By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes superstar Vasilije Micic wasn’t up for losing a game on his 29th birthday.
The reigning back-to-back Final Four MVP had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists while hitting important free throws in the last seconds and Efes left held back a Barcelona comeback attempt from down 18 in the fourth period to leave Palaua Blaugrana with an 80 – 75 win.
“We knew [that] it wouldn’t be easy any time of the game, especially on their court,” Micic said. “They are very aggressive. They are playing with a lot of enthusiasm, like they showed today in the second half, but after the loss in Valencia, I think we responded well.”
Shane Larkin posted 17 points plus five rebounds in his best game since his return to action for Efes that led by double figures for almost the entire game up and was up 53 – 71 with six minutes remaining. Oscar da Silva made two 3-pointers and, along with Cory Higgins, led a comeback charge by Barcelona that erased its deficit to five points, 70 – 75 with a minute to play.
Alex Abrines brought Barca at a shooting distance for the first time after the start of the match, making it 72 – 75 and capping a 19 – 4 run. After a Micic free throw, the hosts committed a halfcourt violation and the Serbian guard added another pair from the line.
Higgins drained a triple to retain Barca’s hopes but Will Clyburn went 2-2 on his free throws to secure his team’s win.
“It is just about taking it day by day, trying to get my rhythm back and just getting better every single day,” Larkin said. “I think today was a step in the right direction. A win makes everything feel great!”
Apart from Higgins (17 points), Nikola Mirotic (15 points) and da Silva (10 points) scored in double figures from a Barcelona team that mostly had a lackluster game, save for that comeback effort. The hosts, that shot 7 – 26 3-pointers, trailed 9 – 21 in the first period and never managed to truly recover until their surge in the last five minutes.
“You cannot come out and play like this,” Barca coach Sarunas Jasikevicius said. “We didn’t play like a team, offensively and defensively. They were much faster than us for some reason. Every entry, we were chasing their guards two meters behind. It is very difficult because when you take advantages, they are extremely good.”
Tibor Pleiss scored 12 having eight in the first seven minutes to help Efes go off to a great start. Rodrigue Beaubois added 11 points.
“After the loss in Valencia, they had an excellent reaction on this court to beat Barca,” Efes coach Ergin Ataman coach said. “After the loss against Valencia, which was a bad, bad loss for us, our morale was very low and I felt like a very bad coach. Now I feel like a very good coach! This is basketball: when you lose, you are bad; when you win, you are good. [It’s the] same for the players.”