Anadolu Efes secured a commanding 89-67 victory over Crvena Zvezda at home, bolstering their EuroLeague record to 9-7. The visitors, who fell to 8-8, struggled to maintain their early momentum as Efes staged a decisive comeback in the second half.

Zvezda began with a strong first-quarter performance, jumping to a double-digit lead. However, Efes chipped away, narrowing the halftime deficit to 42-36. A stellar third-quarter effort propelled the home side into the lead, and a 12-0 run early in the fourth sealed the win.

Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu led Efes with 17 points each, supported by Ercan Osmani’s 13 and Rolands Smits’ 12. Rodrigue Beaubois added 11 points and showcased defensive prowess with crucial steals. Shane Larkin, despite scoring only four points, dished out 12 assists. Filip Petrusev led Zvezda with 15 points, while Codi Miller-McIntyre contributed 10.

Miller-McIntyre opened the scoring with a three-pointer, helping Zvezda establish an 8-0 lead. Ercan Osmani finally broke Efes’s drought, and Bryant’s early triples kept the hosts within reach. Zvezda ended the first quarter ahead 25-14, powered by Petrusev’s inside scoring and Dobric’s offensive putbacks.

In the second quarter, Efes began to find their rhythm. Bryant and Smits contributed key baskets, while Oturu’s seven-point burst energized the hosts. Zvezda stayed ahead with scores from Joel Bolomboy and Yago Dos Santos, entering the break with a six-point cushion.

The third quarter shifted momentum firmly in Efes’s favor. Bryant and Jordan Nwora spearheaded the offense, with the latter’s three-pointer sparking a run that erased the deficit. After back-and-forth scoring, Efes seized their first lead, ending the period up 59-57.

The fourth quarter saw Efes’s defense clamp down on Zvezda, forcing turnovers and holding the visitors scoreless for five minutes. Beaubois’s mid-range jumper and Smits’s three-pointer extended the lead to double digits. Two consecutive steals and scores by Beaubois highlighted Efes’s dominance, while Oturu and Darius Thompson added the finishing touches.

Zvezda, who shot 50% from two-point range but struggled at the free-throw line (50%), couldn’t sustain their early accuracy. Efes, meanwhile, capitalized on their 58.5% shooting from inside the arc and a near-perfect 94.4% from the charity stripe.