EuroLeague's beat: confrontation in Milan, and Ergin Ataman's return / News - Basketnews.com
Credit Giuseppe Cottini, Roberto Finizio - Getty Images, Zuma Press - Scanpix, D.Repečka | BasketNews illustration BasketNewscontinues the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague beat edition. Here, you'll be able to find all the info you need about what happened in the latest EuroLeague round.
A post-game battle on the court in Milan, incredible Monaco's comebacks, stifling Bayern's defense, Ergin Ataman's return to Efes, John Brown's record - all of that and more in EuroLeague's Round 25 beat.
EuroLeague's beat Round 25
THE STORY OF TWO HALVES. Austin Hollins hit a three-pointer with 4:52 to go in the second quarter when Crvena Zvezda's lead reached a whopping 20 points - 45:25. However, AS Monaco went on a 17-7 run finish the quarter, showing the things to come.
The Monegasque team won the third quarter by 10 (22-12) and then finished the job in the 4th quarter. A 16-6 run in the middle of the quarter solidified an important win for the club over a resilient home team.
It was Monaco's second 20+ point comeback of the season. They are the only team in EuroLeague history to come back from a 20-point deficit twice in the same season (data available since the 2007-08 season).
BIG MAN ON THE RISE.Donatas Motiejunas started the season off pretty slowly, averaging only 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds for 7.75 PIR until December 17th, 2021. Since then, the Lithuanian center has been averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for 17.3 PIR.
Motiejunas was both the top-scorer and the most efficient player in the match against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. He scored 20 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and collected 20 PIR points to lead the team to a comeback win.
GUDURIC VS HINES. AX Armani Exchange Milan vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul match was intense, but nothing during the match prepared the fans for what was awaiting us after the final whistle.
Immediately after the end of the match, a brawl started to form in the middle of the court involving both teams' players. Later, both head coaches - Ettore Messina and Sasa Djordjevic- got into the action.
It seemed that it was Marko Guduric's actions that sparked the confrontation.
"Guduric is a great player and had a great game. But what he said at the end of the game towards our coach, wasn't needed," Milan's center Kyle Hines noted after the game.
NO LEADERS NO PROBLEM. Fenerbahce have lost Jan Vesely and Nando de Colo due to injuries for multiple weeks now, but the club doesn't seem to have lost its stride. The Turkish powerhouse has now won 4 matches in a row and 8 of their last 9.
It was Achille Polonara's turn to solidify the team during the first weeks of absence, now Marko Guduric, Dyshawn Pierre, and Devin Booker have taken the torch. Guduric has been averaging 15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.75 assists for 20.25 PIR during the last 4 games, all victories for the team.
DEFENSE IS THE KEY. Before the match, FC Bayern Munich had held their last five opponents, three of them in EuroLeague and two in BBL, to an average of 65 points. They allowed only 52 points in the entire match, and only 23 in the second half.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv scored only 52 points against the stout Bayern defense. 52 points are the lowest mark in the club's history. The team dished out only 5 assists (3rd-lowest mark in Maccabi history), made only 18 field goals (2nd-lowest), and collected only 43 PIR (2nd-lowest).
ONE FOR ALL AND NONE FOR ONE. Scottie Wilbekin was the lone warrior on the court for the Israeli club. The guard scored 20 points out of the team's total 52, made 6 field goals out of the team's 18, and recorded 25 PIR points out of a total of 43.
Wilbekin is currently 4th in the EuroLeague in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per match. During the last three games, the American guard has been averaging 19.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists for 23.6 PIR.
EXUM EXCELLENCE. According to FC Barcelona's head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, Dante Exum is a savage in practices. Well, he's a beast not only in practices anymore.
The Australian guard has been averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists for 15.5 PIR in the last two games. Is this a sign of things to come? Barca for sure hope so.
NO CHANCE. The top EuroLeague team met the second-worst EuroLeague team, and it showed. Although the first quarter was close (17-15), Barca kicked on the higher gear in the second, going off with a 24-6 run to solidify their presence.
Three-pointers from Nick Calathes and Nigel Hayes-Davis proved too much for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, and the teams headed to locker rooms at halftime with already 20 points between them.
Nikola Mirotic could sit calmly and watch his teammates flourish as the match was a no-contest in the second half.
THE PAINT IS MINE. Nikola Milutinov is one of the best centers in the league, and it showed. ALBA Berlin were no match for the big man from Serbia, allowing him to feast in the paint.
Milutinov scored 21 points, his highest total in CSKA Moscow's uniform, grabbed 11 rebounds, and recorded 36 PIR points (tied-highest in CSKA career). An MVP-like performance from one of the best in the game for a solid win at home.
SCORERS CAN DISH DIMES TOO. Alexey Shved has been known throughout his career mainly as a scorer. He reached a 3000-point mark in the Euroleague during the game against ALBA Berlin, but that was not the main reason why he was noticeable during the match.
The Russian guard dished out 13 assists to tie his career-high in the EuroLeague. Shved had reached the 13-assist mark before this season in the Round 13 game against Panathinaikos Athens.
50/40/90. The 50/40/90 club is exclusive, and only a handful of EuroLeague players ever get to it in the season. Well, Shane Larkin now belongs to it. After the last match, the guard shoots two-pointers with 57.4% accuracy, three-pointers - 40.2%, and free throws - 93%.
Larkin scored 19 points, dished out 8 assists, made 4 steals, and recorded 23 PIR points to solidify a come-from-behind victory against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
ERGIN IS BACK. The king is back. After missing two matches due to an upper respiratory infection, Ergin Ataman was the head coach of Anadolu Efes Istanbul again, leading his team to a win in Villeurbanne.
Regarding being away from the team and having to watch its performances on TV, Ataman brushed it off. "I sometimes had to watch my teams from the stands but it was the first time I watched my team on TV," Ataman said. "I was really relaxed during the game."
UNLIKELY LEADER. Marcos Knight. Yes, Marcos Knight was the leader of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the match against Anadolu Efes. After missing the bigger part of the beginning of the season, the American guard was the spark in the French club's offense.
Although not victorious in the end, Knight registered one of the best performances in the round, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and collecting 30 PIR points. With Elie Okobo sidelined due to injury, ASVEL needed someone to step up. Knight did exactly that.
PROFESSIONAL THIEF. John Brown III has been continuously praised for his high-energy play and his tremendous ability to steal the ball this season. Now he's in the record books.
Brown recorded 5 steals in the match against Zalgiris Kaunas, moving his season's total to 68 - the highest mark in a season in EuroLeague's history. Moreover, Brown scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to register his first double-double of the season.
8 IN A ROW. After starting the season with 9 straight losses, Zalgiris Kaunas are now in the losing slump again. The team has now lost 8 matches in a row, and 9 in their last 10.
The Lithuanian team has been averaging only 67.1 points during the 8-game stretch and allowing opposing teams to score an average of 78.5 points. The club now welcomes AX Armani Exchange Milan on February 8th in the postponed Round 17 fixture, and the future doesn't look bright.
FINALLY. Olympiacos Piraeus did not win a single game during the month of January and lost their first match in February as well, creating doubts and worries about the club's future this season.
However, the Greek giant bounced back and proved too much for Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. A solid effort on defense, clutch shots on offense, and overall solid team effort allowed Olympiacos to notch their first win in 2022.
CRUCIAL KOSTAS. Kostas Papanikolaou has never been the leader of Olympiacos Piraeus, but he's been known as someone who can make crucial plays and hit important shots. That's exactly what happened last night in Fernando Buesa Arena.
Papanikolaou hit all 4 of his three-pointers during the match, three of them when his team needed them the most. When it looked like Baskonia could take over the game, the Greek forward said his word.
Two threes in the 3rd quarter and one in the 4th helped during the most important minutes of the match were one of the biggest keys to a much-needed victory.
SURPRISING NO-CONTEST. Real Madrid sat in 1st place in the EuroLeague standings, while Zenit St Petersburg were 4th before the match. Most of the fans expected a nail-biting match with tons of dazzling defensive and offensive moments. Real Madrid thought otherwise.
The score was tied at 30 in the middle of the 2nd quarter when Real went on a 15-6 run to finish off the half. Real continued to dominate in the 3rd, and when the teams prepared for the final quarter, the lead had already reached 18. The last quarter was just a formality.
EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES. Real Madrid has probably the most balanced roster in the league. Many of their role players would be solid starters in the majority of other EuroLeague teams. As a result, head coach Pablo Laso has to make some tough choices in each game.
Laso did not register Gabriel Deck, Adam Hanga, and Jeffery Taylor for the match against Zenit. Why? Not because of injuries. Because he can.
TOP Plays of Round 25
Records of Round 25
PIRNikola Milutinov Nikola Milutinov (36)
PointsNikola Milutinov Nikola Milutinov, Alex Poythress, Marcos Knight (21 each)
ReboundsMarcos Knight Marcos Knight (12)
AssistsAlexey Shved Alexey Shved (13)
StealsJohn Brown III John Brown (5)
BlocksJehyve Floyd Jehyve Floyd, Moustapha Fall, Louis Olinde (2 each)
3-pointers madeShane Larkin Shane Larkin, Rokas Giedraitis, Kostas Papanikolaou (4 each) Results of Round 25
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade AS Monaco 80-91 stat » AX Armani Exchange Milan Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 60-71 stat » FC Bayern Munich Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 70-52 stat » FC Barcelona Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 86-60 stat » CSKA Moscow ALBA Berlin 91-72 stat » Anadolu Efes Istanbul LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 78-72 stat » Zalgiris Kaunas UNICS Kazan 67-76 stat » Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Olympiacos Piraeus 62-72 stat » Real Madrid Zenit St Petersburg 85-64 stat » Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.Link to this article：https://www.brazilv.com/post/18083.html
