In the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague roll call, we take a look at five players who had a big impact on their respective games in this latest double-round week.
Roll call, Rounds 18-19: Starting the year on the right foot
Article
7 Mins read
Lee was instrumental for ASVEL with career-best marks
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne snapped a 10-game losing streak on Thursday night when it beat Zalgiris Kaunas 93-79. Paris Lee, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Youssoupha Fall all registered career-best performances, as they combined for 71 points and a 96 PIR. Fall had 22 points, 12 boards and a career-high PIR of 36, Lee finished with 22 points and 8 assists for a new career-best PIR of 31, while Luwawu Cabarrot posted career-high marks with 27 points and a PIR of 29. It marked only the seventh time in EuroLeague history – and the first time in 17 years – that three different players from the same team registered PIRs of 29 or higher in the same game.
Of these three, Lee spent the most minutes on the floor, playing for 35:37 minutes. He was 0-for-2 on two-pointers, but knocked down 4-of-7 threes. The 28-year-old also tied more career bests by going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line and pulling down 5 rebounds. Lee's solid shooting performance from three-point range came after making just 5 triples on 25 attempts in the past three games, including going 1-for-9 on triples just two nights earlier in a defeat against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
Inglis had a déjà vu double-double
After missing Round 17 with an illness, big man Damien Inglis suited up for Valencia Basket in Round 18 and made a telling impact as it beat Anadolu Efes Istanbul 93-88. Inglis had the best performance of his first year in the competition, notching his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, both personal-best marks, all while also tying another personal high by dishing 4 assists en route to a 28 PIR. Valencia had 20 offensive rebounds on the night and Inglis pulled down 4 of those, helping Valencia protect its home floor once again. Interestingly, Inglis is a two-time BKT EuroCup champion and in his 53 appearances in that competition, he only had one double-double. In a game for Dreamland Gran Canaria last season, he curiously posted the exact same stats that he did in Round 18 for Valencia with 14 points, 10 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive glass, 4 assists and a PIR of 28.
Papagiannis showed up in style
Fenerbahce center Georgios Papagiannis played arguably his best game of the season in a 109-74 triumph over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Round 19. Papagiannis spent 16 minutes on the floor, but it was enough for him to record 14 points on 7-of-8 two-point shooting, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. He also had a team-high +30 in the plus/minus column, meaning that during every minute Papagiannis spent on the floor against Maccabi, Fenerbahce increased its lead by 2 points. What's more, Papagiannis's performance came just two days after he went scoreless in a 76-85 home loss against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, helping Fenerbahce secure a bounce-back win after being upset on Tuesday.
McKissic outscored James, helped Reds to victory
Olympiacos Piraeus pulled out a dramatic 75-73 win over AS Monaco in Round 19, with Shaquielle McKissic playing an instrumental role. McKissic, who missed nine games earlier this season, has had some up-and-down performances, but on Thursday night he played a season-high 19:47 minutes to match his season-best 13 points. After shooting 4-of-22 from long range during the season, McKissic bounced back against Monaco and was 3-of-4 from behind the arc in a win on Thursday night. In a tight game, McKissic had a team-high +9 in the plus/minus column and ended up outscoring Mike James, Monaco’s superstar and the EuroLeague's leading scorer, who had 10 points in 30 minutes on the floor.
Pleiss returned with a bang
Anadolu Efes Istanbul may have lost both of its games in the double-round week, including a historic 130-126 quadruple-overtime loss at Real Madrid on Friday night, but one player who bounced back to form for Tibor Pleiss. The 34-year-old had missed Rounds 9 to 17 due to injury, but he made his return against Valencia Basket in Round 18 on Wednesday and made an instant impact, recording 11 points and 10 rebounds in his first double-double since Round 34 last season.
A few days later, Pleiss followed that up by notching another double-double at WiZink Center, having had 14 points and 11 boards. In that game against Real, Pleiss also played the second-most minutes all-time in a EuroLeague game, staying on the floor for 52:56 minutes. What’s more, the two-time champion was a +3 in the plus/minus column against Valencia and a +5 against Real, showing the positive impact he can still have on this Efes team.
Hezonja showed his quality this week
This season has seen Mario Hezonja take a big leap forward in Real Madrid’s system, with the Croatian forward even earning the MVP of the Month award for December. The double-round week got off to a disappointing start for Los Blancos, who lost 83-78 at archrival FC Barcelona, but Hezonja nevertheless joined Dzanan Musa as the only player to reach double figures in points with 16. Having been relatively quiet through the first three quarters of El Clásico, Hezonja made his presence felt down the stretch, scoring a triple (74-68), a two-pointer (76-70) and another three (80-73) as he became Real’s main source of offense. However, it wasn’t enough.
Then, just two days later, Hezonja had a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double as Real downed Efes 130-126 in a quadruple-overtime classic. The 28-year-old was on the floor for 49:24 minutes, having played the second-most minutes by a Real player in El Clásico (28:55), but he still found a way to show his clutch gene in the final stages.
With the score tied at 81-81 after four quarters, Hezonja went on to score 17 points in the four overtime periods, which included a dagger three-pointer with 00:51 left to put Real on course for the win, 126-122. He garnished his stats with a couple of free throws in Real’s final scores of the game to cap off a memorable night for all involved.