Nicolas Laprovittola racks EuroLeague playoffs Game 5 MVP honors / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

When it mattered most, FC Barcelona guard Nicolas Laprovittola registered the biggest game of his four-year Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career to walk off with the Game 5 MVP award and walk into his first Final Four.

Player of the Game EFF 30 Nicolas Laprovittola Points 26 Accuracy 7-12 Rebounds 2 Assists 3

In an 81-72 victory over visiting FC Bayern Munich, Laprovittola scored personal-best 26 points, which was nothing less than the second-highest scoring total by a Barca player in the club's 59 playoff games to date.

To do that, Laprovittola made 2 of 5 two-point shots, 5 of 7 triples, and all 7 of his free throws.

He added 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds while drawing 6 fouls for a performance index rating of 30, another career-high.

Laprovittola's second MVP of the Round honor in four EuroLeague seasons comes three months after his first one, in Round 26 of the regular season.

The next-best Game 5 performances belonged to Laprovittola's teammate, Nikola Mirotic, and AS Monaco guard Mike James, each with a PIR of 26.

Mirotic had 20 points and 5 rebounds in Barca's win over Bayern, while James had 24 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds in a 94-88 loss against Olympiacos Piraeus.

In that same game, Olympiacos guard Shaquielle McKissic posted a PIR of 24 based on his 18 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in just 17 minutes of action, while his teammate Kostas Sloukas had a PIR of 22 after collecting 15 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in their team's series-clinching victory.

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