In a match between two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams with four consecutive wins, one streak had to come to a close.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
25
|
| Sertac Sanli | |
| Points | 24 |
| Accuracy | 9-11 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assists | 1 |
After a close match, last year's EuroLeague runners-up FC Barcelona (11-2) got their revenge against Anadolu Efes Istanbul (6-7), beating them 95-93 (20-25, 15-13, 25-21, 18-12, 15-13).
Sertac Sanli's 3-pointer gave Barca their first lead since the first quarter (69-68), but Vasilije Micic and Tibor Pleiss answered with five straight to tie the game at 75. Sertac Sanli converted his fourth 3-pointer to put Barcelona back up (78-75).
He scored his 11th point by rocking the rim with a dunk to give Barcelona a five-point cushion (80-75). Vasilije Micic nailed a clutch three and Shane Larkin tied the game at 80 with two free throws. Nikola Mirotic had a chance to win the game for Barca, but his mid-range floater was off and the game went into overtime.
Kyle Kuric scored five straight points to put Barca up by six (86-80). Pleiss responded with a 3-pointer, but coach Ataman received a double technical foul for arguing with the officials, getting ejected, and helping the visitors extend their advantage to seven (91-84).
But Efes showed character, responding with six straight points to cut their deficit to one (90-91). Rokas Jokubaitis responded with a spectacular and-one to give Barca a four-point advantage (94-90). Adrien Moerman hit a three with 3.2 to go, cutting Barcelona's lead to one (93-94).
Sertac Sanli went to the free throw line, missing the second shot intentionally. Krunoslav Simon launched a full-court heave, but it was off the mark, resulting in a two-point Barca win.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul / Schedule
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
FC Barcelona
FC Bayern MunichNicolas Laprovittola's 3-pointer gave Barcelona an early lead (12-5), but Efes finished the first period well and were up by five after one (25-20).
The reigning EuroLeague champions carried the momentum over to the second quarter and gained a double-digit advantage (31-20). Sarunas Jasikevicius' squad responded with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to three (33-30). But Efes regained a substantial lead going into the second half (47-37).
Efes continued playing well in the third, but Barca managed to cut their deficit to two points towards the end of the period (62-64). Efes responded with four consecutive points and went into the final quarter with a six-point lead (68-62).
Sertac Sanli recorded his career-high in the EuroLeague, leading his team in scoring with 24 points (5/6 2PT, 4/5 3PT, 2/4 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 25 PIR.
"I don’t know how I feel after this kind of game," Sanli said after the game. "It was really hard for me to play but I need to be professional and I did my job. I cannot describe my feelings. It’s hard to play these guys. I spent the last three years with them. Like I said, I cannot say anything after a game like this."
Nikola Mirotic was spectacular too, adding 18 points (4/8 2PT, 3/3 3PT, 1/1 FT), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, and 23 PIR.
Vasilije Micic led Efes with 26 points (4/8 2PT, 3/5 3PT, 9/11 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, and 31 PIR.
"I think we played much better defensively in the second half," Jasikevicius said post-game. "We managed to control the game a little bit, put doubts in their heads a little bit. It seems like we had the game won already, then we went to overtime. Then we again had the game won. We have to be more mature and finish the job."
Barcelona: Sertac Sanli 24, Nikola Mirotic 18 (8 REB, 5 AST), Kyle Kuric 16 (6 REB), Nicolas Laprovittola 14 (8 AST), Rokas Jokubaitis 9.
Efes: Vasilije Micic 26 (5 REB), Adrien Moerman 16 (6 REB), Shane Lakrin 14 (6 REB), Tibor Pleiss 13, Krunoslav Simon 10.
Full highlights:
Shane Larkin's post-game reaction:
