Anadolu Efes Istanbul did not shine offensively in its season-opening 72-59 victory against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, but against the visitors' stingy and physical defense, Efes did something it has never done under Ergin Ataman.
Key stat: Efes took care of basketball
Stats
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Efes had just 4 turnovers in a game, which is just one more than the club record (3), set more than two decades ago, in November 2001 loss against Spirou Charleroi. Friday's mark is also tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the club's 520 EuroLeague games. The only other time that Efes committed 4 turnovers was in a Top 16 victory against Real Madrid in February 2013.
With its defense holding Zvezda to 59 points and forcing 14 turnovers, Efes had a rare feat of having more steals (7) than turnovers. The two-time back-to-back champs are hard to beat when they play like that.