The Spanish coach, appointed just last Saturday, will be very pleased with what he saw from his team
Efes turns the page as Pablo Laso marks first game with big win at Zalgiris
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 16 of 38
Regular Season
Zalgiris KaunasZAL
6487
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
Overview
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Pablo Laso couldn’t have asked for a better start.
In his first EuroLeague game as head coach of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Laso watched his new team do something it has struggled to do for much of the season — win, and do so convincingly.
Efes rolled past Zalgiris Kaunas, 64–87, on Wednesday night, posting its largest road victory since a 32-point win (65–97) at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade last season. It also marked Zalgiris’s worst home loss since December 9, 2022 — a game that also came against Efes, which won that night by 26 points (60–86).
Despite the dominant result, Laso made it clear afterward that he wasn’t ready to overreact.
“I’ve been a coach for many years, and I know things don’t change overnight just because I’m here,” Laso told EuroLeague TV. “Igor (Kokoskov) did a great job with this team. This isn’t about Igor or Pablo — it’s about Efes. Everyone has to step up. That’s what we showed from the opening tip. If you want to win in Kaunas, you have to play that way from the start. I’m happy we did that.”
What will have stood out most to the two-time EuroLeague champion was Efes’s professionalism at Zalgirio Arena. The visitors trailed only once, after Sylvain Francisco opened the scoring with a three-pointer. Even after being held to just 9 points in the second quarter, Efes still carried a 35–37 lead into halftime.
Laurynas Birutis tied the game at 37–37 with the first basket of the second half, but this time Efes didn’t blink. Cole Swider scored six quick points to swing the momentum and finished with 18 — his second-highest scoring total of the season and just his second double-figure outing.
“It’s been an up-and-down year,” Swider said. “We’ve had a lot of tough moments. It feels great to come out here, have everyone contribute, and get a win. I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”
Efes controlled the paint early behind Vincent Poirier — playing just his second game back post-injury — and Kai Jones, while Rodrigue Beaubois got the visitors going by scoring 7 of their opening 9 points. Jordan Loyd, scoreless in the first half, heated up late with 9 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 12.
The engine behind it all, however, was Nick Weiler-Babb.
The reigning EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year shut down Francisco while orchestrating the offense. He didn’t score until late in the third quarter but already had 10 assists by then. Weiler-Babb finished with 7 points and 13 assists, tying his career high. Notably, the only other time he reached 13 assists also came at Zalgirio Arena, when he posted 14 points and 13 assists in FC Bayern Munich’s win there last season. He had zero turnovers in both games.
“I hope this is something we can build on,” Poirier said. “The vibe around the team is really good right now. Everyone supports each other and feels accountable. The veterans are trying to set the standard, and tonight showed what we can look like when everyone is locked in.”
Laso will coach his first home game on Friday night, when Efes welcomes Dubai Basketball to the Turkcell Basketball Development Center. Zalgiris remains in Kaunas for the second game of the double-round week, hosting Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
