Game of the Week preview: Tofas look to force Game 3
Tofas Bursa and AEK are set to square off in Game 2 of their Play-In series on Tuesday January 10. AEK have a 1-0 lead and will be attempting to pick up a road win to punch their ticket to the Round of 16.
BURSA (Turkey) - Tofas Bursa and AEK are set to square off in Game 2 of their Play-In series on Tuesday January 10. AEK have a 1-0 lead and will be attempting to pick up a road win to punch their ticket to the Round of 16, but Tofas will be looking to defend their home court.
Where: Bursa, Turkey (Tofas Nilufer Spor Salonu)
When: 18:00 CET
In Game 1, AEK won 73-70 where they were a +8 with Janis Strelnieks on the court, the best +/- on the team. He knocked down four clutch threes en route to the victory.
Tofas have only won three out of their last 13 total games between the BCL and their domestic league in Turkey, so they will be motivated to right the ship and get back on the winning track to keep their BCL season alive.
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Tofas have lost three of their last four home games in the BCL, including the most recent two; they have never lost three home games in a row, however. Tofas have conceded an average of 20.3 free-throws per game, the most of any team in the BCL in 2022-23; they conceded 20 shots from the foul line in the first leg of these Play-Ins. In their last game, AEK became the second team to reach 100 games in the BCL, along with Lenovo Tenerife; they have lost 10 of their last 12 away games in the BCL, and four of their five trips to visit Turkish teams in the competition. AEK have conceded just 6.1 points per game from fast break situations, the fewest among all teams in the BCL this season; they conceded just three points from fast breaks in each of their last two league games. AEK's Akil Mitchell has scored 16+ points in each of his last three BCL games, after scoring that many points in only two of his previous seven league appearances; Mitchell is averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in his three BCL games since the start of December 2022. [/unordered]
Team comparison by the numbers:
|
Tofas |
Stat Category |
AEK |
|
50.4 |
2-point FG % |
52 |
|
37 |
3-point FG % |
36.1 |
|
45.3 |
Overall FG % |
44.3 |
|
69.9 |
Free throw % |
72.6 |
|
23.6 |
Defensive rebounds |
24 |
|
11.4 |
Offensive rebounds |
9.1 |
|
35 |
Total rebounds |
33.1 |
|
8.4 |
Steals |
7.4 |
|
17.1 |
Assists |
18.7 |
|
16 |
Turnovers |
13.7 |
|
2.4 |
Blocks |
2 |
|
19.7 |
Points from Turnover |
18 |
|
31.4 |
Points in the Paint |
27.1 |
|
25.7 |
Points from the Bench |
24.7 |