By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes Istanbul bounced back and defeated Crvena Zvezda 86-72 at home to start the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 22 action.
After their three-game streak was snapped last week, Ergin Ataman’s squad recovered in the best way possible and dominated Zvezda from start to finish to improve to a 12-10 record in the standings. Efes was really efficient from the three-point line (14/31) and managed to lead with a 20-point advantage throughout the game.
Multiple players of the hosts exited the game in double figures, with Shane Larkin leading the way with 23 points on 5-8 from downtown and 3 steals. “I felt good. It’s been a long season, but I’m getting better every single day and just trying to get better as a team and grow and get back to where we want to get to”, he said after the game.
Vasilije Micic added up to Larkin’s effort with 13 points and Sertac Sanli added 12. Rodrigue Beaubois followed with 11 points while Krunoslav Simon tapped 10 points in the first half.
The Serbian side slipped its third straight game to fall to a 7-15 record and will look to bounce back against ASVEL at home on Friday. Ognjen Dobric and Dejan Davidovac tapped a team-high with 12 points each and Duop Reath had 10 points.
Efes completed its weekly obligations early, as EuroLeague earlier announced that their upcoming Round 23 game vs. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv has been suspended, after the Turkish team couldn’t receive clearance to travel to Israel.
Photo: EuroLeague