Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz secured its second straight victory of the EuroLeague season, defeating Anadolu Efes Istanbul 86–75 on Friday night at the Buesa Arena. The win capped off a successful double-round week that helped the Spanish club recover from an 0–6 start, the worst opening stretch in its EuroLeague history.
After Tuesday’s 92–85 victory over Dubai Basketball, Baskonia delivered another complete performance, powered by its bench unit. The reserves contributed 68 of the team’s 86 total points, accounting for 79.1% of the offense — a remarkable turnaround for a team that struggled to find scoring consistency earlier in the season.
Matteo Spagnolo led the charge with 19 points and a career-high performance index rating (PIR) of 28. Coming off the bench, he scored seven quick points in the first quarter to ignite an early 22–11 lead.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot continued his impressive season, finishing with 20 points — 17 of them after halftime — to keep Baskonia in control down the stretch. The French forward has now scored at least 16 points in all eight EuroLeague games this season, averaging 20.6 points on 51.6% shooting from beyond the arc.
Mamadi Diakite anchored Baskonia’s defense with five blocks, coming within one of the club record set by Will McDonald in 2009. His rim protection limited Efes’ drives, while his energy on both ends helped preserve the lead through multiple runs from the visitors.
For Anadolu Efes, Shane Larkin led all scorers with 23 points, but his efforts weren’t enough to overcome Baskonia’s depth and defensive intensity. Rodrigue Beaubois was held to just eight points.
The win lifts Baskonia to 2–6, signaling a turning point after early struggles and injuries. With Markus Howard and Trent Forrest nearing returns, head coach Paolo Galbiati’s rotation is finally stabilizing. The team now looks ahead to hosting Virtus Bologna next Thursday, where a third straight win could officially mark Baskonia’s resurgence.
Efes, which dropped to 3–5, will return home to face EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 9.
