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Anadolu Efes Istanbul ended a prolonged losing streak in the EuroLeague on Tuesday, defeating Valencia Basket 107-90 at home to claim their first victory in nine matches.
The Turkish side controlled the game from the opening tip, building an early advantage and maintaining steady pressure throughout the contest at Turkcell Basketball Development Center. The win provided a much-needed boost for Efes, who had struggled through a difficult stretch in Europe's premier club competition.
Head coach Pablo Laso praised his team's effort while tempering expectations about the performance. "Today we reflected a very big effort on the court," Laso said during the post-game press conference. "I am a head coach with very high expectations. In my opinion, we didn't produce a great game, but we put forth a solid performance from the first minute."
The victory marked a significant psychological shift for Anadolu Efes, who entered the 26th week of EuroLeague play searching for answers after their extended winless run. Laso acknowledged the contrast in his mood compared to recent weeks, noting he finally appeared before the media with a different disposition.
While the Spanish coach celebrated the win, he maintained that his team hadn't yet reached the level he demands. "We couldn't completely project the tone we need to be competitive, but we must also not forget that we played against a team with high energy, fast pace, and very dangerous from behind the 3-point line," he explained.
The EuroLeague represents the highest level of European club basketball, featuring top teams from across the continent competing in a regular season format followed by playoffs.
Valencia Basket head coach Pedro Martinez offered a blunt assessment of his team's performance, describing the match as poor from start to finish. "It was a bad game," Martinez said. "Anadolu Efes competed with much more energy than us from the first minute to the last second."
The Spanish side showed brief signs of life at the start of the second half but couldn't sustain any momentum against an Efes team eager to end their losing streak. Martinez pointed to multiple breakdowns across all facets of the game.
"We allowed very easy baskets. We lost too many rebounds. We weren't good in offense, in ball distribution, or in defense," he said. "I think we weren't good mentally either. We have some problems. We can't deny them. When we win some games, we don't see the problems. We need to try to improve these problems. But as you can see, we don't have time. The competition continues without stopping."
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