The key facts

  • Anadolu Efes beat Panathinaikos 83-68 in EuroLeague Round 9
  • Panathinaikos suffered their second loss of the season and posted their lowest scoring output
  • Efes had 15 points each from Colin Malcolm and Bruno Fernando; Panathinaikos' Kendrick Nunn scored 17

A victory that reshaped the leadership picture

Anadolu Efes halted the EuroLeague leader's run on Friday: the Istanbul club beat Panathinaikos 83-68 at home in a Round 9 game. For the Greek team it was only their second loss in nine games this season — their record dropped to 7-2, while Efes improved to 4-5. According to Anadolu, Panathinaikos posted their lowest scoring output of the season in this game.

Course of the game

The hosts started strong and led 17-9 in the first quarter, but the visitors cut the deficit to 21-18. In the second quarter Efes pulled ahead by 12 points again (39-27) and went into halftime leading 45-37. The third quarter was a battle with poor shooting, especially from long range — 61-51 before the final stretch.

A 14-0 run decided the outcome

Panathinaikos opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, cutting the gap to three points (61-58), but Efes responded with five straight points. Kendrick Nunn scored five in a row, bringing the visitors within 66-63 and then within one point at 66-65. The decider was a 14-0 run by the hosts, who led by their biggest margin, 80-65, with 2:30 left.

Top performers

For the winners, Colin Malcolm and Bruno Fernando scored 15 points each, while Cameron Payne added 14, nine of them in the final quarter. Dario Saric recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nunn was the game's top scorer with 17 points for Panathinaikos, and Nigel Hayes-Davis added 11.