After five consecutive away games, Maccabi Playtika Tel-Aviv finally returns to Menora Mivtachim Arena. The yellows will face Unics Kazan on Thursday (21:05 local, 2:05 pm ET, live broadcast on 5 SPORT) and try to bounce back from three straight Euroleague losses.
Giannis Sfairopoulos will miss injured Roman Sorkin but will get Keenan Evans, Ante Zizic, and Angelo Cloiaro back after the three didn't play against Irony Ness-Ziona earlier this week.
Kazan will arrive in Tel-Aviv in good shape despite an overtime loss to Olympiacos in the previous round. Before that game, the Russians won 4 in a row and now hold a 7:6 record, just like Maccabi.
"We have to be prepared for a tough opponent," said Maccabi's Greek coach when asked about the meeting with Kazan. "They have some great defenders on their squad, some great shooters, so they can do a lot of different things on both sides of the court."
"We must play together, do the right things, and have fun," Keenan Evans added. "Kazan is on the rise and we have a sense of urgency. We will try to take advantage of their weaknesses".