Chimezie Metu erupted off the bench, scoring a game-high 21 points to lead FC Barcelona Bàsquet to a 97-88 victory over Jordan Nwora’s Anadolu Efes in a thrilling Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clash on Tuesday night at the Basketball Development Center in Istanbul.
Barcelona dominated the early stages, outscoring Efes 29-26 in the first quarter and 26-25 in the second and
21-15 in the third. While Efes rallied with a 22-21 advantage in the final quarter, it wasn’t enough to overcome Barcelona’s strong performance.
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Metu’s impressive 21-point outing, highlighted by efficient shooting from the field (80% from 2-point range, 75% from 3-point range, and 100% from the free-throw line), marks a career-high for the Nigerian power forward in a Barcelona jersey. He also contributed three rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of action.
Kevin Punter added 20 points to Barcelona’s winning effort, while Justin Anderson chipped in with 14 points.
For Anadolu Efes, Nwora started the game and finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Daniel Oturu came off the bench to add 10 points, two rebounds, and an assist. Only Darius Thompson, with 16 points, outscored Nwora in the losing effort.
With this victory, Barcelona improves to 5-1 in the EuroLeague, suffering their only loss in the season opener against Žalgiris Kaunas. They currently top the table followed by Zalgiris and Baskonia.