Anadolu Efes Istanbul secured a 74-73 win over FC Barcelona on Thursday night at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center, closing out a physical contest behind Isaia Cordinier’s decisive free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining.
The French wing finished 8-for-8 at the line and totaled 14 points and 3 rebounds, sealing the result despite a roster hit by seven injuries and the continued absence of Shane Larkin, who is expected to miss eight weeks with a groin issue.
Efes relied heavily on its depth once again, with Jordan Loyd and Ercan Osmani contributing 13 points apiece, and Nick Weiler-Babb adding 12 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists to control key stretches of the second half.
Brice Dessert delivered a career-best 12 points, continuing the spark he has provided since Larkin’s injury.
Barcelona entered the matchup having won four of its last five and playing its first game under returning head coach Xavi Pascual, who was back on the sidelines after nine years away.
The visitors built a 13-point cushion late in the second quarter and took a 46-35 advantage into halftime, then extended the lead with the opening basket of the third.
Efes responded with a 19-2 run, sparked by two Weiler-Babb three-pointers, flipping the momentum and taking a 54-50 lead before closing the third up 58-53.
Osmani’s tip-in pushed the home side ahead 69-64 entering the final minutes, but Barcelona countered with a 9-1 run capped by Tomas Satoransky’s corner three-pointer for a 73-70 lead with 52 seconds left.
Dessert tied the game from the line with 36 seconds remaining, and after Barcelona failed to convert on the next possession, Efes held for the last shot.
Cordinier’s initial attempt was blocked, but he controlled the rebound and drew the foul on Jan Vesely before converting the final free throws.
Barcelona dropped to 7-5 despite 16 points from Vesely and 10 from Willy Hernangomez, while shooting just 7-for-32 from three-point range, including a 9-point third quarter that proved costly.
Efes improved to 5-7 with its second straight victory and will visit Monaco next Wednesday, while Barcelona returns home to face ASVEL in Round 13.
