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oct 30 2026Anadolu Efes found the perfect response to Wednesday's blowout loss. Two days after conceding 118 points in Botevgrad, the Turkish team shut down the EuroLeague leaders with a suffocating defense that held Panathinaikos to just 68 points, their worst scoring output of the season. It's the second defeat for the Greeks (7-2) and the fourth win for an Efes squad still without Mike James, PJ Dozier, and Isaia Cordinier.
Efes in control from the start
The hosts came out strong, dominating inside, and by the 8-minute mark led by ten (21-11). Panathinaikos responded with a 0-7 run before the end of the first quarter (21-18), but in the second quarter Efes' defense forced turnovers and the lead grew to 12 points (39-27). At halftime, 45-37.
The third quarter was more tightly contested. Efes controlled the pace and entered the final period up ten (61-51).
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The decisive 14-0 run
Panathinaikos came out of the final timeout with a 0-7 run and cut it to three (61-58). They continued to press and got within one (66-65), but then stalled. Efes answered with a devastating 14-0 run, featuring back-to-back three-pointers from Cameron Payne and Colin Malcolm, that made it 80-65 with two and a half minutes remaining.
Malcolm and Bruno Fernando each scored 15 points, Payne added 14 with nine coming in the fourth quarter, and Dario Šarić posted a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. For Panathinaikos, Kendrick Nunn led all scorers with 17 points and Nigel Hayes-Davis contributed 11.
