EuroLeague: Anadolu Efes Blows Out FC Barcelona
Anadolu Efes Istanbul posted the biggest blowout victory of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs so far, destroying FC Barcelona Lassa 68-102 in Game 3 on Wednesday night. They now have a 2-1 advantage in their quarterfinal series. CSKA Moscow also recorded a win on Wednesday, downing Kirolbet Baskonia Vitoria, 77-84. This makes it four Game-3 wins that came on the road, a stark reminder that no home courts are safe in Europe’s premier basketball league.
FC Barcelona Lassa 68-102 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
This was an impressive victory from Anadolu Efes on many levels. Not only did they reclaim the home-court advantage in this series, but they also recorded one of their biggest road-wins in club history. They led from start to finish and just kept on going, putting a big exclamation point on this much-needed win.
Shane Larkin was a beast, leading five other teammates to score in double figures with a game-high 30 points via a blistering 6-of-7 shooting clip from 3-point territory. He was unstoppable, making all five of his shots from 2-point range and both of his free throws. Adrien Moerman and Tibor Pleiss chipped in 14 points each.
FC Barcelona could not find their range, going 18-of-46 from 2-point range and 8-for-20 from downtown. To Anadolu Efes’ credit, their solid defense played a big role in stifling their hosts. They now head back to Efes where they will look to close out this quarterfinals series against one of Spain’s more dangerous teams.
Kirolbet Baskonia Vitoria 77-84 CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow took a step closer to the EuroLeague Final Four with this win, thanks to their ability to stay in control for majority of the game. Big props go out to Nando De-Colo efficiently produced a game-high 28 points, which included four 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line. His aggressive play set the tone for this win and it was good to see his team follow suit and run with it. Sergio Rodriguez facilitated the team’s offense with seven assists, while adding five rebounds and one 3-pointer of his own to the box score.
Vincent Poirier put up a valiant effort for Baskonia with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double but unfortunately, his heroics on the night would not be enough to offset the offense put up by De-Colo and company. Darrun Hilliard added 13 points, thanks to three treys for Baskonia.
Game 4 shifts back to the Russian capital, where Baskonia will need to pull out all the stops to avoid a first-round exit from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs.