Anadolu Efes survived Zalgiris Kaunas after overtime

In a hard-fought battle, Anadolu Efes managed to secure a victory over the resilient Zalgiris Kaunas, resulting in both teams holding a 3-4 record. The game, although not aesthetically pleasing, concluded with an 86-82 win for Efes in overtime.

Ante Zizic and Shane Larkin played crucial roles, contributing two significant baskets each to seal the victory.

Will Clyburn led the scoring for Efes with 20 points, while Larkin added 14, Darius Thompson contributed 17, and Derek Willis secured a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite a strong effort from Zalgiris, with Keenan Evans scoring 20 points, a missed shot that could have given them an 85-84 lead marked a crucial moment, and it turned out to be their last chance to snatch the win.

“Obviously we needed this game, especially at home after taking the loss last week,” Clyburn acknowledged that the former back-to-back champions have numerous areas that require improvement.

As he added: “It’s all about getting better and better. Everybody is getting used to the system and getting used to everything that is going on. We’ve got a new team and there will be a lot of ups and downs.

“We just need to get used to playing with each other and get into the flow and just play.”