“It was a very difficult game for us. It was difficult, because it was our third match in six days. We first played against Real Madrid and Konyaspor on the road, and we have just played against Darüşşafaka after those trips. We are trying to keep the lads’ energy under control, but it’s nothing easy. We had an awful start to the game, while Darüşşafaka was great and scored their first 14 points with ease. We had a hard time concentrating on the match and communicating with each other. However, we put up more and more effort towards the end of the first half. We kept the hustle for each ball and each rebound. Today, we failed to set the balance in the game. Our guards played an excellent game. Janning hit 5 of his 9 three-point attempts. Bjelica was not on the court today due to squad rotation decisions, and Krstic was not ready to play after his injury. However, we displayed great mental endurance. We won the game even though we were trailing with 10 seconds to play. We will be playing a very important match against Fenerbahçe on Sunday, and afterwards, the Top 16 will begin. We have to work hard and proceed. I would like to wish a happy new year to everyone.”

Anadolu Efes’s young talent Furkan Korkmaz also stated his thoughts: “We knew it would be a tough game. We prepared well for the match. Everyone fought well. Darüşşafaka also played an excellent game. I would like to congratulate both teams. We are happy to be on the winning side...”