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Anadolu Efes fell to a 77-72 road defeat against Serbia's Crvena Zvezda in Round 3 of the EuroLeague at Belgrade Arena, leaving the Istanbul side with two losses from their opening three games.
The defeat was compounded by an injury to American guard Mike James, who was taken off on a stretcher after hurting his right ankle late in the third quarter.
Efes had started strongly and edged the opening period 21-19 after Strazel and James helped the visitors move ahead during a tightly contested first quarter. Crvena Zvezda responded in the second period through Jordan Nwora and took a narrow 37-36 advantage into halftime.
The Serbian side began to take control after the break as Chima Moneke stepped up offensively, although baskets from Malcolm and Bruno Fernando kept Efes within reach. Crvena Zvezda entered the final quarter with a 56-53 lead.
Efes briefly lost momentum following James' injury and slipped eight points behind at 63-55 in the 33rd minute. However, baskets from Jordan Loyd, Dario Saric and PJ Dozier sparked a 6-0 run that cut the deficit to two points.
Efes still had an opportunity to turn the game around in the closing seconds. With Crvena Zvezda leading 73-71 and nine seconds remaining, Malcolm missed an open shot that could have put the visitors ahead.
Joe Carter then converted both free throws after Efes were forced to foul, and Crvena Zvezda held on to secure a 77-72 victory and their first EuroLeague win of the season.
Loyd led Efes with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Saric recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds. Strazel also finished with 13 points. Moneke came off the bench to lead Crvena Zvezda with 18 points and seven rebounds.
James suffered the injury with 2 minutes and 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter while moving away from the ball.
The veteran guard went down holding the back of his right ankle and was eventually taken to the locker room on a stretcher.
James had played 22 minutes and 30 seconds before leaving the game, finishing with 11 points, three assists and one rebound.
The result handed Anadolu Efes their second defeat in three EuroLeague games, while Crvena Zvezda picked up their first victory of the season.
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