Most experts already considered Olympiacos Piraeus power forward Sasha Vezenkov to be the favorite in the race for the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP. In Round 29, Vezenkov provided even more reasons to consider his case. On the road at Zalgiris Kaunas, Vezenkov put together another rock-solid performance as he led Olympiacos to a 72-74 victory.
In a game in which his Reds trailed for stretches, Vezenkov helped Olympiacos rally to win and become the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season. He put the finishing touches on the victory when he buried a contested baseline jumper with 6.7 seconds remaining.
Vezenkov finished the game with 25 points, shooting 9-of-9 on two-pointers, 2-of-7 on three-pointers and making his lone free-throw attempt. He also added 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 fouls drawn for a PIR of 32. Thursday night's fixture at Zalgirio Arena also saw the Bulgaria international pass the 2,000-point mark in his EuroLeague career. This was not Vezenkov's first big game against Zalgiris this season. Back in Round 2, the 27-year-old led Olympiacos to a 90-80 win with 23 points, 14 rebounds and a PIR of 37.