EuroLeague's beat: Triumphant Maccabi, Moerman's heroics and ball thief from Kazan / News - Basketnews.com
Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix, Aykut Akici, Roman Kruchinin - Getty Images | BasketNews illustration BasketNews continues 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.
Impressive two-way John Brown, another Mike James show, Fenerbahce's massive come back, Deck's return, finally victorious Maccabi, Milan's defensive fortress, clutch Moerman and Jones – all of that and more in EuroLeague's Round 22 beat.
EuroLeague's beat Round 22
BROWN SUGAR. Once again, Lorenzo and John Brown did everything for UNICS. The two of them combined for 69 minutes, 42 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 steals, and only 4 turnovers.
John Brown marked a new EuroLeague season-high, 7 steals. Barca's point guards Rokas Jokubaitis and Nicolas Laprovittola lost the ball twice. At the same time, Sertac Sanli, Brandon Davies, and Cory Higgins once to the best "thief" the competition has seen in recent years.
The game's turnover machine was Mario Hezonja with 7, but UNICS's lockdown defense was more than enough to compensate for any lapses.
BARCA IN LOW GEAR. Barcelona dropped their third game in as many weeks. They were only beaten twice in the first round.
The schedule has been tough on Sarunas Jasikevicius and his players, as they have visited Vitoria and Kazan. UNICS have been holding down their opponents under 75 points lately, and although Barcelona had never scored less than 73 so far, they were reduced to just 64 this time.
As Saras said, you can't beat UNICS with only two solid players. Barcelona, missing Nikola Mirotic to COVID, were clearly outplayed.
LLULL MAKES THEM 900. When Sergio Llull first joined Real Madrid back in 2006, who would have thought that the guard from Menorca would play 900 games (and counting) with the jersey of Europe's most winningest club?The current captain of Los Blancos has become the second player in appearances in club history, only surpassed by Felipe Reyes.
EuroLeague Round 22 contest against ALBA in Berlin was his number 900, and now Lull is getting closer to reaching the 1,046 games that Reyes contested throughout his career with Madrid (2003-2021).
DECK IS BACK. While the first quarter in Berlin was drawing to a close, Pablo Laso substituted Vincent Poirier for Gabriel Deck.
The Argentine forward made his season debut, logging a moderate tally consisting of 2 points and 1 rebound. His only basket came in garbage time, with one minute left on the clock.
Deck's last game with Los Blancos was Madrid's last in the 2020-21 regular season against Fenerbahce in Istanbul. The 26-year-old had 19 points and 4 assists.
A LOSING MVP. ALBA had three players in double digits, with Maodo Lo approaching his career-highs in scoring (26) and PIR (34).
The German guard had a fantastic first half, helping his team stay in the game but couldn't keep producing the same numbers all game long. He finished with 21 points on 6/10 from the field, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 30 in PIR.
As coach Israel Gonzalez said, ALBA hadn't practiced for almost two weeks. ALBA managed to compete in Milan against Armani, but Real was a different beast as the game was long over before the final buzzer sounded.
THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT IN MONACO. Yes, the temperature in Monaco is higher compared to most places in Europe anyway, but when it comes to basketball, things have gone pretty heated.
Almost out of nowhere, the EuroLeague newcomers have struck three straight road wins (against Bayern, ASVEL, Zenit), and all of a sudden, they're back in playoff contention. Certainly, Sasa Obradovic and his men still have a lot to make up for, but they're definitely up there.
Their next three games, against Real Madrid at home, Zvezda, and PAO on the road, will show if they have reason to believe that their 7-11 start is a thing of the past.
WHEN TYSON MET ALPHA. Last year, they were teammates at Lavrio in the Greek League. Now, Tyson Carter and Alpha Diallo had the chance to play against each other on Europe's biggest stage. Tyson Carter, who helped Lavrio reach the BCL play-in this season, made his EuroLeague debut with Zenit against Monaco, tallying 2 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound.
The two had the chance to meet twice when Lavrio played two friendly games vs. Monaco in Greece. Compared to his ex-teammate, Diallo looks like a veteran, having played 22 games already in his rookie year. The Providence graduate is averaging 8.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 9.1 in PIR.
TIME OUTS. In the Zenit-Monaco duel, three time-outs were called in the last 66 seconds. With the game's fate already decided, as the score was 73-81, coach Sasa Obradovic gave the start.
Many wondered what that was all about, but a look at the result of the first round would provide the answer. Zenit had beaten Monaco by 10 (85-75), and now, Obradovic and Pascual were exchanging ATO plays to get the best possible margin for their sides. Mike James hit a three-pointer to make it 75-86, but Loyd saved Zenit's appearances with a couple of free throws.
JAMES IS GEARING UP. He was scoreless for almost the entire first half. But when Mike James got going, he was once again unstoppable. Monaco leading man made the jump shot that gave his team a 4-point lead (36-32) going into the second half and finished with 21 points on 9/18 from the field, plus 5 assists.
Jordan Loyd tried something similar but came up short. Zenit's guard scored his first points halfway through the fourth quarter and finished with 9 points, but his contribution came late.
FENER CONNECT LONG-DISTANCE. Fenerbahce had 1/8 three-pointers in the first half. That had only happened three times for them this season, against Bayern, AX Armani Exchange, and Barcelona.
All were losses. Not this time. The team coached by Djordjevic's assistant, Goran Bjedov, came back from a double-digit hole in the third quarter largely thanks to their improvement on perimeter shooting.
Sehmus Hazer and Marko Guduric hit the most crucial of them down the stretch. The final count showed 9/25 from downtown, translating into a more-than-decent 8/17 in the second half.
SOME COMFORT. Zalgiris were up by 17 (43-26) with almost 15 minutes left but couldn't hold on to their lead and eventually succumbed to Fener, who made all the big shots. However, there were some season highs recorded for the Lithuanian champs.
A SILVER LINING. Maccabi Tel Aviv's last EuroLeague win had come on November 17. It was a comfortable 95-84 over Monaco behind Scottie Wilbekin's 37 points. It took the Israeli powerhouse two months to taste the joy of victory, but it was surely worth it. Olympiacos were no match for Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad, as the Reds had a hard time defending Zizic and side pick and rolls.
The Croatian center scored 16 points on 7/8 from the field in the first half, leading Maccabi to a 40-36 edge. He added another 7 points in the rest of the game, where Keenan Evans joined him.
The American guard chipped in 14 points overall, 8 of which in the third quarter alone, and dished out 4 assists.
The huge disparity in turnovers (4 for Maccabi and 15 for Olympiacos) perfectly reflects the level of concentration and mental readiness that both teams showed.
DARK CLOUDS OVER PIRAEUS. "It was one of our worst performances this season. We played without the desire to win. We deserved to lose."
Giorgos Bartzokas described his team's output in a few words. Olympiacos are still winless in 2022, having been beaten by Fenerbahce and Maccabi.
Up next is Crvena Zvezda, and the need to get in shape as soon as possible, as Bartzokas said, is imperative. Throughout the game, Olympiacos were switching on defense but didn't use fouls wisely. Maccabi could attack with pick and rolls, taking advantage of Moustapha Fall standing in the first line of defense.
Up until the 34th minute, no Olympiacos player had scored in double digits. COVID has taken a heavy toll on the Reds.
"It looks like we have been affected. We're playing a lot slower than we would like. We made unforced turnovers, allowing Maccabi to gain confidence," assistant coach Giorgos Bozikas noted. "We didn't have a problem guarding Zizic because the points he scored came off of other players' passes," he added.
DEFENSIVE CLINIC. Milan limited CSKA to 57 points, their lowest mark ever in a home loss in EuroLeague history. FC Barcelona had the previous record, beating CSKA 60-81 on the road on November 8, 2012.
Milan forced CSKA into 3-for-24 three-pointers (12.5%), while Kyle Hines was one of the key defensive pillars in the paint, swatting away three CSKA's shots.
X-FACTORS. Troy Daniels and Trey Kell gave Armani Exchange the needed boost in absence of veteran Luigi Datome. In just his second EuroLeague duel, Kell helped Milan with 9 points and 3 rebounds, providing the biggest highlight of the game with a huge dunk in traffic. Daniels also came off the bench to sink 4 of 7 three-pointers on his way to 13 points in just 15 minutes.
"Troy Daniels and Trey (Kell) stepped up, and that was the key to success," commented Hines post-game.
HERO. While all the PAO eyes were focused on Vasilije Micic during the last Anadolu Efes attack, Adrien Moerman was the one who saved the day for the Turkish powerhouse, draining a game-winning trey just before the final buzzer.
Ergin Ataman also deserves the praises, as it was a picture-perfect attack (set play) against the trap, which finished on a high note.
BITTERSWEET WIN. Shane Larkin played over 30 minutes but intriguingly missed the clutch moments of the game after going to the bench with 1:53 remaining to the end.
"Larkin had a serious injury," explained Ergin Ataman post-match. "His situation looks serious. Otherwise, neither I would take him out in the last part of the game nor he would be taken out."
Larkin finished the game with 11 points (1/2 2PT, 3/7 3PT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 15 PIR.
Besides the injury of the key guard, James Anderson's situation does not look very good as well as Ergin Ataman noted that he had a muscular tear, and that is why he had to be taken out of the game early in the first quarter.
TOUGH CALL. In all drama, there was a moment that made a subtle yet, decisive change. A technical foul was called against Dimitris Priftis with 2:13 to play. The reason? Stepping in on the court.
"I said nothing to the referee," said Priftis after the game on the incident.
"I talked to my player. I stepped over the line with half of my shoe, not the full of it. To be honest, they warned me before... but I think it was a... No, I don't think anything, I tell only what happened," he added.
That single free throw turned out to be the only point separating Anadolu Efes from Panathinaikos in the scoreline at the end of the game.
SHINY BACKCOURT DUOS. Vasilije Micic posted 20 points (8/12 2PT, 0/7 3PT, 4/4 FT), 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 17 PIR, while Shane Larkin contributed with 11 points (1/2 2PT, 3/7 3PT), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 15 PIR for Anadolu Efes.
For the losing side, Nemanja Nedovic accumulated 20 points (2/4 2PT, 4/8 3PT, 4/4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, and 22 PIR. Daryl Macon aided him with 17 points (4/6 2PT, 3/4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 17 PIR.
TRIPLE SEVENTEEN. Othello Hunter, Augustine Rubit, and Corey Walden were the main contributors to Bayern's victorious effort, scoring 17 points each. Walden added 6 assists to his performance while Hunter and Rubit shone in the boards' department (8 and 7 rebounds, respectively).
NO MERCY. Wade Baldwin was feasting against his former team once more. This time, he posted 23 points (7/8 2PT, 0/2 3PT, 9/9 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 8 drawn fouls, and a game-high 30 PIR.
He was superb in the first duel, too, sinking Bayern's ship with career-high 30 points (7/11 2PT, 4/7 3PT, 4/4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 drawn fouls, and 33 PIR. The latter performance granted him EuroLeague Round 17 MVP honors.
DEEP STATEMENT. Andrea Trinchieri analyzed the current situation in European basketball with a thoughtful saying.
"It's very difficult for everybody to remain objective. You find the chemistry, put the team in shape, and suddenly COVID comes, and you lose everything. You lose your best offensive player in a back-to-back game for four months. Here you have the Mar Cantabrico.
In this phase of the season, it is difficult to go out with the boat because of the huge waves. I would not judge any team for a small period of time. You can lose three games in a row or win three. It's like the boat in the storm, you just need to go straight," spoke the Italian mastermind.
A STEP FORWARD. Chris Jones and Paul Lacombe both scored 17 points to pace ASVEL, playing without their leading scorer Elie Okobo. If we can expect such a contribution by Jones, then Lacombe's performance was very on time for ASVEL.
The Frenchman came off the bench and gave the team some much-needed energy, especially in the third quarter.
17 points - his new career-high, as he connected on 8-of-14 shots from the field and 1-of-2 free throws. Lacombe added another new career-high of 7 rebounds, along with 2 assists and 1 steal for a 17 PIR, which is also a new personal best.
JONES FOR THE RESCUE. When the game went down the line, Chris Jones took matters into his hands, penetrating the rim and draining a game-winning layup with 26 seconds on the clock.
Dobric could not convert the last shot from deep, and ASVEL celebrated the hard-fought W, which skidded a two-game losing streak.
TOP Plays of Round 22
Records of Round 22
PIRAnte Zizic Ante Zizic (33)
PointsAnte Zizic Ante Zizic,Wade Baldwin (23 each)
ReboundsTyler Cavanaugh Tyler Cavanaugh (13)
AssistsLorenzo Brown Lorenzo Brown, Nick Weiler-Babb (8 each)
StealsJohn Brown John Brown (7)
BlocksJordan Mickey Jordan Mickey (5)
3-pointers madeCorey Walden Corey Walden, Karolis Lukosiunas (5 each) Results of Round 22
UNIKS Kazan FC Barcelona 70-64 Zenit Saint Petersburg Monaco Basket 77-86 Fenerbahce Istanbul Zalgiris Kaunas 73-67 ALBA Berlin Real Madrid 74-89 Maccabi Tel Aviv Olympiakos Piraeus 84-69 CSKA Moscow AX Armani Exchange Milan 57-67 Anadolu Efes Istanbul Panathinaikos Athens 82-81 Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz FC Bayern Munich 77-84 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Crvena Zvezda Belgrade 69-67
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