The veteran guard scored 16 points in a five-minute span to rally Efes
Elijah Bryant came to Efes's rescue against Maccabi
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Regular Season
Round 32 of 34
Group Regular Season
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With three minutes left in the third quarter, things in Riga, Latvia, did not look good for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Down 53-63 and having just allowed Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to go on a 3-17 spurt in the opening seven minutes of the third quarter, Efes needed a major spark to get back in the game against an opponent that was clicking on all cylinders offensively.
Enter Elijah Bryant.
Having scored 9 points up to that point, Bryant hit a step-back three-pointer over Roman Sorkin, then 60 seconds later added a mid-range jumper with the shot-clock expiring to cut the deficit to 58-65. After a pair of dunks by Dan Oturu, one assisted by Bryant, the third quarter finished with a last-second triple from Bryant to restore Efes’s lead, 66-65.
Bryant continued his run in the fourth. After 55 seconds of play, he hit another three-point shot over Sorkin, then followed it up with a mid-range jumper before adding another triple to give Efes a 74-71 lead.
“I was just trying to stay in the next-play mentality, regardless of the score,” Bryant said in a EuroLeagueTV interview after the game. “To take every possession seriously because this was a big game for us. To take one possession at the time, and we got the win.”
The game was far from over and it continued to be a back-and-forth battle until the final seconds, but Bryant single-handedly brought Efes back into the game. He scored 16 points in a 21-8 run for his team to restore control.
“Elijah did a great job to lift the teammates in such a specific moment, then Shane [Larkin], and Darius [Thompson] and D.O. [Dan Oturu] did excellent”, Efes head coach Luca Banchi said.
Bryant did not score another basket until the very end but he did come up with a clutch play, this time on the defensive end.
After Rodrigue Beaubois split free throws with 10.7 seconds to go to make it 89-88, the ball went to inspired Maccabi guard Rokas Jokubaitis, who had scored 19 points on the night. Jokubaitis started to penetrate to the rim, but Bryant was there to punch the ball out of Jokubaitis’s hands. Larkin grabbed the loose ball, securing Efes a sixth straight win and a place in the postseason.
In addition to scoring 25 points, Bryant also had team highs with 6 assists and 3 steals.
“Maccabi gave some choices to him and Shane, gave them possibility to distribute, not only to finish. And they were excellent,” Banchi said as he praised Bryant and Larkin, the latter of whom finished with 11 points and 4 steals.
“We know we have a great roster, that we have many resources in our arsenal. Even in the worst moment, we continue to play. The last 15 minutes are our reward for our sacrifice on the court."
Efes will, at the very least, participate in the EuroLeague Play-In Showdown, but its chances to finish the regular season as one of the top six teams are alive and kicking.