Galatasaray MCT Technic defeated Beşiktaş GAİN 78-75 at home to level the series at 1-1. The deciding third game will be played on Saturday, May 30 at Beşiktaş’s court.
Two days after a 25-point dismantling, Galatasaray produced a completely different version of themselves. Tighter defensively. Calmer under pressure. And in the end, good enough to survive by three points and send the series where nobody expected it to go.
The opening they didn’t want:
Beşiktaş hit the ground running — Sertaç Şanlı’s three-pointer capped an 8-0 opening run in the second minute, and Lemar’s three at the four-minute mark stretched the lead to 10: 4-14. The crowd had seen this film before. Game 1 started the same way and never came back.
This time it did. Galatasaray regrouped after substitutions and found their offensive rhythm, with Muhsin Yaşar’s post move sparking a 6-0 run in the final 44 seconds of the quarter to make it 21-23. Two points down at the end of the first period. In the context of this series, that felt like a victory.
A second quarter that changed everything:
Galatasaray took their first lead of the game early in the second quarter — Petrucelli’s three-pointer at the 12th minute made it 25-23. Beşiktaş answered through the paint and re-established control. The halftime margin was slim. The contest was real.
The third quarter shifted back toward Beşiktaş: their outside shooting reasserted itself and they took a 60-54 advantage into the final period. Six down. Ten minutes. Same position as so many teams that don’t come back.
The moment the game turned:
Galatasaray intensified their defence in the fourth quarter, cutting off Beşiktaş’s easy scoring routes and converting their opponents’ turnovers and empty possessions. CJ McCollum’s free throws at the 38th minute gave Galatasaray a 70-69 lead.
One point. Two minutes. Both teams traded free throws down the stretch. Galatasaray held their nerve and closed it out 78-75. The final margin: three points. The distance from the first game’s margin: 22 points. Basketball’s volatility compressed into 48 hours.
Individual performances:
Galatasaray were led by White with 17 points, McCollum with 14, and Robinson with 13. McCollum’s contribution was less about raw scoring than about timing — the lead change at the 38th minute was the game’s decisive swing, and he delivered it from the free-throw line.
Beşiktaş’s Lemar again led their scoring with 19 points, but the three-point shooting efficiency that defined Game 1 did not materialise at the same level. Galatasaray’s fourth-quarter defensive intensity disrupted their rhythm at exactly the right moment.
What Game 3 now means:
The deciding game of the series goes to Beşiktaş’s court on Saturday, May 30. Whoever wins advances to the semi-finals; whoever loses goes home. Galatasaray travel as the side who had their season effectively over 48 hours ago and found a way to still be alive. Beşiktaş travel as the higher-seeded, more consistent team who let a closing opportunity slip.
Series basketball does this. The team that wins by 25 in Game 1 and loses by 3 in Game 2 is still the same team with the same strengths. Saturday will tell us which version of Galatasaray shows up — and whether Beşiktaş can deliver the ruthlessness that a deciding game demands.
