Championship hangover continues: powerful Armani run leaves Efes without a win / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

In a game between two teams on opposite sides of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, AX Armani Exchange Milan (4-0) handed the reigning champions, Anadolu Efes Istanbul (0-4), their fourth straight loss 75-71 (16-21, 26-15, 21-13, 12-22).

Player of the Game EFF 15 Kyle Hines Points 8 Accuracy 2-6 Rebounds 6 Assists 3

Efes started the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, capped off by five straight points from Adrien Moerman's to cut Milan's lead to three (60-63). However, Milan answered with a 10-2 run of their own to keep Efes at bay (73-62).

The Turkish powerhouse retaliated, cutting Milan's lead to four with 28.6 remaining (69-73), but the hosts held on to win the game by four.

"Our fans gave us a big push, they really helped us to get this win," Milan coach Ettore Messina said post-game. "Last year we made our good standings by winning on the road. We have to keep winning on the road because sooner or later, everyone loses at home. We need to keep doing well at home, but our future will be decided on the road."

It was a balanced effort for Milan, with five players ending the game with double digits in efficiency. Konstantinos Mitoglou ended with 9 points (3/4 2PT, 1/5 3PT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, and 16 PIR.

"It was a very difficult game. We had to protect our house, we had to use all that we had prepared," Mitoglou said. "We took the win, we are happy for it, and we have to keep building from this. We are a new team, everybody is learning better about their teammates, and we can do much better, of course."

Shane Larkin led Efes with 13 points (5/7 2PT, 0/3 3PT, 3/4 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, and 19 PIR.

"We hustled, we played good defense, but we missed a lot of shots, we made a lot of turnovers," Efes coach Ergin Ataman said disappointingly. "We fought, but we were not successful. Congratulations to Milan, they have had a very good start of the season."

Efes started the game well, gaining a 16-7 led. The Turkish powerhouse held a 10-point advantage in the second period (30-20), but Milan finished the half on a commanding 22-6 run to gain a six-point lead after two (42-36).

The hosts continued extending their advantage in the third, going up by 12 after Kyle Hines' bucket (60-48). Jerian Grant finished the period with an outstanding steal and last-second 3-pointer combination, putting Milan up by 14 before the final quarter (63-49).

Milan: Malcolm Delaney 16 (5 AST), Devon Hall 13, Shavon Shields 12, Luigi Datome 11, Konstantinos Mitoglou 9, Kyle Hines 8.

Efes: Vasilije Micic 17 (5 AST), Shane Larkin 13 (8 REB), Adrien Moerman 12 (5 REB), Filip Petrusev 10 (5 REB).

Highlights

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.