Barcelona beats reigning Euroleague champion Anadolu Efes in a rematch from the 2021 final
Round 21 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague began with a pair of Thursday games that ended in 5-point results. First, AS Monaco outlasted FC Bayern Munich on the road, and then FC Barcelona bested reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul in a rematch from the 2021 championship game. The two-round week continues Friday when CSKA Moscow hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, and Real Madrid takes on Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
FC Bayern Munich 78-83 AS Monaco
Mike James shined with 26 points and six assists to lead AS Monaco to a 78-83 road win over FC Bayern Munich at Audi Dome on Thursday night. The visitors used a 0-12 run to finish the second quarter with a 35-40 halftime lead, and though Bayern tied the score early in the third quarter, it would never lead again. The result gave Monaco a season sweep of Bayern and left both teams with 8-11 records. Danilo Andjusic contributed 16 points, Dwayne Bacon scored 11, and Donatas Motiejunas had 10 for the winners. Corey Walden paced Bayern with a career-high 26 points, five assists, and four steals, and Vladimir Lucic added 14 points in defeat.
FC Barcelona 82-77 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
FC Barcelona swept the season series against Anadolu Efes Istanbul as it defeated the reigning champion 82-77 in a rematch of the 2021 championship game to snap a two-game losing streak. Barcelona prevailed in another thriller against Efes after winning in Turkey 93-95 in overtime in Round 13 in early December. Jokubaitis finished with a team-high 16 points while Nikola Mirotic scored 15 points – just 2 in the second half, and Sertac Sanli added 13 points and seven rebounds in another big game against his former team. Efes dropped to 9-10 with its second straight loss despite Vasilije Micic tallying 18 points in the team’s first EuroLeague game of 2022 – including making 12 of 15 free throws. Shane Larkin collected 17 points, and both Bryant Dunston and Krunoslav Simon contributed 12 points in the loss. Efes head coach Ergin Ataman was ejected midway through the third quarter with two technicals.