Mario Hezonja clinches EuroLeague MVP for December / News - Basketnews.com

Mario Hezonja became the first Croatian player in nine years to receive the award.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

On a team that has been near-perfect all season, one player stood out just a little more in another flawless month for Real Madrid.

Points this season

50%87,5Points made:87,5Accuracy:50,5%Place in standings:1Record max:103Record min:65Best scorer:Mario HezonjaTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Mario Hezonja is Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for December after he led his team in average scoring and performance index rating during a month that left the defending EuroLeague champions with an unprecedented four-victory lead in the standings at midseason.

Hezonja recorded Real's highest PIR in three of the five games he played in December while registering two of the five double-doubles in his 126-game EuroLeague career.

Hezonja, 28, becomes the MVP of the Month honoree for the first time in his seven seasons in the EuroLeague.

He's the seventh current Real player so honored, following Facundo Campazzo in November, making them the second pair of teammates to win it back-to-back, after Andrei Kirilenko and Nenad Krstic of CSKA Moscow in 2011.

Hezonja is the third Croatian to win the award and the first to do so in nine years, following Ante Tomic (three times) and Dario Saric (once).

Real now has 14 such honorees all-time, second only to CSKA Moscow's 18.

Hezonja started December, with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and a PIR of 21 as Real rebounded strongly from its sole defeat of the season, at the last gasp in overtime a few days earlier, by winning a 2023 championship-game rematch with Olympiacos Piraeus on the road by 70-77.

Two nights later, Hezonja was at it again, leading Real with 19 points, 4 steals, and 23 PIR in another road win, 78-90, at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

After scoring 12 points to help beat FC Bayern Munich 88-73 at home a week later, Hezonja posted another gem – team-highs of 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 19 PIR – as Real took a third away win in 14 days, 58-72 at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

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Hezonja then contributed 14 points in a home showdown with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, reprising their unforgettable playoff series of last spring, which Real won 91-75.

Hezonja finished December having averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and a PIR of 17.2 in 24 minutes per game while making 64.2% of his two-point shots and 91.7% of his free throws.

Real won five games – three away and two with playoff teams from last season – by an average of 12.8 points with Hezonja in the lineup.

Mario Hezonja in December:

Date Team Opponent Score MIN REB AS ST TO BS RBS PF RF PTS EFF 12-21 Real Madrid Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 91-75 17 32/1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 15 12-19 Real Madrid Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade 58-72 30 1010/0 0 3 4 0 0 2 2 17 19 12-14 Real Madrid FC Bayern Munich 88-73 20 11/0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 12 8 12-07 Real Madrid Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 78-90 22 10/1 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 19 23 12-05 Real Madrid Olympiacos Piraeus 71-77 28 1010/0 0 1 2 1 0 3 3 18 21 Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.