To the battle

28.02.2019

Cory Higgins (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Our team travelled to Greece to take part in the biggest European rivalry of this century.

Pre-game breakdown

The Reds will look to snap a four-game slide against red-hot CSKA, which has won five in a row. Olympiacos’s recent form has seen it slip from battling for fourth place to avoiding falling to ninth. CSKA’s run has seen it clinch a playoff berth and it is not only seeking home-court advantage for the playoffs, but is within striking distance of first place.

The Army Men got Nando De Colo and Cory Higgins back after the guards missed previous games due to injuries. Both are expected to play against Oly. Mikhail Kulagin (foot surgery) stayed in Moscow as well as Andrey Lopatin and Alexander Khomenko who are set to help CSKA-2 in its game on Thursday.

Pre-game quotes

Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:

We are coming to play on one of toughest courts in the EuroLeague. Olympiacos is a versatile team, that has great knowledge of the game, that has many weapons, that has talent and quality. Besides they have a spirit of the fighters. We are not going to sleep on the fact that they lost some games recently, so we prepare very thoroughly. Our team also has quality and we proved it many times in big games. We prepare to fight and we expect it to be tough.

Daniel Hackett, CSKA guard:

We expect a battle. The season is coming to its final stage so every next game becomes even more important, though all EuroLeague games are important. We know it’s going to be tough so we have to be focused and prepared for the game.

“Relativity” connections

Olympiacos coach Giannis Sfairopoulos was an assistant coach with CSKA Moscow during the 2011-12 season, during which CSKA reached the EuroLeague championship game, but lost to Olympiacos. Three current CSKA players remain from that squad: Nikita Kurbanov, Andrey Vorontsevich and Victor Khryapa.

Kyle Hines spent two seasons with Olympiacos from 2011 through 2013 and helped the Reds win back-to-back Euroleague titles. He was a teammate there of four current Olympiacos players: Vassilis Spanoulis, Georgios Printezis, Kostas Papanikolaou and Vangelis Mantzaris.

Spanoulis spent four seasons (2005-06, 2007-10) with Panathinaikos when Dimitris Itoudis and Andreas Pistiolis worked on the team’s coaching staff.

Leo Westermann and Olympiacos forward Kim Tillie were teammates at ASVEL Villerbaunne for two seasons, from 2010 to 2012. The two also teamed up playing for the French national team.

Westermann and Olympiacos center Nikola Milutinov were teammates at Partizan Belgrade for two seasons, from 2012 through 2014.

Othello Hunter played with Olympiacos for two seasons, from 2014 to 2016, and was a teammate of most players on the Reds’ current roster.

CSKA forward Nikita Kurbanov was a teammate with Olympiacos sharpshooter Janis Strelnieks; the two played together at Spartak St. Petersburg during the 2012-13 season.

Olympiacos guard Brian Roberts and Hines were teammates at Brose Bamberg during the 2010-11 season.

Important numbers

Coach Itoudis has used 11 different players in CSKA’s starting lineups this season; no player has started in every EuroLeague game.

Will Clyburn has collected at least 1 steal in 15 of his last 16 EuroLeague games.

Clyburn has recorded a performance index rating in double figures in 18 of his last 19 EuroLeague games.

Will Clyburn is fourth in the EuroLeague in average performance index rating with 18.8 per game this season. He also ranks fourth in rebounding with 7.0 per game.

Nando De Colo has made at least 1 three-pointer in 10 of his last 11 EuroLeague appearances.

De Colo has made 22 straight free throws in EuroLeague games.

Nando De Colo ranks third in the league in scoring this season with 14.8 points per game. Cory Higgins is fourth with 14.7.

Nando De Colo ranks second in free-throw accuracy this season with 95.65%.

De Colo is the EuroLeague career leader in free-throw accuracy at 93.86%.

Andrey Vorontsevich has made 11 straight free throws in EuroLeague games.

Higgins ranks second in the league in three-point accuracy this season at 53.6%.

Kyle Hines ranks fourth in EuroLeague history with 197 blocked shots. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv big man Alex Tyus is third with 204 and counting.

Hines is third in EuroLeague history with 482 offensive rebounds.

Hines is 11th in competition history with 1,090 rebounds. Mike Batiste is 10th with 1,117.

Sergio Rodriguez ranks fifth on the EuroLeague all-time charts with 1,038 assists for his career; Barcelona point guard Thomas Heurtel is fourth with 1,116 career assists and counting.

Rodriguez is 10th all-time with 350 three-point shots made; Dimitris Diamantidis is ninth with 372.

Daniel Hackett needs 8 assists to reach 500 for his EuroLeague career.

Past matchups

Short dossier

Olympiacos Pireaus, Greece
Founded: 1925 (1938 – basketball section)
Colors: white, red
Homecourt: Peace and Friendship Stadium (10.845)
Presidents: Panagiotis and Giorgios Angelopoulos
Head Coach: David Blatt
Website: www.olympiacosbc.gr
Trophy case:
- 3-time Euroleague champions (1997, 2012, 13);
- Intercontinental Cup winners (2013);
- 11-time Greek champions (1949, 1960, 1976, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2012, 2015);
- 9-time Greek Cup winner (1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2010, 2011)

Photos

Dimitris Itoudis (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Kyle Hines (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Andrey Vorontsevich (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Joel Bolomboy (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Sergio Rodriguez (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Daniel Hackett (photo: M. Serbin, cskabasket.com)

Watch The Team!

Olympiacos vs CSKA. Preview

Author: CSKAbasket.TV

Duration: 02:07