From a statistical perspective, Round 6 of the 7Days EuroCup Regular Season had something for everyone, with a great offensive display, an all-time record broken, and a glimpse of a future star.
Stats Review: Something for everyone
Stats
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Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
In perhaps the most impressive performance in Round 6, Kuban scored 71 points in the first half in route to a 114-94 victory over Telenet Giants Antwerp in Lotto Arena. Putting together the sixth-highest scoring 40-minute game in EuroCup history, the visitors went only 16-for-27 from the foul line, coming a few bounces away from challenging the record of 121 points set almost exactly 18 years ago.
Even with the points they left at the foul line, there is no shortage of praise to heap on Kuban 's performance. As the chart above suggests, they were exceptionally effective inside and went 12-for-24 from beyond the arc. Alan Williams led the charge inside, scoring 27 points and pulling down 17 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action while Jordan Crawford scored 19 points over only 14 possessions, supplying the perimeter shot-making that put the game out of reach by halftime. Kuban now owns the EuroCup's top point differential by over 25 points.
Three-point King Jamar Smith
UNICS Kazan earned a hard-fought home win against a hot-shooting Umana Reyer Venice team in Basket Hall Kazan, but their victory was sweetened by Jamar Smith's 6 made threes that broke the all-time EuroCup record for career three-pointers made.
The graph above tracks Smith 's rise to history. After making 9 three-pointers in his first season back in the 2013-14 and 15 the following year, Smith has converted an average of 45 per-season ever since, split almost evenly between catch and shoot jumpers and pull-ups. That only tells half the story, however, as Smith 's rate of three-pointers made per game has risen each of last four seasons, sitting at 4.0 as of today. Similarly, he has shot an astounding 55% from beyond the arc since the start of last season, continuing to take his game to new heights in his early 30's.
The Future: Victor Wembanyama
Nanterre 92's 16-year old, 2.20-meter center Victor Wembanyama saw his first meaningful EuroCup minutes in Round 6. After playing just 3 minutes over two appearances last season, Wembanyama scored 5 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, tallied 2 assists, and recorded 4 blocks in 17 minutes during Nanterre 's 12-point loss to Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana this week. Drilling a three, running the floor to finish an alley-oop in transition, blocking a jumper off a switch, and challenging several shots around the rim, Wembanyama displayed vivid glimpses of why he is widely considered one of the premier 2004 talents in the world.
Looking Ahead to Round 7
In Group C, Virtus Segafredo Bologna travels to Russia to take on Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in the matchup of the teams with the two biggest point differentials in the EuroCup. Groups A and B feature matchups between the first- and third-place teams in a Round 7 that will not be easy on the current group leaders.