Real Madrid fell to their second consecutive Euroleague defeat of the season, losing 94-84 to Pablo Laso's Anadolu Efes in Istanbul on Tuesday.
In Nick Smith Jr.'s debut for the club, Pedro Martinez's team was hindered by high turnover numbers and a lack of impact from key players. The result leaves them winless in the European competition following an earlier loss to Dubai Basketball.
Real Madrid, who entered the game buoyed by their recent Spanish Supercopa title, struggled for long stretches at the Sinam Erden Spor Salonu in front of 9,888 spectators. The defeat mirrors their struggles at the start of last season, when the Spanish club suffered four consecutive away losses in Europe before finally securing a victory in their fifth game at the Palau.
Costly turnovers plague second quarter
The Spanish side's erratic play was particularly evident in the second quarter. Real Madrid scored just 12 points while committing nine turnovers, recording more giveaways than assists.
The turnovers directly translated into 23 points for Anadolu Efes over the course of the game. An 11-0 run by the Turkish team in the final stretch of the second period highlighted the crisis Madrid found themselves in.
In total, the match report noted Madrid committed 18 turnovers, though a summary line cited 21. The mistakes were described as inexplicable for September and worthy of a cadet team. The giveaways muddied the speed and daring that usually characterises Martinez's system, and by halftime alone, Madrid had accumulated 14 turnovers.
Nick Smith Jr. makes his debut
Despite the overall struggles, the game did not begin poorly for Real Madrid. Martinez opted to start Smith Jr. in his debut.
Juan Carlos Sanchez, the head of the club's basketball section, said the American shooting guard was the player who took the most effort to sign. Sanchez said it took 20 days of insisting, including mediation from Dallas Mavericks star and former Real Madrid player Luka Doncic, for Smith to agree to the move.
Smith's appearance was described as daring but fleeting. He offered glimpses of his scoring ease but showed a tendency to commit fouls due to being out of position, finishing with 10 points.
Meanwhile, prominent figures like Walter Tavares and Luwawu-Cabarrot were largely inconsequential. Tavares was strangely quiet, contributing just eight points, while Luwawu-Cabarrot played his worst game in months and went scoreless.
Anadolu Efes execute precisely
The Spanish team looked more comfortable when playing the interior duo of Okeke and Jantunen. While this pairing served as an effective surprise factor, it was deemed insufficient to sustain the team for extended minutes in European play. The ongoing acclimatisation process to the new roles demanded by Martinez's approach continues to cause excessive inconsistency.
In contrast, Laso's Anadolu Efes functioned with precision. They secured the win without needing a stellar contribution from star players Mike James, who scored 12 points, or Dario Saric, who added 10.
Madrid found themselves disoriented despite opening the third quarter with a pair of three-pointers, eventually falling behind by 13 points.
Late rally falls short
As the game progressed, Real Madrid began to share the ball with more purpose and reduced their turnover frequency. The interior pairing of Jantunen and Okeke settled the team, but stopping Efes required a stronger defensive effort, as the Turkish team was comfortable exchanging baskets.
With the deficit hovering around 10 points and the clock becoming a factor, Facundo Campazzo and Maledon took control of the game for the visitors. Campazzo, who top-scored for Madrid with 16 points, led through pure personality, while Maledon, who scored nine, showed a clear understanding of Martinez's expectations.
The game tightened in the fourth quarter, and Madrid managed to cut the gap to six points with 72 seconds remaining. However, the late organisation proved too little, too late for the current squad.
Box score and Euroleague results
Anadolu Efes scored 27, 26, 19, and 22 points across the four quarters, while Real Madrid responded with 29, 12, 24, and 19.
For Anadolu Efes, the starting five comprised James (12), Strazel (14), Dozier (18), Saric (10) and Fernando (8). The bench contributed through Malcolm (2), Osmani (5), Loyd (12), Jones (5), Russell (5) and Yusta (3).
Real Madrid's starters were Campazzo (16), Smith Jr. (10), Deck (2), Pradilla (4) and Tavares (8). The reserves featured Feliz (10), Luwawu-Cabarrot (0), Maledon (9), Okeke (11), Jones (4), Abalde (3) and Jantunen (7).
The match was officiated by Nedovic from Slovenia, Racys from Lithuania, and Tsaroucha from Greece, with no players fouling out.
In other second-round Euroleague action broadcast on Movistar +, Dubai Basketball defeated Barcelona 94-87. Olympiacos edged Zalgiris Kaunas 93-91, and Fenerbahce secured a 100-76 victory over Bayern Munich. Hapoel Tel Aviv won 81-80 against Red Star, Armani Milan beat Virtus Bologna 87-85, Valencia Basket comprehensively defeated Baskonia 111-88, and Partizan beat Paris Basketball 92-79. The round will conclude with Maccabi Tel Aviv playing Besiktas and Panathinaikos facing ASVEL Villeurbanne.
The current standings see Fenerbahce, Partizan, Valencia Basket, Olympiacos, and Dubai Basketball all unbeaten at 2-0. Panathinaikos and ASVEL Villeurbanne are 1-0. Zalgiris Kaunas, Anadolu Efes, Barcelona, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Armani Milan, and Bayern Munich sit at 1-1. Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv are 0-1, while Red Star, Real Madrid, Virtus Bologna, Paris Basketball, and Baskonia remain winless at 0-2.
