With their sick leader being held scoreless , the Efes reserves answered the call.
Bench brigade came to the rescue for Efes
Article
3 Mins read
To say that Anadolu Efes Istanbul has been defensively challenged this season is more than fair considering they lead the league in points allowed.
Still, on a night when their leader Shane Larkin was under the weather and held scoreless for just the third time in 215 career Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games, it probably stood to reason that some defensive inspiration would be required to survive a spirited comeback from ALBA Berlin.
Efes probably never thought the suspense would last into the game's final seconds, but when it did, a huge block by Tyrique Jones to stop the game's final shot preserved an 86-85 victory and kept his team firmly in the hunt for the top 10 and a place in the postseason.
It was fitting that a member of Efes's second unit saved the day, because that was the case all game long. Indeed, the Efes bench outscored the starters 52-33, or 61.2%, the team's highest such discrepancy all season. But oh was it needed.
First-half reinforcements put Efes in charge
ALBA was taking its first, small leads late in the initial quarter before one of the Efes bench brigade, Rodrigue Beaubois, tied the game with a triple before the buzzer. That was followed by an 11-0 run to start the second quarter that he, Darius Thompson, Elijah Bryant and Derek Willis filled, leading to a lead of 38-25. The second unit was able to hold that at 53-40 with Thompson's put-back just before halftime. Efes had won the second quarter 30-17 with just 7 points from starters.
The game's high lead, 55-40, came just after the break, but with Larkin still scoreless and the Efes starters back on the floor, ALBA flipped a switch, scoring the next 18 points to lead 55-58. The battle was joined from there but Larkin, who it turned out was playing sick, was not to return after the middle of the third quarter.
"Shane is battling a flu for the past two days. He has been through treatments from our medical staff, so I think them for that. And I thank him for coming out and trying to give his best," head coach Tomislav Mijatovic would explain after. "Battling flu, not having energy, not eating, not sleeping, and coming to play and trying to help the team...hats off. I cannot have enough compliments to thank him and to thank everyone who tried to help him play and perform."
Bryant brought the buckets
When Bryant replaced Larkin, he had scored 6 points until then, but he soon reeled off 8 points in 3 minutes for Efes to tie 65-65 in the final minute of the third quarter. Until then, his team had scored just 4 points since halftime.
Jones, Beaubois and Bryant, with another string of 7 consecutive points, kept Efes trading leads into the middle of the fourth quarter until starter Will Clyburn returned to score 5 points in a row that put the hosts up 85-81 with 46 seconds left. But after Louis Olinde's fifth three-pointer for ALBA made it 85-84, Clyburn missed and ALBA had 17 seconds to try to win it.
ALBA's Martin Hermannsson seemed to have beaten Bryant for a clear layup until Jones flew in from the back side to swat the shot away just before it would have touched the glass to preserve a crucial victory for Efes.
The Efes bench tally
Bryant would finish the night with career highs of 24 points on nearly flawless shooting: 5-for-6 on two-pointers, 2-for-3 on threes and 4-for-5 on the foul line. He also had team highs of 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. His 33 PIR was the best of 86-game EuroLeague career.
But he was not alone. Beaubois added 11 points and Darius Thompson 10 while they combined on 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jones, meanwhile, had just 4 points and 2 rebounds, but his third blocks among 7 on the night for Efes proved a game-winner.
"I think the biggest thing is just that we got the win at a crucial time," Bryant said. "Everyone came out and fought. We have some guys who are down sick, so everyone stepped up and most importantly, we got the win."
Two days after easily ending the winning streak of high-flying Olympiacos Piraeus with a healthy Larkin starring, the last thing Efes wanted was a battle to the death with last-place ALBA on its own floor. But the depth that saw its bench players rise to the moment made, in the end, for a perfect week.
"Shane tried his best, he's our captain, and we thank him for it," Mijatovic said. "In the meantime, everybody else stepped up, everybody else gave their 15-20 percent more, and that's what teams do.
"Tremendous concentration, tremendous willpower, tremendous effort. We entered the double-round week with the goal to win both games. Thank god we did that."
Game Videos
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/14d39f0b-6aa5-43c3-b6df-b2345f29f683.jpg]()
AS Monaco-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:25
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2673f7ee-b7d6-459a-9f94-d83eed7cf5f0.jpg?crop=953%3A536%3Anowe%3A107%3A45]()
Huge dunk by McCormack! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0ff530da-db2f-4dea-b72e-3f1aeb202f4f.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/wgCfGu2ABpo/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:14
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/04/3Rlkuoo0sAruxGHv1x1tsYVYGHB32lw8-1733352097636.jpg]()
David McCormack: 'I play hard and I play with passion'
- 00:31
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/04/Z003y6yYQYO5A1Wfgbpotd8m2HMqw257-1733350349091.jpg]()
Schneider's poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dcbf3d69-2935-45f4-a3b2-d57e3f637cbd.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A100%3A55]()
McCormack's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/130c523c-fd35-4072-ba78-886c5dbe9f4c.jpg?crop=1214%3A683%3Anowe%3A68%3A71]()
Schneider's poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/fd0f3417-afce-4b0a-b455-4609673ad8df.jpg?crop=1230%3A692%3Anowe%3A0%3A85]()
Procida's huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:08
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/03/SpbHF4HY1DPXok9DVX6Qqf2UJSaF1rKt-1733265615701.jpg]()
Darius Thompson: 'Whoever came in competed'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/FJpaXHEPEzc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b0b54eee-4e11-4843-9f1b-adc96077decc.jpg?crop=1246%3A701%3Anowe%3A0%3A53]()
Nwora's huge slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/83d8db43-3bd1-414f-986e-1f896e0789bd.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A100%3A62]()
Bryant beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2bb79a05-6b2b-48cb-81e0-3ba4a2ec697b.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/897c988b-5c64-4a7a-a453-904a3935743a.jpg?crop=893%3A503%3Anowe%3A113%3A41]()
Bryant bullet-pass feed for Poirier! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/cZKWm0d-oBI/maxresdefault.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/61_c3OfBC74/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/682d4129-3f07-4c67-a998-91e30a90a6b0.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Paris Basketball | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/09f0238e-b77c-48ed-830a-9983a669fcf3.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A83%3A200]()
Spagnolo's 360 layup! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3599f7fc-5479-4165-be1d-4eb7c0d87c97.jpg?crop=1262%3A710%3Anowe%3A44%3A44]()
Willis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:27
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/NRaBSMw7tbply1Q42qdCuirlaswOckxW-1731628448414.jpg]()
Vincent Poirier: 'We made the right play at the right moment'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/v2UN5hWpeio/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/WCVSyp7UORCo5j9QhdtI8Fex8zJwzXIr-1731624027511.jpg]()
Unbelievable block by Thompson! | Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/WuV5w2L5qGw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich–ALBA Berlin | RS Round 10 highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ab4fc6c5-033c-4e28-b9de-6556d0682e82.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A107%3A62]()
Poirier says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:33
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7992b19b-36f4-4e20-b0b3-3b3005aa31d9.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A101%3A72]()
Trevion Williams's touchdown pass! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/69b70a4b-a874-4ab3-bdd0-eeda2ff52cb0.jpg?crop=1350%3A760%3Anowe%3A0%3A55]()
Poirier’s putback with interest! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/51bc2d2d-ea86-424e-802b-1cc3841084cf.jpg?crop=808%3A454%3Anowe%3A270%3A56]()
Darius Thompson’s huge steal and slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/Kv54mFs1WEo4y8f53in26tSb4bkiNPnI-1731450732845.jpg]()
Rodrigue Beaubois: 'We have so much talent'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6ec0911e-c34b-442c-aa42-c2c11aedf20e.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/31b1b3bf-f957-4bae-9fac-d4480dd4fdfc.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:08
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/dAgybAky2hvME6nDOp71aEojvT99Mh4R-1731449606566.jpg]()
Trevion Williams: 'We showed who we are as a team'
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d42e45cb-c38c-4f0e-8ce3-f98efcdf4f99.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A129%3A94]()
Oturu rejects Diop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5fd1f879-e079-4b87-9efb-a545dc2b715b.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A120%3A61]()
Spagnolo dances with Mannion and scores! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5162b243-df0d-4adf-9aee-58c318e8f6a1.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-AS Monaco | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dc7da48a-08b4-41be-b57c-6cce87b46924.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A145%3A0]()
Thompson finds Oturu! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/888bbe89-53c1-48f5-b6b7-1ce84fd820fe.jpg?crop=1025%3A577%3Anowe%3A260%3A54]()
Thompson throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:33
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/07/hxB3KFevjtktl4ZJafa4I88AhmMT1ySv-1731017568316.jpg]()
Schneider throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/7hThAlKfQY0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4b368ec8-365d-4fd5-b1ad-4059dd50cbfd.jpg?crop=1205%3A678%3Anowe%3A94%3A33]()
Milos Magic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6746673d-c81a-4e17-9bbf-ef05170b8f96.jpg?crop=1176%3A661%3Anowe%3A112%3A33]()
Procida's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/31/u2NVABvK25HdqnSGda2EL8j57ALc8qBn-1730416056660.jpg]()
Darius Thompson: 'We've got a lot of talent on this team'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/tuVIHjEiYPQ/maxresdefault.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ab4fc6c5-033c-4e28-b9de-6556d0682e82.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A77%3A68]()
Poirier rejects Olinde dunk attempt! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6746673d-c81a-4e17-9bbf-ef05170b8f96.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A126%3A41]()
Procida denies Bryant! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5a3fea11-d35d-4452-9c45-bcc6dbf0fbba.jpg]()
ALBA Berlin-Paris Basketball | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/neOmgQK0WwA/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-FC Barcelona | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ac8a4580-e0e7-464e-9ae3-fb031b6bcd21.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A27%3A79]()
What a pass from Hermannsson! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8b56a32c-d9b6-4a01-9f90-b1499b372185.jpg?crop=1247%3A701%3Anowe%3A49%3A68]()
Poirier's huge alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ab4fc6c5-033c-4e28-b9de-6556d0682e82.jpg?crop=1254%3A706%3Anowe%3A16%3A56]()
Poirier's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
