Payne's Late 3s Carry Efes Past Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos pulled within a point midway through the fourth quarter, then Cameron Payne hit three 3-pointers during a run to 80–65 that left the leaders at 7–2.
Collin Malcolm of Anadolu Efes at the free-throw line during a EuroLeague game in Istanbul, September 2026.Illustration by The Good Times, based on a photo by Zafer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cameron Payne scored 14 points, nine of them on three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, as Anadolu Efes beat Panathinaikos 83–68 in Istanbul and handed the leader its second loss of the season.
Payne missed his first six 3-point attempts and finished with eight assists and three steals. Collin Malcolm and Bruno Fernando scored 15 points each, and Dario Saric had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Guerschon Yabusele cut the lead to 66–65 midway through the fourth quarter. Efes then went ahead 80–65 with 2:30 left, Payne making three 3-pointers in that stretch. Efes had led 21–18 after the first quarter, 45–37 at halftime and 61–51 after three quarters.
Kendrick Nunn led Panathinaikos with 17 points, and Nigel Hayes-Davis scored 11. Panathinaikos, coached by Željko Obradović, is 7–2 and still first; Efes is 4–5. Panathinaikos plays next at Real Madrid, and Efes hosts Paris.
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Cameron Payne scored 14 points, nine of them on three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, as Anadolu Efes beat Panathinaikos 83–68 in the EuroLeague and handed the leader its second loss of the season.
Payne missed his first six 3-point attempts and finished 4 of 11 from beyond the arc, with eight assists and three steals.
Collin Malcolm scored 15 points with six rebounds, and Bruno Fernando had 15 points and five rebounds. Dario Saric had 11 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, and Jordan Loyd scored 10.
Efes led 21–18 after the first quarter, 45–37 at halftime and 61–51 after three quarters.
Panathinaikos cut the lead to 66–65 on a basket by Guerschon Yabusele midway through the fourth quarter. Efes answered with a run that made it 80–65 with 2:30 left, Payne making three 3-pointers in that stretch.
Kendrick Nunn led Panathinaikos with 17 points, and Nigel Hayes-Davis scored 11.
Panathinaikos, coached by Željko Obradović, is 7–2 and still first in the standings. Efes, coached by Pablo Laso, is 4–5.
Panathinaikos plays next at Real Madrid, which has won 10 straight games in all competitions. Efes hosts Paris.