By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Shane Larkin scored a game-high 24 points to lead Anadolu Efes to an 85 – 78 away win over Crvena Zvezda. Efes registered its seventh consecutive victory to improve to 19 – 3 and further cement its spot at the top of the EuroLeague standings.
“We got out of our rhythm, we had a big lead and relaxed, and in a place like this where the fans get behind them and they play hard you can never relax,” Micic said after the game while also referring to his team almost completely giving up a 24-point lead. “We allowed them to come back but we stuck together, got some big plays down the stretch and got the win. I wish I’d done better. I should have stayed more aggressive, I relaxed as well and that’s on me. We’ve got to stay motivated and focussed and not relax when we take a big lead.”
After trailing by up to 24 points in the first half and 30 – 51 at the break, Dejan Davidovac (15 points) and Vladimir Stimac (14 points) rallied Zvezda to ultimately cut its deficit to six when Kevin Punter cored for the 76 – 82 with 65 seconds left to make his points 12, all of them in the last five minutes. Efes didn’t allow Red Star to approach to a one-possession distance and escaped Belgrade with the victory.
Efes star guard Vasilije Micic made his return to action after missing four EuroLeague games due to injury. He played 32 minutes and finished with six points and five assists.
Efes had dominated the first 20 minutes of the game thanks to the efforts of Larkin plus Chris Singleton (13 points, seven rebounds, three steals) and Rodrigue Beaubois (11 points, three blocks) contributing heavily on both ends.
Billy Baron added 14 points for Zvezda.
A lesson without a cost
Efes wasn’t far from falling victim to an upset and coach Ergin Ataman didn’t like how his players performed after grabbing a 20+ lead early.
“We made stupid mistakes, and at this level we cannot make these kind of turnovers or miss open layups under the basket,” Ataman said. “We played great basketball for 25 or 30 minutes but after we went up by 20 we gave up playing. Every possession is important. Micic came back after three weeks out and he’s a great player.”
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball