Pablo Laso's Anadolu Efes continues to struggle. Bayern Munich won 93-101 in Istanbul, leaving the Turkish side with a 1-4 record—their fourth loss in five EuroLeague games. Dario Saric's career-high 21 points in European competition couldn't prevent the defeat. Bayern led at the end of every quarter and always had an answer when Efes closed the gap.
The first quarter set the tone for what was to come. Cameron Payne hit three three-pointers for Efes, but turnovers slowed down the home side and a three-pointer by Voigtmann closed the period at 22-26. In the second quarter, Duane Washington scored and Andreas Obst connected from beyond the arc, while Miles Norris forced turnovers. Bayern built a 12-point lead.
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Always One Step Behind
Efes closed to within six points from the free-throw line before halftime, but an offensive rebound by Akeem Beauchamp with a basket at the buzzer left it 46-54. It was the story of the game: every time Efes got close, Bayern found a basket to pull away again.
In the third quarter, Efes came closest. Payne and Matthew Strazel sustained the offense and Bruno Fernando dominated in the paint, but a three-pointer by Washington kept it at 68-75 at the end of the period. In the fourth quarter, three-pointers by Norris and Obst pushed the lead back above ten points. Payne and Jordan Loyd fought until the end, and Jokubaitis closed out the game.
Bayern improves to 2-3 with their second victory. Efes, playing two games this week, visits Zalgiris in Kaunas in Matchday 6.