Paris Basketball earned a 79-84 road win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Wednesday, January 7, at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center, snapping a six-game away losing streak in EuroLeague play.
The French side improved to 7-13, while the Istanbul club dropped to 6-14, as the visitors finally rewrote a familiar fourth-quarter narrative that had haunted them for much of the season.
Paris led for long stretches of the second and third quarters and entered the final period holding a narrow 64-65 advantage, before Jared Rhoden’s three-pointer briefly pushed the lead to 70-72.
Momentum then swung toward the hosts, as Ercan Osmani scored five points and Saben Lee, making his EuroLeague debut for Efes, added two free throws to fuel a 7-0 run and a 77-72 lead with 5:38 remaining.
Rather than unraveling again, the visitors responded with composure and execution on both ends of the floor.
Yakuba Ouattara finished a fast break, Justin Robinson knocked down a three, and Robinson followed with a driving layup to reclaim the lead at 77-79.
Defensive discipline proved just as decisive, with Allan Dokossi denying Rolands Smits at the rim during a prolonged scoreless stretch that drained the clock and increased the pressure.
With 39 seconds left, Nadir Hifi delivered the defining moment, stepping back for a three-pointer that extended the margin to 77-82.
Lee briefly halted a five-minute scoring drought with a layup out of a timeout, but Rhoden sealed the outcome from the free-throw line to complete the 79-84 result.
Hifi finished with 27 points, matching the second-highest scoring output of his EuroLeague career, while also going 8-for-9 from the line.
Rhoden added 15 points in his return after missing Round 19, and Robinson chipped in 11, as Paris shot 36.4 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent at the stripe.
Efes, now on a four-game losing streak since Pablo Laso’s debut win in Kaunas, received 17 points from Jordan Loyd and 15 from Osmani but committed 19 turnovers.
The Turkish side will look to reset later in the double-round week when it travels to Milan, while Paris aims to build on a rare road success that may signal a shift in late-game confidence.
