Fenerbahçe Ülker takes on Maccabi at home

ISTANBUL

Fenerbahçe Ülker- Maccabi Tel Aviv game will be played at Ülker Arena Sports Hall at 9:45 pm. DHA photo

Fenerbahçe Ülker will look to protect its home court tonight when it hosts a suddenly resurgent Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. 

Fenerbahçe, which is seventh in Group F with a record of two wins and seven losses, will look for its third win in its last four Euroleague home games – and its first since Simone Pianigiani stepped down as head coach and Ertuğrul Erdoğan took over. 

Maccabi, tied for fifth in the group, is looking for its third straight road win to stay in the thick of the playoff race. Ricky Hickman was the Top 16 Game 3 bwin MVP after he scored a season-high 24 points and dished out five assists to lead Maccabi to a 91-73 victory over Fenerbahçe Ülker when the teams met in January. 

Maccabi’s defense could be the key to the game. The Israeli champions have limited opponents to just 62.8 points per game in their Top 16 victories, and anything close to that could be too much for Fenerbahçe, which is last in the Top 16 in points allowed, with 89.8 per game. 

Maccabi coach David Blatt noted that Fenerbahçe currently leads the Turkish league with its strong squad.

“Over the summer, Fenerbahçe built up their team so they could go as far as possible in the Euroleague,” Blatt told euroleague.net. “We know that if we don’t play at our best it will be extremely difficult to win.”