Pablo Laso: It wasn’t enough to win
Tough night in Turkey
Anadolu Efes had a bad outing on the road and fell to Esenler Erokspor, losing 90–79. The visitors trailed 45–30 at the half and never really recovered — the home side pushed the lead to 21 in the third quarter before Efes trimmed the gap late, but it wasn’t enough.
This result is another setback for Efes: it was their fourth defeat in five matches across all competitions and marked their seventh loss in the domestic league, while Esenler Erokspor notched their 10th win of the season.
Coach reaction and what’s next
Head coach Pablo Laso admitted the team played poorly early and that mistakes at key moments turned a comeback attempt into a lost cause. He noted that the squad showed life when they cut into the deficit in the third quarter, but miscues allowed the hosts to re-establish control and the fight at the end still fell short of getting the win.
Efes now head into a busy EuroLeague week, traveling to Hapoel Tel Aviv and then returning home to face Olympiacos. Their recent continental form has been concerning — they’ve dropped the vast majority of their recent EuroLeague games — and Laso’s arrival hasn’t yet reversed that slide. The team will be hoping for a quicker turnaround as the schedule ramps up.
