Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 14 by checking out the best photos of the week! 

Top 10 photos of Round 14

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 14 by checking out the best photos of the week!

These five players impressed enough in Round 14 to earn their place in the roll call after the first week of BKT EuroCup games in 2024.

Round 14 roll call: Marek Klassen, Tarik Phillip, Emanuel Cate, Vaidas Kariniauskas, Yigitcan Saybir

### Klassen has strong Slask debut

Joining the EuroCup midway through the season is always tough, but that has not been the case for [Marek Klassen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/marek-klassen/012094/), who had a stellar return to the competition with Slask Wroclaw. Klassen led Slask to its second victory in Group B, downing ratiopharm Ulm 100-88 at home. He posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists. Klassen made 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc and added 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 14. At age 31, Klassen is back in Poland after playing in Romania, England, Turkey, the United States, Ukraine, Sweden, Canada, the Czech Republic, France and Greece, so, of course, adjusting to the new team so quickly has been easy for him.

Marek Klassen led Slask Wroclaw to its second victory in Group B, downing ratiopharm Ulm 100-88 at home. He posted a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, hitting 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc.

Klassen has double-double in Slask debut

### Tarik Phillip sewed up London's big win

Six teammates may have scored more than him, but London Lions guard [Tarik Phillip](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tarik-phillip/009649/) had everything to do with his team pulling out a crucial 96-100 road win over the team above it in the Group A standings, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. With Jordan Taylor out of the lineup, Phillip dedicated himself to defense and assist-making, pulling 6 rebounds and dishing 7 dimes to go with his 9 points, including 2 free throws to ice the outcome with 5 seconds left. While his teammates poured in the points, his plus/minus rating of +9 led London and his poise at the finish made sure to get the job done against a dangerous opponent.

Tarik Phillip (9 points) Highlights vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv, 01/09/2024

Tarik Phillip sewed up London's big win

### Cate helps Cluj punch playoff ticket

It was a historic night for U-BT Cluj-Napoca, which qualified for the EuroCup Playoffs for the first time in club history. Cluj downed Aris Midea Thessaloniki, taking off after the break and never looking back. [Emanuel Cate](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/emanuel-cate/005373/) needed less than 19 minutes to get 18 points on 8 of 10 two-point shooting and 2-of-2 on free throws off the bench. Cate also had time to grab 4 rebounds and get 1 steal, 1 block and 2 fouls drawn for a team-high PIR of 23. Cate has been highly effective all season, providing instant offense off the bench. He is averaging 8.6 points on 63.7% two-point shooting in just over 17 minutes. And his season has been extended as Cluj will keep fighting for EuroCup glory after the regular season!

Emanuel Cate needed less than 19 minutes to get 18 points on 8 of 10 two-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws off the bench, as U-BT Cluj-Napoca qualified to the playoffs!

Cate leads Cluj's bench

### Kariniauskas was key for Wolves

In his first EuroCup season at 30 years old, [Vaidas Kariniauskas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vaidas-kariniauskas/003212/) picked the right moment for his best game yet with Wolves Vilnius. The former Zalgiris product made his EuroLeague debut more than 10 years ago and since then has played in five other countries before returning again to Lithuania this summer. Wolves faced possible elimination as soon as next week, but might now live longer in the Group A race after Kariniauskas put up season highs of 15 points and 19 PIR on 6-for-7 two-point and 3-for-3 free throw shooting in a cliff-hanger 91-81 home win on Tuesday against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana that ended his team's eight-game losing streak.

Vaidas Kariniauskas (15 points) Highlights vs. Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, 01/09/2024

Kariniauskas was key for Wolves

### Saybir leads Turk Telekom to critical win

Turk Telekom Ankara increased its chances of reaching the playoffs from Group B by downing Dolomiti Energia Trento 78-70. Forward [Yigitcan Saybir](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/yigitcan-saybir/006693/) played a critical role in the win, amassing a personal-best PIR of 25. He led Turk Telekom with a career-high 21 points of 4-of-7 two-point shooting, 3-of-4 on three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws, which was well over his season scoring average (6.8 ppg.). It was just his second double-digit scoring night this season and came at the right time. Saybir added 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 fouls drawn to lead Turk Telekom to its fifth victory. After a 1-8 start, Turk Telekom has won four of its last five games to get closer and closer to the playoff zone in Group B.

Yigitcan Saybir led Turk Telekom with a career-high 21 points of 4 of 7 two-pointers, 3 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws, way over his season average (6.8 ppg.)

Saybir leads Turk Telekom past Trento

These five players impressed enough in Round 14 to earn their place in the roll call after the first week of BKT EuroCup games in 2024.


Round 14 roll call: Klassen, Phillip, Cate, Kariniauskas, Saybir

A career-best and club-record performance in a must-win game propelled Kyle Wiltjer of Umana Reyer Venice to MVP honors for Round 14.

Round 14 MVP: Kyle Wiltjer, Umana Reyer Venice

[Kyle Wiltjer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/kyle-wiltjer/008052/) led Reyer to [a 106-96 overtime home victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/umana-reyer-venice-besiktas-emlakjet-istanbul/U2023/134/). He set career highs with a club-record 32 points on 2-of-5 two-point shooting, 7-of-11 on three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws. The 7 triples were also a club record. Wiltjer added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 9 fouls drawn for a PIR of 39, which led all players in Round 14. He earned MVP of the Round honors for the first time and became the fourth Reyer to ever do it after Mitchell Watt, Mike Bramos and Derek Willis. 

A career-high individual performance in a must-win game allowed Kyle Wiltjer of Umana Reyer Venice to earn Round 14 MVP honors with a PIR of 39.

Kyle Wiltjer | Round 14 MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

The next-highest PIR in the round was the 31 that [Ante Tomic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ante-tomic/002507/) of Joventut Badalona amassed in [his team's 90-96 road victory at Veolia Towers Hamburg](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/veolia-towers-hamburg-joventut-badalona/U2023/133/). Tomic led Joventut with 21 points on 9-of-15 two-point shooting, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 4 fouls drawn. 

[Ethan Happ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ethan-happ/009864/) posted a PIR of 30 in leading Dreamland Gran Canaria to [an 84-92 road victory against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-dreamland-gran-canaria/U2023/140/). He posted 23 points on 10 of 13 two-point shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 fouls drawn. [Andrew Andrews](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/andrew-andrews/011248/) of Joventut, [Bar Timor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/bar-timor/004846/) of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and [Trevion Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/trevion-lamon-williams-/012604/) of ratiopharm Ulm, each with a PIR of 28, completed the top individual performances in Round 14.

Umana Reyer Venice v Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (2024-01-10T19:00:00.000Z)

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 14 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Round 14 individual highs: Angel Delgado of Besiktas, 16 rebounds

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Kyle Wiltjer of Umana Reyer Venice led all Round 14 players in scoring with a club-record 32 points in his team's 106-96 overtime home victory over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul. Deividas Sirvydis of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys is the competition's top scorer this season with 18.9 points per game.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Round 14's best rebounder was Angel Delgado of Besiktas, who pulled down 16 against Reyer to match the club record that Bradley Buckman set in 2014. Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm remains the overall leader with 11.7 rebounds per night. 

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

Bar Timor of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv dished a career-high 12 assists, which were more than anyone else in Round 14, in a 96-100 losing effort against the London Lions. T.J. Shorts of Paris Basketball ranks first in assists at 7.4 per night. 

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Timor, Yogi Ferrell of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Ismail Cem Ulusoy of Turk Telekom Ankara each had 4 steals in Round 14. Andres Feliz of Joventut Badalona is the competition's steal leader with 2.4 per night. 

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita blocked 4 shots in his team's 91-89 road loss at Wolves Vilnius. He leads the EuroCup this season with 2.2 blocks per game. 

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Among the 10 players who posted double-doubles in Round 14 were Joventut teammates Andrew Andrews (19 points, 11 assists) and Ante Tomic (21 points, 10 rebounds). The others were Basiktas's Degado, Steven Enoch of Turk Telekom, Marek Klassen of SLask Wroclaw, Gabe Olaseni of London, Jordan Parks of Reyer, Paris's Shorts, Hapoel's Timor and Trevion Williams of Ulm.

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2024-01-10T17:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2024-01-10T17:00:00.000Z)

Slask Wroclaw v ratiopharm Ulm (2024-01-10T19:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2024-01-10T17:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2024-01-10T18:00:00.000Z)

Wolves Vilnius v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2024-01-09T17:00:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Joventut Badalona (2024-01-10T18:30:00.000Z)

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v London Lions (2024-01-09T17:30:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball v Prometey Slobozhanske (2024-01-10T19:30:00.000Z)

Reyer Venezia needed to win in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season, and it just did that as it defeated Beşiktaş Basketbol 106-96 in overtime.

Reyer Venezia kept its playoff hopes alive with OT win over Beşiktaş Basketbol

Umana Reyer Venice came into [Wednesday night’s clash against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/reyer-venezia-downs-besiktas-basketbol-in-overtime-106-96/) with the sole objective of snapping its four-game losing streak and getting its BKT EuroCup campaign back on track.

The Italian team’s last few results had left it behind in the playoff race and another defeat could have been costly for head coach Neven Spahija and his troops. However, Reyer hit the ground running against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul and demonstrated in the first half that it was there to fight until the end.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Dopo 45 minuti effettivi e 2 ore e 42 di partita gli orogranata superano Besiktas!<br>Che partita, Cuore Orogranata ❤🦁<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/finoallafine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#finoallafine</a> <a href="https://t.co/T8Jh2Q3GQK">pic.twitter.com/T8Jh2Q3GQK</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1745201605153075592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### A strong start... before Besiktas responded

It was quite the start for Spahija’s group, as Reyer scored 52 first-half points against the second-best defense in the BKT EuroCup, with Besiktas coming into the game with an average of 75.2 points conceded per contest.

Besiktas boss Dusan Alimpijevic expected a reaction from his side after Reyer took a 52-38 lead into the second half – and his team delivered. Despite having trailed by as many as 18 in the second quarter, Besiktas turned the game around and even led by 80-86 with 01:50 left on the clock in the closing quarter.

However, a couple of three-point plays from Jordan Parks and Kyle Wiltjer, as well as a Rayjon Tucker triple, allowed Reyer to tie the game at 89-89 and send it to overtime. The Italian side outscored its opponent 17-7 in the next 5 minutes to secure a 106-96 win, which was its first victory in five games.

“I think we deserved this win,” Spahija said in the post-game press conference. “In the first half we played well and we were better than them. It was a difficult game, but we found the energy to win this battle. I think the key to the game was our depth on the bench. Now everyone understands how difficult it is to play without players in the rotation. With this roster, we have more chances to play better basketball."

Depending on scorelines elsewhere, Turkish giants Besiktas could confirm their well-earned progress to the knockout phase via a victory here, whilst in contrast, Reyer are running out of time after losing four in a row and Amedeo Tessitori's ability in controlling the tempo may be crucial to their ambitions.

Umana Reyer Venice-Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul | Round 14 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

### A star performance and a notable debut

Marco Spissu returned from injury after missing the last two games and netted 17 points, including some big triples. [Wiltjer produced an MVP-of-the-Round outing](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/kyle-wiltjer-shined-for-reyer-venezia-with-a-career-high-night-in-ot-win-over-besiktas/) by recording a career-high 32 points for a career-best PIR of 39, having gone 7-for-11 from deep.

New signing Max Heidegger didn’t make his debut, but one player who did get the nod was Mfiondu Kabengele, who stood out in his first-ever game for Reyer. Kabengele paired his 14 points with 7 rebounds and earned Spahija’s praise, along with Wiltjer.

“The key to the game was the outstanding performance of Kyle Wiltjer and the big impact of Kabengele,” added the Reyer boss in the post-game flash interview. “Also, there were other players, each of whom did something to win this game.”

### An exciting end to the season

With its victory over another playoff contender, Reyer showed that it should not be disregarded in this exciting battle for the playoffs. The Venice-based club is currently seventh in Group A in the EuroCup with a 5-9 record, while sixth-placed Prometey Slobozhanske – the team in the final playoff spot – sits at 7-7.

“We are fighting for our lives, so to get the win was the most important \[thing\],” commented Wiltjer. “We’ve had a tough season in the EuroCup, but we’re going to continue fighting and make our fans proud. We can’t control the past. We can only control the future.”

With four games to go, anything could happen as Reyer plays at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana before hosting Wolves Vilnius and Prometey, with its final regular-season contest taking place in Germany against Veolia Towers Hamburg.

This overtime triumph over Besiktas will surely provide Spahija’s men with a boost in morale and could also serve as a springboard for a bounce-back reaction as the regular season draws to a close.

More Reyer News

Marco Spissu of Umana Reyer Venice in action against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 14 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

It took 45 minutes, but Neven Spahija’s side finally managed to get the victory over the line.

Reyer kept its playoff hopes alive with OT win over Besiktas

Congratulations to Deni Bjelobradic, the Round 14 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Deni's team Petar Skansi posted a score of 225.95.

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm, Dusan Miletic of Slask Wroclaw, Deividas Sirvydis of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Xavier Munford of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and his teammate Bar Timor as starters; Tyrone Wallace of Turk Telekom Ankara as sixth man; Yigitcan Saybir also of Turk Telekom, Andres Feliz of Joventut Badalona, Davide Alviti of Dolimiti Energia Trento and Jordan Parks of Umana Reyer Venice as bench players; and Kestutis Kemzura of Wolves Vilnius as head coach.

The prize for finishing first in Round 14 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2024-25 season!

The overall leader after 14 rounds is Uros Kostic, whose GargamelFalkao team is ahead of everyone with 2,570.35 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 15. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 14 winner

Joventut Badalona’s head coach Carles Duran and star center Ante Tomic lambasted a poor defensive performance despite beating Hamburg.

Narrow win left Joventut’s Ante Tomic and Carles Duran fuming

Joventut Badalona edged closer to sealing a BKT EuroCup playoff berth after a somewhat fortuitous 90-96 win at Veolia Towers Hamburg left the Spanish side needing one more win from its remaining four regular season games to be mathematically sure of advancing.

Joventut’s passage was put on hold by Umana Reyer Venice grinding out a 106-96 overtime home win over Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in the late Group A fixture, keeping alive the Italian side’s hopes of sneaking into the postseason.

The team from Badalona racked up its sixth successive victory and one would think that’s quite an accomplishment after a patchy start to the regular season littered with shock defeats.

Joventut is now sitting pretty in the playoff picture with a 9-5 record, but head coach Carles Duran and center Ante Tomic felt the slender victory at Hamburg (2-11), left a lot to be desired.

Ante Tomic highlights against Hamburg

In fact, they were both livid with a poor defensive display which allowed the home team to score an avalanche of points by Joventut’s high standards.

“What didn’t make a difference today was our defense,” said Tomic, who clinched the game for Joventut having scored the last 6 points of the enthralling contest.

“Impossible to concede 90 plus points every other game and expect to win, but we had a good day on offense and I guess that decided in the end. We scored a lot and had good percentages. We lacked intensity and anticipation on the defensive end,” added the Croatian big man, the game’s top performer with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Game News

Duran was just as unforgiving in his scathing remarks. “We played a bad game and we have to improve so much on defense because Hamburg scored too many points,” Duran stressed. “We played with patience and our talent came to the fore in the fourth quarter to help us win the game, but we need more for the future.”

Duran duly heaped praise on 36-year-old veteran Tomic, who stepped up to the plate with the composure and mettle akin to a consistent performer who once plied his trade at the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona for a full decade.

“It’s clear he is a very good player and in the home stretch he was calm and composed,” said Duran, before pouring more scorn on his team’s nonchalant defending. “I can’t stress enough, we need to improve on defense because we conceded 90 points and that’s a terrible tally for us.”

Game Videos

Hamburg coach Benka Barloschky had mixed feelings about his team’s display, as Hamburg’s valiant effort came to nothing. It was an all too familiar story for his men, who are still in the fledgling stages of developing a killer instinct and the ability to turn tough losses into wins.

“We lacked execution late in the game,” said Barloschky. “Against a team of such quality, every possession matters and little details decide close matchups. They made plays, we didn’t. We couldn’t stop fouling late on, they had Tomic and they were able to close out the game.”

“We’re still learning, but I am super proud of the team. We kept it close, had a chance to win it and it’s a big improvement. We don’t want to beat ourselves up, but we can’t get complacent either. You can’t be satisfied when you lose a game because we want to be competitive.”

The visiting team’s head coach and top performer lambasted a poor defensive performance despite beating Hamburg.

Kyle Wiltjer had a career-best 32 points and a career-high 39 PIR as Reyer Venezia beat Beşiktaş Basketbol 106-96 in overtime in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

Kyle Wiltjer shined for Reyer Venezia with a career-high night against Beşiktaş

Kyle Wiltjer fired on all cylinders to [lead Umana Reyer Venice to a 106-96 overtime victory against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/reyer-venezia-downs-besiktas-basketbol-in-overtime-106-96/) at Palasport Taliercio on Wednesday night. The Reyer forward pulled off a sublime display by netting 30% of his team’s points in the game, while he also went an incredible 7-for-11 from deep en route to a career-high 32 points.

The 31-year-old didn’t score a single point in the first 10 minutes, but he netted the opening basket of the second quarter which, of course, was a three-pointer. He went on to finish the first half with 14 points, including 3 back-to-back triples that gave Reyer a 38-20 lead 3 minutes into the second quarter. Wiltjer nailed 2 more from downtown in the third quarter, but picked up an injury and was replaced midway through the closing quarter.

Kyle Wiltjer had a career-best 32 points as Umana Reyer Venice beat Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 14 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Wiltjer's best scoring plays vs. Besiktas

### Wiltjer came up big late on

Meanwhile, Besiktas had managed to turn the game around and even grabbed an 80-86 lead with 1:50 left on the clock. That’s when Wiltjer stepped up and completed a three-point play to make it a one-possession game, 83-86. The two teams went to overtime, where they exchanged blows until Wiltjer came into the fore once again to finish the game off.

With 02:32 to go and the score 93-92 in the hosts’ favor, Wiltjer drilled his seventh triple and drew his eighth foul of the night to complete a four-point play. Then, he scored 3 more free throws to make it 102-95 and practically put the game to bed.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This guy 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/finoallafine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#finoallafine</a> <a href="https://t.co/WnmlSLoEoD">pic.twitter.com/WnmlSLoEoD</a></p>&mdash; Reyer Venezia (@REYER1872) <a href="https://twitter.com/REYER1872/status/1745209188756684974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Reyer forward drew a total of 9 fouls and went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. He also registered 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks for a career-best PIR of 39. His performance against Besiktas not only allowed Reyer to continue dreaming of clinching a playoff spot after improving to a 5-9 record, but it also saw him earn MVP of Round honors for the first time in his career.

Kyle Wiltjer of Umana Reyer Venice in action against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 14 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

He erupted for 32 points in a much-needed triumph for the Italian side.

Kyle Wiltjer shined with a career-high night against Besiktas

Paris Basketball hadn't played a game in two weeks, but it still hit top gear to beat BC Prometey 93-72 in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroCup season.

Paris Basketball kicked off the rust and ran past BC Prometey 

Paris Basketball kicked off the rust of two weeks without a game to eventually [race past Prometey Slobozhanske, 93-72,](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/paris-basketball-races-past-bc-prometey-93-72-for-sixth-straight-victory/) for its sixth straight win in the BKT EuroCup. And it did so in usual Paris style.

Tuomas Iisalo’s team had not played a game since its Round 13 contest in the EuroCup on December 26, but Paris’s high-powered motor started revving back up in the second quarter.

“We can be satisfied. It’s good to start the new year with a win,” said Iisalo, whose team has not played in the French League since December 23. “Obviously you could see that we were rusty with some unnecessary turnovers. It took us some time to get going in the first half. But the guys took care of business and now we’re back in rhythm which is good for us.”

Paris has scored at least 93 in each of its last five, with the help of formidable guard Nadir Hifi contributing 26 points in a gain over London to maintain double-digits, while Prometey anticipate that Gian Clavell can maintain his backcourt form in after pairing 17 points with 6 assists to help defeat Cedevita.

Paris Basketball-Prometey Slobozhanske | Round 14 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

For TJ Shorts, who paced the home side with 18 points and 10 assists, he admitted that nothing comes close to real game action.

“You have so many practices, but nothing can replicate what you do in the game,” he commented. “So you saw a little bit of the rust in the first quarter and the second quarter, but if we do stick to the things that we do practice eventually it will start to click. And that’s what it did. It started in the second quarter. We just went back to our old ways and carried it out through the rest of the game.”

### Causing problems for Prometey

Paris did what it does so well: force turnovers and make its opponents pay. Prometey committed 17 turnovers with Paris grabbing 12 steals. And those miscues resulted in a 23-15 advantage in points off turnovers, with Paris committing 15 turnovers itself. Paris also outscored Prometey 25-12 in fastbreak points, getting easy points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">2024 pour l’instant on aime bien 😈💥<br><br>On démarre l’année de la meilleure des manières à la maison avec vous 🖤❤️💙<br><br>On remet ça samedi à l’Accor Arena contre Monaco ? 👀 <a href="https://t.co/0yBPgWGlYL">pic.twitter.com/0yBPgWGlYL</a></p>&mdash; Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball/status/1745197374375407888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Coach Iisalo, meanwhile, saw more potential in his team, which set a season high in turnovers, eclipsing the 14 from Round 4 – a double-overtime win at the London Lions – and Round 5 at Prometey.

“I think we could have scored 110 \[points\] if we didn’t turn it over and finished some layups,” he said. “But that’s not the point. The point is to find a way to win and that’s what the guys do time and time again.”

Even with the rust of not having played a game in two weeks.

More Paris News

Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball shoots a three-pointer against Prometey Slobozhanske in Round 14 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

It was another convincing display by Tuomas Iisalo's squad.