The Spanish side improved to 5-1 under the Montenegrin head coach and 6-5 overall.
Howard, Moneke sparked Baskonia turnaround as Ivanovic magic continues
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Markus Howard and Chima Moneke both had big games and sparked a big turnaround against Valencia Basket, as Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz continued its magical run since the return of Dusko Ivanovic as head coach.
Howard scored 24 points and Moneke added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in Baskonia’s come-from-behind 84-98 win at Valencia in Round 11 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Baskonia went to another level
Baskonia trailed by 12 points at times in the first half and gave up 52 points in the first 20 minutes, before holding the hosts to just 32 points in the second half.
“We took care of business in the second half. In the first half they got off to a great start. They fed off their fans’ energy. They wreaked havoc on the defensive end, caused us into some turnovers,” said Howard, who drained 6 three-pointers in the game after not scoring at all in the first quarter.
“In the second half we corrected some errors, played the right way, executed and made the right plays when it counted.”
For Coach Ivanovic, he believes that leaning on Howard’s ability to light it up can make life easier for the rest of his teammates and give Baskonia a spark.
“Markus made some incredible shots and we took advantage of that. After that it was easier to play,” commented Ivanovic after guiding his team to a fifth win in six games since taking over as playcaller.
“[The 5-1 record with him as coach] goes to the players. They want to play, they want to work hard. This is the result.”
Moneke is Ivanovic’s warrior on the court
Moneke, meanwhile, said the 66-year-old coach deserves the credit for the team’s better play of late.
"We are a competitive team and we believe we can win every game. Dusko is the reason for that. We’re bought in,” said Moneke, who struggled in the first half at La Fonteta.
“No matter what happens in the first quarter or the first half, the game is not over until it’s over. We believe. We have character and we’ll continue to believe.”
The power forward was held to just 4 points in Baskonia’s loss last week against AS Monaco and he only had 2 points in the first 20 minutes against Valencia. But Moneke, who was averaging 16.4 points coming into the game, tallied 17 points after the intermission.
“I am scoring pretty well now, so teams are focused on me like that. At the start of the season, it was different,” admitted the 27-year-old, who is flourishing in his second EuroLeague season.
“So I am learning how to adjust my game and pick my spots better. I feel like when I am on the court, I impact the game in more ways that just scoring.”
Howard showed why he is such a threat
Just like Moneke, Howard said he is also learning to let his teammates handle the game and just pick his spots to change the game.
“I just let the game come to me. Whatever the game calls for, I have to go with the flow of the game. I am trying to work on that,” Howard noted.
“I have a great group of guys around me who handle their business. I’m fortunate enough to have teammates who trust in my abilities. But they are extremely talented in their own rights. They got us off to a great start. My name was called and I just wanted to be ready.”
The guard showed exactly what he can do, scoring 12 points in just 2:26 minutes late in the second quarter to keep Baskonia within reach of Valencia.
Howard did not cool off during halftime and went on to hit back-to-back triples early in the second half. He ended up not scoring again the rest of the third quarter, as he found himself on the bench in foul trouble.
The game was knotted at 70-70 with about 8 minutes to play when Howard knocked down 2 more three-pointers within 74 seconds to spark a 2-13 spurt and essentially decide the game.
And with that, Baskonia continued its magic with Coach Ivanovic on the sidelines.