EA7 Emporio Armani Milan celebrated its 90th anniversary with a thrilling 87-74 comeback victory over Anadolu Efes Istanbul at Allianz Cloud on Friday.
Armoni Brooks led the charge, hitting seven three-pointers and scoring a career-high 31 points while adding eight rebounds, sparking a late fourth-quarter surge that energized the home crowd.
Milan trailed by 14 points early but tightened its defense in the second half, allowing just eight points in the third quarter to set up the decisive run. Brooks buried four three-pointers in just 2:43 minutes in the final period, turning a close game into a comfortable lead.
Zach LeDay added 15 points, Marko Guduric contributed 13, and Leandro Bolmaro returned with 12 points and four assists in his first appearance since Round 15.
Efes jumped out to a 2-13 lead and extended it to 14 points early in the second quarter. Despite Milan closing to within five midway through the half, the visitors led 49-38 at halftime.
Milan opened the second half on a 12-0 run to take the lead for the first time at 50-49, sparking a quarter of seven lead changes. After 30 minutes, the hosts led 62-57, setting the stage for Brooks’ decisive fourth-quarter heroics.
Saben Lee paced Efes with 19 points, while Nick Weiler-Babb added 12 points, four rebounds, and five assists. The loss extended Anadolu Efes’ skid to five games, dropping the team to 6-15 on the season.
Milan improves to 11-10 and will host Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade next Thursday. Efes remains at 6-15 and will welcome Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
