His introduction in the second quarter completely changed the game
Elijah Bryant erupted for career high to send Efes to the play-in
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 34 of 34
Group Regular Season
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The first quarter of Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s must-win Round 34 clash against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade saw some nerves from Tomislav Mijatovic’s team, despite leading 15-11 after the opening 10 minutes, yet Elijah Bryant soon calmed things down for everyone inside Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.
Bryant didn’t play a single second in the first quarter, instead having to watch on as Efes went 6 for 11 from two-point range and 1 for 8 from deep, while it didn’t attempt a single free throw. Given that Efes knew only a win would secure its place in the Play-In Showdown, it was normal that the sense of the occasion would lead to some inconsistent shooting.
However, if there was one player who seemed unawed by everything around him, it was Bryant. The 28-year-old, who won the NBA and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championships in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022, entered the contest with 8:08 minutes left before halftime and quickly got to work.
Catching fire in the second quarter
In a seven-minute stretch between 7:18 and 0:18, Bryant became a nightmare for Zvezda, scoring point after point after point. Efes had a slender five-point lead, 19-14, upon his introduction a couple of minutes into the period, but the guard went on to score 19 second-quarter points on perfect shooting to make it 45-31 at the interval. From there on out, Efes was able to go from strength to strength en route to a blowout 100-55 victory.
Yet, it was Bryant who really got the ball rolling and eliminated any nerves, either among his teammates or for those in the stands. Afterward, though, he made sure to keep his feet on the ground.
“It feels good. We got the win, everyone contributed,” Bryant reflected. “Now we have some more important games in front of us, but we’ll celebrate this one tonight, for sure.”
Bryant has had a couple of vital performances in recent weeks for Efes, both of which have been vital. In Round 31, in a potential banana-skin game at home to ALBA Berlin, the former Milwaukee Bucks man netted a career-best 24 points in what proved to be a surprisingly tight 85-84 win; had Efes lost, its chances of making the play-in would have been dealt a big blow.
Then, on Thursday night, Bryant’s influence was all over the victory against Zvezda as he set a new career high in scoring by finishing with 26 points. The final outcome may not make it clear, but Bryant put the wheels in motion to lock up ninth position, thus guaranteeing a play-in spot.
Praise from Coach Mijatovic
“We know why we have him, we know what he can do,” Coach Mijatovic commented afterward. “People around him and teammates trust him. He works extremely hard and he contributes extremely well.
“This is a team sport, everybody has to step in. He stepped up tonight, but the whole team [also] stepped up. Elijah’s just one extra extremely important piece of our puzzle and I’m super happy for him, super happy.”
Bryant, not one to sing his own praises, will now hope to make a similar impact when Efes hosts the loser of Virtus Segafredo Bologna against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, who face each other on Friday night. The loser of that game will drop to the 10th seed, thus setting up a road game at Efes next Tuesday night. Bryant and co. will no doubt be watching on with intrigue.