Efes found answers off the bench to beat Panathinaikos

Things did not look good for Anadolu Efes Istanbul when star point guard Vasilije Micic picked up his second foul early on during his team's Round 15 contest against Panathinaikos Athens at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. Yet, Efes didn't panic and instead found answers off its bench.
Once Micic went to the bench, Will Clyburn and Bryant Dunston checked into the game, which lead to a change of strategy for Efes. Clyburn became the team's main ballhandler and Dunston started to read Panathinaikos's pick-and-roll defense, getting the ball in short rolls to the basket and putting easy points on the board. Efes led 11-10 when Micic went to the bench. By the time Clyburn hit his fourth three-pointer, Efes led 42-23 near halftime.
Efes had a +23 plus/minus with Clyburn on the floor. He finished the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 25. Dunston had an even higher PIR, 28, after recording 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block. It was his highest PIR in over two years; the last time he put up a PIR this high was when he had a PIR of 31 in a losing effort against Zalgiris Kaunas on October 15, 2020. Micic returned to get 19 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and a PIR of 24. Efes remains without point guard Shane Larkin, but Clyburn, Dunston and Micic sealed the outcome on Friday night.