ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL (TURKEY)

Founded in 1976
Team colors: navy, white, red
Honors: Korac Cup (1996), Turkish National League (1979, 1983, 1984, 1992-1994, 1996, 1997, 2003-2005, 2009), Turkish National Cup (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015), Turkish President Cup (1986, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2015)
Arena: Sinan Erdem Dome (capacity – 16000)
President: Tuncay Ozilhan
Official website: www.anadoluefessk.org

Where to watch

LIVE: Match TV (19:55), Match! Igra (19:55; replay — December 21 at 10:25), EuroLeague TV, Sportbox.ru
Text online: EuroLeague website

GAME NOTES

In the EuroLeague BC Khimki and Anadolu Efes never met before.

Tylet Honeycutt played season 2016/2017 in Anadolu Efes.

Efes center Bryant Dunston played at Olympiacos Piraeus under BC Khimki head coach Georgios Bartzokas during the 2013/2014 season.

Efes forward Birkan Batuk and Khimki guard James Anderson were teammates at Darussafaka Istanbul last season.

Efes guard Krunoslav Simon and BC Khimki forward Andrey Zubkov were teammates at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar during the 2014/2015 campaign.

BC Khimki guard Charles Jenkins and Efes guard Krunoslav Simon played together during the 2015/2016 season with AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan.

Efes guard Zoran Dragic played at BC Khimki during the 2015/2016 season; he was a teammate of current BC Khimki players Tyler Honeycutt, Sergey Monya, Ruslan Pateev, Marko Todorovic, Egor Vyaltsev and Alexey Shved.

PRE-GAME QUOTES

Georgios Bartzokas, BC Khimki head coach:

“We know that Anadolu Efes is a talented team. At the same time, the situation is really complicated because they have a new coach in Ataman. They are very talented, especially offensively, so we have to play a very good defensive game if we want to win. We don’t underestimate Efes because they are on the bottom of the standings. We just think that they have excellent scorers in the backcourt as well as two great centers like Stimac and Dunston. As I always say, it’s going to be another difficult game. We have to be patient possession by possession all forty minutes”.

Tyler Honeycutt, BC Khimki forward:

“I’m excited to see my friends on the team. Of course, we know, it will be a little more motivation as we played earlier in preseason. I think Efes is not doing as good as they want to as they have some injuries also. They have ups und downs, like us also; and now they have a new coach can’t taken for granted that maybe gives them a little more motivation to play hard. It will be a different style of play for them”.