Anadolu Efes vs Fenerbahсe Prediction: the Euroleague Champions to Lose Again on Midrangers and Layups

To claim the title on Saturday, Fener would have to do what they have failed to do in the past five years - beat Efes three games in a row. It's possible, but unlikely. However, there are things that Fener manages to pull off on a regular basis.

Ataman's team lost their first two games, the second by a double-digit margin. They outscored the opponent from beyond the arc - 15 times out of 35 attempts, that's an excellent 43%. In addition, Efes held its own in bank shots and turnovers.

Efes faltered both times in the paint. The score was 25-14 and 20-13 in favor of Fenerbahce. Efes still can't deal with Nando de Colo and Jan Vesely.

Curiously, the Euroleague game in March and the Turkish Cup in February demonstrated exactly the same picture, though Efes won those games, 22-16 and 22-17 in favor of Fener. So it would be wise to wait for the stat lines and bet on the Fenerbahce's two-point shooting advantage.

The good news for Efes is that Micic's injury was not serious. The Serb played more than 25 minutes in the previous game, meaning all is not yet lost for the two-time Euroleague champion.

Fener is following in the footsteps of Zenit St. Petersburg in this series so far - they are doing things they couldn't do before. In particular, for the first time in three and a half years, they beat Efes twice in a row. The next step is to win on the opponent's field. The last time the Yellow and Black managed to do that was in October 2020. After that, the team played five more times and, alas, falling all five times, allowing between 84 and 111 points. Only once did Fener leave Synan with a difference of only five points, while the rest of the games ended in a blowout, all the way up to 40.

By the way, Efes is averaging 87 and a half points per game in the playoffs.

Statistically, Ataman's team should win and score a lot and concede very few. Vesely and his teammates blatantly overpowered their opponents in the second half (they started to do so even earlier in the previous game). Efes, which has looked very confident on Fener's court, has just had two extremely disappointing games.

We believe that Fener will not lose, take the title this season and, moreover, get the champion's cup on the west bank of the Bosphorus. Another thing is after which match - the third or the fourth? Perhaps the series will continue, but Djordjevic's charges will do everything to end it.

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