Efes ends its historic skid with teamwork, energy and star turns from Osmani, Jones, Dozier and Lee
Osmani leads Efes past Valencia to end a nine‑game slide
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 38
Regular Season
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
10790
Valencia BasketVBC
Overview
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul finally found the breakthrough it had been chasing for weeks. In its most complete performance of the season, Efes rolled past Valencia Basket 107–90 at Turkcell Basketball Development Center, giving Pablo Laso his long-awaited second EuroLeague victory with the club. The win snapped a nine‑game losing streak that had stretched back to mid‑December and brought welcome relief to a team desperate to rediscover its rhythm.
Efes wasted no time announcing its intentions, delivering a blistering first quarter that set a new club record for largest opening‑period lead. Energy, pace and unselfish play defined the night as multiple players stepped forward, none more impressively than Ercan Osmani, who rebounded from recent struggles to deliver a commanding performance at both ends of the floor.
For Laso and his players, the victory marked more than just the end of a skid — it was a sign of renewed identity. Efes defended with purpose, pushed the pace with confidence, and executed its offense with the clarity that had eluded the team in recent weeks. By the final buzzer, the sense of relief inside the arena was matched only by the sense of possibility.
Osmani stepped up early against Valencia, being aggressive at both ends of the floor, finding mismatches against Neal Sako and Jaime Pradilla and getting five points and three rebounds in the opening seven minutes.
He helped Efes set a club record with a 19-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 33-14. Efes had previously amassed 18-point margins after 10 minutes against Benetton Treviso on October 16, 2002, and against CSKA Moscow on March 4, 2021.
Osmani finished the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds and a PIR of 27. He got plenty of help, too. Kai Jones came off the bench to do what he does best: block shots, force big men out of the paint and thrill the crowd with his outstanding dunks. After missing three games due to injury, Jordan Loyd returned against one of his former teams with a rock-solid performance.
"It's been a long time that we hadn't won in the EuroLeague, so I'm happy about that. I want to thank all the teammates because we gave everything on the floor. And I think we played very simple, that's why we got that many points. So from now, I think we have to start building on that," Osmani said. "Thanks to our fans, all of them, because we had a really hard period. So it was hard for them also. We couldn't get any good things for them. So after now, I think everything will change, and we are going to be better."
"I am happy for my players. I think we did a great effort. Everybody fought a lot from the beginning. We were playing against a team that is playing very good, with a great pace. Probably that helped us to recover a little bit the pace that we need to show, let's say, our best image. We are still missing important players, for sure, but we have to go step by step," Coach Laso said after the game. "And I think today was a very good first step."
PJ Dozier and Saben Lee combined for 28 points, 13 assists and just 3 turnovers. They helped Efes set a new season-high in assists (26). Jones had a career-high 15 points on 7-of-7 two-point shooting. Jones remained the most effective two-point shooter in the competition this season, having made 41 of 43 shots inside the arc (95.3% 2FG). He hasn't missed a two-point shot since Round 17 against Dubai Basketball.
"I think it started with the heart and mind, my preparation from days long in the past, just seeing how the situations have been and learning from my mistakes. And then I came out with a high level of focus and intensity. So I just want to keep on building on that and being present and have a high level of focus and intensity throughout the whole game," Jones said.
"We just listened to Coach. He taught us a lot from the last games. We have been learning and learning and learning. And I think everybody realized what we need to do. And today was an example of how we have grown as a team."
