The 27-year-old center enjoyed another impressive performance in Round 28
Donta Hall led from the front as Baskonia beat Zalgiris
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Regular Season
Round 28 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz knew what it was getting in Donta Hall – a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague-proven center who causes all sorts of matchup problems – and he has certainly lived up to the billing.
After three seasons with AS Monaco, the Baskonia big man is having his best EuroLeague campaign yet in 2024-25, with Thursday night’s 66-65 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas providing a reminder of just how dominant he can be when he’s on the floor.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Hall already found himself on 3 blocks, while he had 6 points and 5 rebounds at halftime. Whether it was the ever-enthusiastic Laurynas Birutis or the wily veteran Bryant Dunston looking to frustrate him, he was finding ways to have a notable impact on the contest.
Hall netted another 5 points in the third period, a quarter in which Baskonia scored just 10 points as a team, as his squad held off a comeback attempt from the visitors. Importantly, he was a perfect 5 for 5 from the line – the first time he has been 100% from the line when shooting 5 or more free throws in his 142-game career.
“We came out slacking a little bit in the second half, but other than that, I feel like our energy and stuff, we maintained the rest of the game,” Hall told EuroLeague TV after the game.
But Hall wasn’t too pleased with Baskonia having to go through another nail-biting finish, even if they did come out on top.
“I’m telling you, I’m tired of it, honestly,” he said. “But hey, we finished this one now, all we can do is look forward.”
Baskonia will certainly be doing just that as it improved to a 12-16 record, one win behind Zalgiris. Thursday’s victory was Baskonia’s second over Zalgiris this season, giving it the head-to-head advantage in any tiebreaker situation, and Pablo Laso’s group are now just two wins back of FC Barcelona in 10th, the final play-in spot.
There are six games remaining in the regular season and each victory is priceless at this stage, so Baskonia will be hoping for more of the same from Hall and co. as they enter the home straight.