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Anadolu Efes defeated Real Madrid 94-84 on Tuesday in EuroLeague Round 2 action, overcoming a lopsided rebounding deficit by forcing turnovers and converting from the free-throw line in front of its home crowd.
The hosts trailed by two after the first quarter before a decisive 26-12 second-quarter surge put them in control. Madrid clawed back in the third quarter but could not overcome 21 turnovers that handed Efes extra scoring chances throughout the night.
PJ Dozier led Efes with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding three assists, two steals and a Sofascore Rating of 7.9. Facundo Campazzo topped Real Madrid with 16 points and three assists, though his five turnovers reflected the broader struggles that undid the visitors.
Real Madrid opened strong, winning the first quarter 29-27 behind Campazzo and Nick Smith Jr. Efes answered with a 26-12 second period that flipped the game, with Dario Saric scoring at all three levels, Mike James hitting a key three-pointer and Matthew Strazel finding his perimeter touch.
The run gave Efes a double-digit cushion by halftime and helped the hosts control the game clock for nearly 32 minutes overall.
Madrid rallied in the third quarter, winning it 24-19 on the strength of Campazzo's drives and Chuma Okeke's outside shooting, cutting into the deficit. But Efes steadied in the fourth, winning that frame 22-19 through disciplined half-court execution.
Strazel sealed the win with four free throws and a late layup, while Jordan Loyd added a difficult basket down the stretch. Efes's largest lead reached 14 points, and the game saw only two lead changes all night.
Real Madrid out-rebounded Efes 41-26, but the hosts more than compensated by forcing 21 Madrid turnovers and collecting 11 steals, compared with just 10 turnovers and four steals of their own.
That disparity allowed Efes to attempt 69 field goals to Madrid's 58 despite losing the battle on the boards.
Efes also produced the game's longest scoring run, an 11-0 stretch, and largely contained Madrid's half-court offense.
Campazzo and Theo Maledon combined for nine turnovers between them, repeatedly handing Efes possessions in advantageous spots even as center Edy Tavares anchored Madrid's interior defense.
Efes shot 46% from the field (32-of-69) and Real Madrid finished at 48% (28-of-58), giving the visitors a slight edge in efficiency.
Efes won the three-point contest 10-of-25 (40%) to Madrid's 9-of-26 (35%). The clearer separation came at the free-throw line, where Efes converted 20 of 22 attempts (91%) against Madrid's 19-of-22 mark (86%) in a fourth quarter defined by fouls.
Real Madrid was efficient inside, shooting 59% on two-point attempts, but managed only 32 such attempts because of its turnover total.
Efes converted 22 of 44 two-point tries, generating enough interior pressure to also open looks from the perimeter.
Beyond Dozier's 18 points, Strazel scored 14 with four assists and closed the game at the free-throw line. Loyd added 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting with four rebounds, James contributed 12 points, four assists and three steals, and Saric posted 10 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Bruno Fernando went 4-of-4 from the field for eight points and four rebounds, while Kai Jones added five points, three rebounds, two blocks and three steals off the bench.
For Real Madrid, Andres Feliz added 10 points and five assists, Okeke scored 11 off the bench on three made three-pointers, and Smith finished with 10 points, including 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Tavares recorded eight points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks, and Mikael Jantunen had seven points and three rebounds.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot struggled, missing all five of his shot attempts and committing two turnovers and three fouls, finishing with a Sofascore Rating of 3.9. Real Madrid led for just 6 minutes, 29 seconds of the contest, and finished with 24 fouls overall.
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