Real Madrid forces Game 5 vs Anadolu Efes behind Usman Garuba’s career night
Usman Garuba made an incredible performance and led Real Madrid past Anadolu Efes in Game 4 of the EuroLeague playoff series.
Garuba posted EuroLeague career highs of 24 points, 12 rebounds and 30 PIR, helping Real Madrid even the series (82-76) and force a Game 5.
“I always trust in my team and my teammates, and I am very happy. We have a lot of experienced players, so we listen to them. And we won,” Garuba said afterwards.
The “Whites” started the game on fire and took a 17-point lead (17-0) early in the first quarter. Yet, the Turks turned things around and went on a 19-47 run to close the first half in front by 11 (36-47).
Things didn’t change much until early in the fourth quarter (59-72), with Efes coming closer to securing its place in the EuroLeague Final Four.
Yet, Real forced another comeback in the EuroLeague playoff series and closed the game on a 23-4 run to seal the deal.
“We are believing and we are staying focused. We keep working, keep working, and we never give up. I am very proud of my players because they showed it.
You can win, you can lose, but this is basketball. This is a fun game to watch, but you’ve got to keep believing. We fight until the end, and finally we got this victory and are going back to Istanbul,” Real head coach Pablo Laso told afterwards, via the official website of the EuroLeague.
Game 5 of the EuroLeague playoff series will take place on Tuesday at Sinan Erdem Dome. Whoever wins will qualify for the EuroLeague Final Four and will face CSKA Moscow.
“Again, it was similar to the first game here. Real did not give up. It is 2-2. It is a strong series, a tough series, and now we play the final of this series in Istanbul,” Efes head coach Ergin Ataman told reporters in the post-game press conference.