Here's a look at some of the numbers that helped Efes triumph on Thursday.
Telling numbers: Efes improved defense to beat Bayern
Estadísticas
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 28 of 34
Regular Season
Anadolu Efes IstanbulEFS
10986
FC Bayern MunichBAY
Overview
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul grabbed its 12th win in this Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, downing FC Bayern Munich 109-86 at home in Round 28 on Thursday. Its defensive improvement after the break was critical.
It was a back-and-forth first half in which both teams exchanged leads and had good runs. Bayern shot the ball really well before the break, downing 7 of 13 three-pointers (53.8% 3FG) and dishing 9 assists against 5 turnovers. The fifth one came almost at the halftime buzzer, allowing Elijah Bryant to get an easy layup that fixed the score at 53-49 at the teams headed back to the locker rooms.
Bayern opened the second half with three consecutive turnovers. Efes took advantage of those, as Shane Larkin and Ercan Osmani each hit a three-pointer to quickly make it a double-digit game. Efes showed its best defensive version after the break, forcing Bayern to pick up as many as 12 second-half turnovers. Bayern only buried 4 of 15 three-pointers in the second half (26.7% 3FG).
Both teams had the same exact numbers at the boards, each getting 20 defensive and 7 offensive rebounds. Efes managed to share the ball more effectively, dishing 20 assists and picking up just 9 turnovers. Efes shot the ball really well throughout the entire game, burying 20 of 28 two-pointers (71.4% 2FG) and 17 of 35 three-pointers (48.6% 3FG).
It was Efes's second-best two-point shooting percentage this season: it buried 73.3% of its shots inside the arc in an 89-84 home win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Only Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19) hit more three-pointers in a game than Efes did against Bayern.
Efes has been able to turn its home court into a fortress since Tomislav Mijatovic stepped in as head coach, averaging 97.7 points in three wins but an average margin of 14.3 points. Efes now has to confirm its improvement by winning on the road, and goes against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in France next week.