They have been going at each other for years, two versatile veterans who are among the best small forwards out there at posting up.
Clyburn vs. Ulanovas, a clash of veteran forwards
Stats
3 Mins read
When Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2-4) and Zalgiris Kaunas (3-3) lock horns on Thursday night in Istanbul, it will mark the 12th time that two veteran forwards, Will Clyburn and Edgaras Ulanovas, will be on the opposite sides in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games over the past seven years.
It's a rivalry that goes back to when they first crossed paths in early November 2016, when Clyburn was with Darussafaka Istanbul and in his debut EuroLeague season. Clyburn had 6 points and 5 rebounds, while Ulanovas collected 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in Darussafaka's 80-83 win.
The very next season Clyburn joined CSKA Moscow, where he spent five seasons before moving to Efes in the summer of 2022. Meanwhile, Ulanovas remained with Zalgiris for all but one season, the 2020-21 campaign that he spent with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.
In those 11 meetings, it is Clyburn and his teams who have registered eight wins when Ulanovas was playing on the other side, including each of the last six. It means that Ulanovas has not celebrated a win over Clyburn since March 2018.
Just like in their record against each other, Clyburn holds an advantage between them when it comes to stats. Over those 11 games, Clyburn has averaged 14.0 points, making 48.6% of his two-point shots and 36.8% of his threes. He also posted 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals for an average PIR of 15.4. Ulanovas posted 7.9 points, but made just 43.1% of his two-pointers and 35.3% on threes. He also had 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists for an average PIR of 9.3.
The last two games between Clyburn and Ulanovas took place last season, when Efes swept its regular-season series against Zalgiris. It included a 60-86 drubbing in Kaunas where Clyburn had 17 points on 4-for-6 three-point shooting, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Ulanovas had an all-round performance with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
In their last meeting, Efes beat Zalgiris 80-70 in Istanbul paced by Clyburn's 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while Ulanovas had 15 points for Zalgiris.
That was the fifth straight win for Efes over Zalgiris, and Clyburn hopes on Thursday to repeat last season's performances against the same opponent. Meanwhile, Ulanovas is poised to finally end Zalgiris's five-game losing streak against Efes, and his own six-game drought against Clyburn, when he steps on the Sinan Erdem Arena floor on Thursday night.
Game Videos
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Larkin and Poirier light it up! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 01:58
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Dan Oturu: 'I'm thankful to be on a team like this'
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Lonnie Walker: 'When we're locked in on defense, I don't think there's anyone who can beat us'
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ALBA Berlin-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Birutis skies for the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 01:23
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Rodrigue Beaubois: 'When we play like this, we're very difficult to beat'
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Oturu dunks over Lessort! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
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Poirier posterizes two defenders! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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Thompson's half-ending block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
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Lonnie Walker: 'It was a collective win'
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- 00:11
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Smailagic puts it back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Birutis's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:12
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Lonnie Walker: 'Our defensive effort led our team'
- 00:26
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FANS go CRAZY for this dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Smailagic's put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/88abae27-2c2c-4415-aa7d-33c3305a3253.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A167%3A85]()
Birutis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
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Smailagic's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:08
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Nwora's huge slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
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Bryant beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Bryant bullet-pass feed for Poirier! Motorola Magic Moment
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
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Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/GZzt0du0g6A/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:29
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Lonnie Walker: ‘I love the team, I love the organization’
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/93468087-bce0-4611-a5fb-27e37ef6805c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A115%3A123]()
Francisco hustles back for the block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/355e7bd7-410c-46ca-afa6-459d66d5f51c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A109%3A94]()
Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/682d4129-3f07-4c67-a998-91e30a90a6b0.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Paris Basketball | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3599f7fc-5479-4165-be1d-4eb7c0d87c97.jpg?crop=1262%3A710%3Anowe%3A44%3A44]()
Willis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/s-yVNftwng0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:27
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/NRaBSMw7tbply1Q42qdCuirlaswOckxW-1731628448414.jpg]()
Vincent Poirier: 'We made the right play at the right moment'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/v2UN5hWpeio/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/WCVSyp7UORCo5j9QhdtI8Fex8zJwzXIr-1731624027511.jpg]()
Unbelievable block by Thompson! | Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ab4fc6c5-033c-4e28-b9de-6556d0682e82.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A107%3A62]()
Poirier says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/69b70a4b-a874-4ab3-bdd0-eeda2ff52cb0.jpg?crop=1350%3A760%3Anowe%3A0%3A55]()
Poirier’s putback with interest! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/51bc2d2d-ea86-424e-802b-1cc3841084cf.jpg?crop=808%3A454%3Anowe%3A270%3A56]()
Darius Thompson’s huge steal and slam! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/86b0777d-c4eb-47a5-8f92-55f2634799e5.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/Kv54mFs1WEo4y8f53in26tSb4bkiNPnI-1731450732845.jpg]()
Rodrigue Beaubois: 'We have so much talent'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/31b1b3bf-f957-4bae-9fac-d4480dd4fdfc.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d42e45cb-c38c-4f0e-8ce3-f98efcdf4f99.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A129%3A94]()
Oturu rejects Diop! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5162b243-df0d-4adf-9aee-58c318e8f6a1.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-AS Monaco | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dc7da48a-08b4-41be-b57c-6cce87b46924.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A145%3A0]()
Thompson finds Oturu! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/888bbe89-53c1-48f5-b6b7-1ce84fd820fe.jpg?crop=1025%3A577%3Anowe%3A260%3A54]()
Thompson throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
