Roll call, Rounds 12-13: Stars took front seat in double-round

These five individuals impressed for their teams in December's first double-round week in the EuroLeague.

Absence did not leave mark on Punter

Despite returning from a month-long absence due to a knee injury just one week earlier, Kevin Punter looked as though he hadn’t missed a beat during Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s two games this week. In this most recent double-round week, Punter averaged 22.0 points. He first bagged 25 points in 39 minutes on the floor in an 89-85 overtime win over AS Monaco, then scored 19 in an 82-69 come-from-behind triumph against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Punter made 7-of-13 two-point shots and 6-of-13 threes in the two games combined, many of which were clutch shots down the stretch of close games, and he also dished a total of 7 assists. More importantly, Partizan led Partizan to a pair of hard-fought home wins.

Thiemann rocked the floor in Berlin

Johannes Thiemann had a career week, and not just because of his Round 13 performance. In Thursday's 89-97 home loss against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Thiemann accumulated a career-best 40 PIR, netting a career-high 31 points on personal-best 10-for-12 two-point shooting, as well as going 2-for-3 on three-pointers. But Thiemann also delivered two days earlier when he led ALBA to a come-from-behind 64-62 win over Zalgiris Kaunas. Thiemann was the only ALBA player in double figures in that game, scoring 16 points, including 7 in the final 5:38 minutes of the game. It was special 48 hours for the 29-year-old, who scored a total of 47 points in that span.

Hezonja delivered in Greece

Real Madrid is the only team to have won two road games this double-round week, and both came in Greece. In those two contests, it was Mario Hezonja who had the most prominent role. On Tuesday, in a 71-77 win over Olympiacos Piraeus, Hezonja collected a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 6-of-13 from the floor, while all his boards came on the defensive glass. Two days later, in sort of a homecoming against his former team, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Hezonja led Real in scoring with 19 points in just under 23 minutes on the floor. Hezonja made 5-of-8 twos and 2-of-3 threes, while picking up a career-high 4 steals in a 78-90 win. It was quite a memorable few days for the Croatian forward in Greece.

Shengelia stood out in two Virtus wins

Virtus Segafredo Bologna protected its home floor with important wins over FC Barcelona and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. To no surprise, the Italian side had a massive contribution from Tornike Shengelia. The Virtus forward battled to 14 points and 9 rebounds in an 80-75 win over Barcelona. Shengelia finished that game with a game-high +17 in the plus/minus column. On Friday against Maccabi, Shengelia was everywhere, scoring a season-high 27 points and making a career-best 10 two-pointers on 13 attempts in a 100-90 triumph. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 8 rebounds and a PIR of 34, also a season-high for him. It was some week for a veteran forward, as Virtus improved to 7-1 on its home floor and 9-4 overall this season.

Ojeleye provided scoring consistency for Valencia

Valencia Basket entered the double-round week on a five-game losing streak, yet it got back on the right track with two resounding victories. Semi Ojeleye was the team’s best player in both games. In an 85-81 victory against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Ojeleye scored 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter and paced Valencia to a 56-40 halftime lead, which the hosts later preserved. Ojeleye also had 6 rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor. He followed up that performance with a team-high 16 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes of a blowout 55-78 road win against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Valencia was dominating on defense, but Ojeleye made sure its offense kept clicking, too. He was 6-of-8 on two-pointers and made his only attempt behind the arc against ASVEL, helping the team secure a confidence-building road win.