Real Madrid gained revenge for last season’s championship game loss by comfortably downing reigning champ Anadolu Efes Istanbul 94-85 in the Spanish capital. Real improved to 4-3 while Efes lost its third in a row to drop to 2-5 near the bottom of the standings.
Real avenges title game loss to Efes, 94-85



Real dominated from the opening tip-off, quickly establishing inside dominance to move into a double-digit lead early in the second quarter, maintaining that advantage to 54-43 at the break. Efes battled hard to stay into the game and came within 2 points early in the final quarter, but Real put its foot on the accelerator again to cruise home. Gabriel Deck and Vincent Poirier led Real’s scoring with 13 points apiece, Guerschon Yabusele and Adam Hanga had 11, and Sergio Llull scored 10. Will Clyburn paced Efes with 25 points and Ante Zizic added 17.
Game Videos
Real started fast, going ahead 11-6 with two scores apiece for Yabusele and Dzanan Musa. Yabusele and Mario Hezonja hit triples later in the first, which finished 26-19. Poirier’s three-point play made it a double-digit lead, but Clyburn scored 9 points in the second quarter to give Efes some hope, 54-43 at halftime. Hezonja’s incredible reverse alley-oop stretched the lead to 66-51 midway through the third, but Efes launched a 0-10 run to keep the game alive. Zizic opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets to make it 69-67, but Hanga scored twice in a 10-2 run to make Real comfortable again and it was never close after that.