By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes (11-11) was in a must-win situation in Istanbul, the reigning champions got the job done in Round 22 of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. In a great team effort after a fourth-quarter push, the hosts beat Zalgiris (12-10) by 10 (80-70).
Will Clyburn led the way with 19 points for Efes, Bryant Dunston followed with 12 points and five rebounds, while Vasilije Micic added 11 points and five assists.
“Any win in Euroleague is important. We have a lot of games late, the next step is the clash against Olympiacos“, said Clyburn.
For Zalgiris, it was all Ignas Brazdeikis with 25 points. Edgaras Ulanovas added 15 in a losing effort.
The score was all tied at 16 after the first period but in the second Efes led by as many as 13 points before pulling it back to 10 just before halftime (38-28). Clyburn had already 11 points for Efes, while Dunston scored eight in the first quarter. Brazdeikis had a game-high 13 points for the visitors but his team as a whole couldn’t find any offensive rhythm.
“The biggest thing for us is just finishing easy buckets. I felt like we got a lot of good shots, but we didn’t convert. Defensively, we’ve had problems“, said Ignas Brazdeikis.
Brazdeikis had an excellent start to the third and Zalgiris made it a three-point game (46-43), but Efes soon took over thanks to Micic keeping a 55-49 lead. And while in other recent games, the hosts lost control in the fourth Efes managed to regain a double-digit lead and close out the game with a Will Clyburn dunk to stop the Lituanina push.
“We played great defense, but we had problems whit problem with Brazdeikis who played incredibly. We lost some games in the finish, but tonight we got the job. We are currently out of the playoff picture, we have a lot to do still“, Ergin Ataman added.