Larkin pours in season-high 28 points and secures Anadolu Efes playoff spot / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Aykut Akici/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Aykut Akici/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Turkish side Anadolu Efes (15-11) secured a playoff spot after beating ALBA Berlin (11-15) in a really tough game. Coach Ergin Ataman's side won with the final score of 87-77 (16-24, 20-15, 26-18, 25-20).

Player of the Game EFF 36 Shane Larkin Points 28 Accuracy 10-20 Rebounds 5 Assists 8

With a little bit more than one minute remaining on the clock, Shane Larkin scored a key three-pointer to give Anadolu Efes an eight-point lead (83-75).

In the final period, the two teams kept going back and forth, with Efes trying to kill the game and ALBA fighting back to remain alive. Shane Larkin, though, looked completely unstoppable for ALBA, the American guard carried most of the offensive load for the Turkish side.

Efes extended their lead to 8 points right before the end of the third quarter (62-54), a huge swing for the Turkish side who were down by 15 points in the first half.

In the meanwhile, Bryant Dunston reached another milestone in his amazing career, becoming the first Euroleague player to reach 300 blocks.

In the third quarter, Oscar Da Silva continued his great performance, helping ALBA to extend their lead to 6 points (52-46). But, once again, Efes reacted when they looked disconnected defensively and answered back with a run of their own, scoring eight points in a row (54-52).

The German side kept shooting the ball extremely well from deep in the second quarter and at the beginning of the period, they reached their maximum lead (34-19).

Efes, though, started to climb back, playing some solid defense. The Turkish side found some good baskets from James Anderson and Shane Larkin and reacted with a 13-0 run of their own to cut down ALBA's lead to just two points (32-34). The German side went into the locker room with a three-point lead (39-36).

ALBA started the game on a strong note, imposing a 10-2 run over Efes. The German side moved the ball extremely well offensively and found some big shots from outside, reaching a 12-point lead (19-7). Euroleague reigning champions Anadolu Efes finished the quarter down by 8 points (16-24).

Shane Larkin was the top scorer for Anadolu Efes with 28 points (4/9 2PT, 6/11 3PT, 2/2 FT), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 36 PIR.

For ALBA Berlin, on the other hand, the top scorer was Oscar Da Silva with 20 points (8/10 2PT, 1/3 3PT, 1/2 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 16 PIR.

Anadolu Efes: Shane Larkin 28 (8 AST), Elijah Bryant 14 (7 REB), Adrien Moerman 13 (6 REB)

ALBA Berlin: Oscar Da Silva 20, Maodo Lo 15, Johannes Thiemann 11

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