Needing some inspiration in the wake of a sudden coaching change, Efes found it in the 10 minutes after halftime.
An inspired third quarter lifted Efes past Milan
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 25 of 34
Regular Season
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
7973
EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
Overview
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Changing head coaches is never easy, but Anadolu Efes Istanbul did so this week in the span of just 48 hours. Erdem Can was let go after a 96-70 road loss on Wednesday at Zalgiris Kaunas, the team's worst defeat in years. His former assistant, Tomislav Mijatovic, stepped up to the head of the bench for a home game on Friday against dangerous EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Efes found itself losing 25-38 after 15 minutes and only able to cut that deficit to 34-43 at halftime. But the next 10 minutes proved providential for a club that won back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022.
"In the third quarter, we made it a point to come out aggressive on the defensive end," team leader Shane Larkin would say after Efes rallied to win 79-73 on what was a crucial night for its postseason hopes.
"Will Clyburn picked up their point guard and pressured him all game, especially in that third quarter and I think that got us all energized. It just let everyone else get their momentum, feeling good on the court and playing together, getting a big win at home."
Energized is putting it mildly. Efes torched Milan by 30-7 over the 10 minutes after halftime. In the first 20, the hosts make just 2 of 10 three-pointers and had fewer assists (5) than turnovers (6). In the third quarter, they went 6-for-9 from deep and dished 7 assists to lead 64-50 when it was over, a 27-point swing in 15 minutes since Milan had been in charge.. The difference in PIR for those 10 minutes of the third quarter was 34 to -2 in Efes's favor.
Milan would strike back and even tie the game 71-71 before Clyburn made back-to-back triples and rebounded everything in sight to assure the victory.
"The guys did a masterful job," Mijatovic gushed after. "They picked all of us up, me primarily. They did a masterful job, they didn't let anybody blow by any screens. They didn't let anybody get beaten one-on-one. They full-court pressed, they deflected the ball, they scored some easy points in transition, that's the key. Our guys did a wonderful job and I thank them from the bottom of my heart."
It was a whirlwind 48 hours, but for Larkin the lesson was clear.
"We just had to stick together all the way through and continue to play with pride," he said. "At the end of the day, that is what it comes down to for our team. We have to fight every moment that we are out there and play with pride, and if we do that consistently, we can have a good chance to win games."
Game Videos
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Real Madrid-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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AS Monaco-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Kai Jones throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
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Moneke races across to block Mirotic! Motorola Magic Moment
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Yago, Izundu combine for the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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Okobo shows his skills and Blossomgame dunks! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
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Dessert's poster dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones's alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones's huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 21 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Saben Lee skies for the hammer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Watch out below for Kai Jones! Motorola Magic Moment
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What a pass by Dozier for Jones’ dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Bolmaro with the nice feed for Nebo’s dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones does it on both ends! Motorola Magic Moment
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Armoni Brooks’s block and heads-up play! Motorola Magic Moment
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Round 19: Top 10 plays
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Virtus Bologna-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Ellis on the fly! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones with a monster alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones rejects Chima Moneke with force! Motorola Magic Moment
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Chasedown block by Roddy Beaubois! Motorola Magic Moment
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Nick Weiler-Babb sends it to OT! Motorola Magic Moment
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Weiler-Babb and Poirier connect on alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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Dubai Basketball-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 18 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
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Kai Jones swats it with authority! Motorola Magic Moment
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Weiler-Babb and Poirier alley-oop connection! Motorola Magic Moment
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What an alley-oop from Milan! Motorola Magic Moment
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Poirier puts Birutis on a poster! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones posterizes Giedraitis! Motorola Magic Moment
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Kai Jones flushes the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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Poirier dunks in Wright’s face! Motorola Magic Moment
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Josh Nebo rejects Len! Motorola Magic Moment
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Armoni Brooks’s chase-down block! Motorola Magic Moment
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