Real Madrid recovered from a slow start to defeat Anadolu Efes 82-71 on Thursday night at Movistar Arena, spoiling the return of former Madrid coach Pablo Laso.
The victory improved Madrid to 22-12 in the EuroLeague standings and strengthened its hold on third place entering the final stretch of the regular season.
The matchup carried additional significance as Laso returned to the arena where he spent more than a decade on Madrid’s bench before taking over Efes.
Madrid struggled early and produced its lowest-scoring home first quarter of the season.
Efes opened the game with a 12-0 run and led 21-11 after 10 minutes behind guard Jordan Loyd, who scored eight points in the opening period.
It marked only the second time this season that a visiting team won the first quarter in Madrid, where the Spanish club entered the night with 16 wins in 17 home games.
Madrid’s depth shifted the momentum in the second quarter.
The bench unit sparked a decisive response as Sergio Llull, Trey Lyles, Gabriel Deck and Usman Garuba injected energy on both ends of the floor.
Llull and Lyles opened the period with back-to-back three-pointers during a 20-5 run that flipped the game.
Madrid dominated the quarter 31-12 and entered halftime ahead 42-33 after its reserves accounted for 29 of the team’s first-half points.
The hosts maintained control in the second half by controlling the glass and limiting turnovers.
Madrid finished with 41 rebounds and 23 assists while committing only nine turnovers.
Deck produced one of the most efficient performances for the home side with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Walter Tavares added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Lyles led the team in scoring with 14 points.
Llull contributed eight points and five assists in just under 20 minutes off the bench.
For Efes, Loyd finished with a game-high 21 points and six assists but received limited offensive support.
Elijah Osmani scored 10 points, while P. J. Dozier added 11.
Efes shot 54.1 percent inside the arc but struggled from three-point range, hitting eight of 26 attempts.
The loss dropped Efes to 10-24 in the standings, leaving the Turkish club near the bottom of the table with only a few games remaining.
Madrid will travel to face Baskonia on April 3. Efes will visit Maccabi Tel Aviv on April 2 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade.
