By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes center Bryant Dunston played through pain against in the EuroLeague Round 7 game against his former team Olympiacos Piraeus. Despite the physical problem that was bothering him, the American big man scored 10 points on 5/7 2-pointers, grabbed eight rebounds and also posted two assists, two steals and two blocks as Efes captured the road win.
“I had some pain in my arms,” Dunston told Eurohoops. “I tried to push through. And I tried to do all I could to help us win the game.”
Dunston played 28:57 minutes and was a team-high-tying +11 on the +/-. The two-time EuroLeague Best Defender spent the entirety of the second period on the court, during the stretch that Efes built an important 18-point halftime lead.
“It’s a very high standard I’m trying to live up to in every game,” Dunston said. “Whether I’m hurt or not or something is bothering or whatever, if they put me on the court, I have to play. I have to give my best. That’s all I try to do.”
After the victory of Efes in Piraeus, the Turkish club’s General Manager Alper Yilmaz reacted to the result by tweeting: “Congratulations to the team for winning. But, I thank Dunston personally. In spite of his suffering, he once again showed what he can do for the team. It’s early in the season, but if we play with the spirit Dunston showed today, we’ll achieve our goal.”
Dunston, the longest-serving Efes player after captain Dogus Balbay, gave a wide smile of appreciation when he heard of his GM’s comments.
“That’s a lot of praise,” Dunston said. “We’re close friends, so he likes to butter me up a little bit,” he then joked.