Two Turkish Airlines Euroleague newcomers are set for a big battle in Istanbul this evening when Galatasaray Medical Park faces reigning Eurocup champions Unics.
Galatasaray grabbed a road win in Poland last week and wants to keep its momentum going, having already won the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds and the Turkish Supercup this season.
Unics were beaten at home against Montepaschi last time, but they have the talent, size and experience to bounce back.
The game has all the ingredients for a great showdown - deep, talented rosters, great coaches and wild fans ready to see their team fight to get closer to the Euroleague’s Top 16.
Both teams have a full roster with no injury problems to report.
Both teams are stocked with great scorers and solid big men. Henry Domercant picked up 30 points against Montepaschi, but Jaka Lakovic downed six-of-seven triples in his team's road win against Prokom.
Unics runs its offence through Kelly McCarty, but Josh Shipp has the size and athleticism to battle hard against him. Unics may have an edge at point guard with Lynn Greer and Terrell Lyday, but Galatasaray has many playmaking options with Lakovic, Tutku Acik and Ender Arslan.
As for the battle in the paint, expect Nathan Jawai and Aleksey Savrasenko to fight hard against Luksa Andric, Furkan Aldemir and Zaza Pachulia.
This will be a hard-fought game in which small details count for a lot.
