By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
The last three games for Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague have been a total success. After blowing out FC Bayern Munich at home, and Zalgiris Kaunas on the road, the Turkish team got past Khimki Moscow Region (81-72), thanks to Vasilije Micic’s impressive performance, to improve to a 12-6 record, good enough for the fourth spot in the standings.
The first half was a matter of runs. Ergin Ataman’s side had a 20-12 lead early on, but with a 13-18 second quarter, Khimki made it a one possession game, (36-34). In the first six minutes of the third quarter, Micic scored eight quick points, handed out two assists and Efes went on an outstanding 21-6 run, that put them up by 17 points (57-40).
Despite the fact that Georgios Bartzokas’ side was down big in the third period, Jordan Mickey’s offensive presence down low in the fourth period, willed the team back to the game, cutting the deficit to six points (72-66) with five minutes remaining. Micic, though would not let the 17-point lead go to waste. His distribution on the offensive side of the floor helped Efes tremendously and with Adrien Moerman’s shots, as well as Bryant Dunston’s defensive presence, the Turkish team regained the double-digit lead (79-69) and finished off the Russian team.
Minutes after the end of the contest, Anadolu Efes’ head coach talked about this successful week: “We are really happy because it was a difficult week for us and we got two victories, so it’s a big advantage on the road to the playoffs. It’s a big step for us. The players put hustle, were active on defense and shared the ball well on offense. Khimki never gave up, they came here with two victories, but in the third quarter we played perfect to win the game.”
Micic was once again Efes best player. The 24-year old flirted with a double-double of 16 points and eight assists, while Adrien Moerman also flirted with a double-double of his own, with 11 points and nine rebounds. For the visiting squad, Jordan Mickey had a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds.
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