Anadolu Efes beats Panathinaikos AKTOR 83-68 in Istanbul with late Cameron Payne threes

A slow start in Istanbul

Panathinaikos AKTOR lost 83-68 to Anadolu Efes in Istanbul on 30 October, in round nine of the EuroLeague. It was the Greek side's second defeat in nine games, yet it kept first place with a 7-2 record. Efes badly needed the result and moved ahead early, with Dario Šarić scoring seven quick points. Panathinaikos answered with a 7-0 run and trailed only 21-18 at the end of the first quarter, before Efes produced a 12-2 burst that took the hosts to 39-27.

Anadolu Efes83

Panathinaikos AKTOR68

Anadolu Efes

83 points

Panathinaikos AKTOR

68 points

Data from the article text

Turnovers decided the first half

Panathinaikos committed 16 turnovers over the game against nine for Efes, a gap that gave the hosts repeated chances in the open court. In the first 20 minutes alone the visitors made ten mistakes, compared with three for Efes. Efes went to the locker room with a 45-37 lead at halftime. Nigel Hayes-Davis was the only double-figure scorer for Panathinaikos at that stage, with 11 points, while Kendrick Nunn added seven. Across the whole game Panathinaikos shot 8 of 29 from three-point range, and Efes made 7 of 26.

Anadolu Efes7

Panathinaikos AKTOR8

Anadolu Efes

7 made

Panathinaikos AKTOR

8 made

Data from the article text

The third quarter and the final push

Efes led 61-51 going into the fourth quarter, after Jordan Lloyd and another Efes player combined for 16 points in the third period. Panathinaikos came back within a single point at 66-65 when Yabusele dunked in the 34th minute. Cameron Payne then hit two decisive threes with a Bruno Fernando basket between them, pushing Efes to 74-65. Panathinaikos had no answer, and Malcolm and Payne kept scoring from the perimeter until the lead reached roughly 80-65 about two and a half minutes from the end. Efes closed out the game 83-68.

Individual performances

Malcolm led Efes with 15 points and six rebounds, while Payne finished with 14 points, eight assists and three steals. Dario Šarić had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Efes, and the Turkish side totalled 35 rebounds and 23 assists. Kendrick Nunn led Panathinaikos with 17 points, although he made only two of six threes. Nigel Hayes-Davis added 11 points and five rebounds. Panathinaikos finished with 40 rebounds, 12 assists and 16 turnovers, a total that reflected the visitors' struggles in attack throughout the match.

Standings and next games

Panathinaikos remains first in the EuroLeague table on 7-2, while Efes rose to 4-5 with the win. Head coach Željko Obradović's side next plays Aris in the Greek league at Alexandreio on 1 November at 17:00 under the Stoiximan GBL name. Its next EuroLeague fixture is a round ten game at Real Madrid on 4 November at 21:45.