baskonia and Real, Real had two days to rest when we had one. And the flight. But it’s ok. It is how it is.”

13 players boarded Aeroflot charter flight to Istanbul. Injured Will Clyburn and Mikhail Kulagin stayed in Moscow to practice individually. Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko are working with CSKA-2.

Pre-game quotes

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

Efes has practically the same team, they have stability, the chemistry is there. They have two additions, but philosophy remains the same. In my opinion, they play the most attractive, the best basketball in the league. They are maybe fifth of fourth in terms of offensive effectiveness, but they are very effective, they have players who can create their own shots, they play good team basketball and they play with high intensity. We got to match this.

Darrun Hilliard, CSKA guard:

I feel good. I still have to get my rhythm back, but it’s great to be back playing with the guys. They are a great team, they play good offense, they have good players. Our defense have to step up and hopefully we go for a win tomorrow.

”Relativity” connections

Efes forward Alec Peters arrived from CSKA this summer, where he won the EuroLeague title in this rookie 2018-19 season.

Efes center Chris Singleton and CSKA guard Mike James were teammates at Panathinaikos from 2016 to 2018.

CSKA forward Will Clyburn was a teammate of current Efes players James Anderson and Adrien Moerman at Darussafaka Istanbul during the 2016-17 season.

Nikita Kurbanov was a teammate of Efes guard Krunoslav Simon at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar during the 2014-15 campaign.

Kyle Hines and his Efes counterpart Tibor Pleiss were EuroLeague rookies together during the 2010-11 season with Brose Bamberg.

Johannes Voigtmann was a teammate of Efes duo Rodrigue Beaubois and Shane Larkin at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Voigtmann and Beaubois were teammates for two seasons, from 2016 to 2018, while Larkin was there with them in the 2016-17 campaign.

Important numbers

Coach Itoudis has used 10 different players in the starting lineup this season. Only Nikita Kurbanov has started every game.

Mike James has made at least 1 three-point shot in 14 of his last 15 games. Mike James ranks fourth this season with 2.8 three-point shots made per game, and Darrun Hilliard is seventh with 2.4 per contest.

James has scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games. James ranks third this season with 19.4 points per game.

James had recorded a performance index rating in double figures in 12 straight games. Mike James ranks fourth this season in average PIR with 20.3 per game.

Strelnieks has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games.

Strelnieks has made a three-pointer in each of his last seven games.

Janis Strelnieks ranks seventh all-time in free-throw accuracy at 90.9%.

Nikita Kurbanov ranks second this season in three-point accuracy at 56.3%.

Kyle Hines ranks third all-time with 219 blocked shots.

Hines ranks second all-time with 535 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 695.

Hines ranks seventh all-time with 1,202 rebounds. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos is sixth with 1,269 and counting.

Past matchups

Wins/losses: 18-9
1992-93 – European Cup. Group stage: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 85-82 (-3)
1992-93 – European Cup. Group stage: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 87-96 (-9)
1997-98 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 77-73 (+4)
1997-98 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 71-63 (-8)
1998-99 – Euroleague. 1/8 finals: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 73-58 (-15)
1998-99 – Euroleague. 1/8 finals: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 98-105 2ОТ (-7)
2000-01 – Suproleague. Third place game: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 91-85 (-6)
2002-03 – Euroleague. Top 16: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 71-69 (-2)
2002-03 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 66-54 (+12)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 66-57 (+9)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 71-75 (+4)
2008-09 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 90-68 (+22)
2008-09 – Euroleague. Regular season: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 55-74 (+19)
2010-11 – Euroleague. Regular season: Efes Pilsen – CSKA: 86-72 (-14)
2010-11 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Efes Pilsen: 78-69 (+9)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 96-68 (+28)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular season: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 65-82 (+17)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 90-71 (+19)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 63-60 (-3)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 69-78 (+9)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 88-81 (+6)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular season: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 87-93 (+6)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 80-77 (+3)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular season: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 80-98 (+18)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 110-79 (+31)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Anadolu Efes: 102-84 (+18)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular season: Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 78-80 (+2)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Final. Anadolu Efes – CSKA: 83-91 (+8)

Short dossier

Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Turkey
Founded: 1976
Colors: white, blue
Home Court: Sinan Erdem Dome (16,000)
President: Tuncay Ozilhan
Head Coach: Ergin Ataman
Website: www.efesbasket.org
Trophy case:
- Korac Cup winner (1996);
- 14-time Turkish champion (1979, 83, 84, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 2002, 03, 04, 05, 09, 19);
- 11-time Turkish Cup winner (1994, 96, 97, 98, 2001, 02, 06, 07, 09, 15, 18);
- 9-time Turkish President Cup winner (1986, 92, 93, 96, 98, 2000, 06, 09, 10)