The EuroLeague's current rebounding leader, Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, is something of a surprise for several reasons, but mainly because of just how much he is dominating the boards.

 Baskonia's Tadas Sedekerskis: An unlikely rebounding king 

If you had placed any bets before the tipoff of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on who will lead the competition in rebounds with almost one-third of the regular season in the books, [Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/bitci-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/roster/bas/?season=2023-24) forward [Tadas Sedekerskis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sedekerskis-tadas/007230/) probably wouldn't have been among your top options.

In retrospect, he should have been. Not your traditional big man, Sedekerskis is currently ranked first among all EuroLeague players with a powerful 8.9 rebounds per game – 6.9 defensive and 2.1 offensive. Since last season, the 25-year-old has more than doubled his rebounding output, from 4.2 to 8.9, with a corresponding increase in playing time, from under 19 to 31 minutes per game.

Not only is Sedekerskis the EuroLeague's most prolific rebounder this season but he's way ahead of all others, with second-placed Bonzie Colson of Maccabi Tel Aviv more than 2 rebounds behind him on average.

[MORE](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1592775/baskonias-tadas-sedekerskis-an-unlikely-rebounding-king/)...

The EuroLeague's current rebounding leader is something of a surprise for several reasons, but mainly because of just how much he is dominating the boards.

Baskonia's Tadas Sedekerskis: An unlikely rebounding king

Tyrique Jones had a career night as Anadolu Efes S.K. spoiled the return of Panathinaikos B.C. head coach Ergin Ataman to Sinan Erdem Dome in Round 10 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Tyrique Jones ruined Ergin Ataman's Anadolu Efes homecoming game

It was a special night for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach Ergin Ataman, who [returned to Sinan Erdem Sports Hall to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-anadolu-efes-sk-vs-panathinaikos-bc/) for the first time since leaving the team. It was also [his 400th EuroLeague game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/ergin-ataman-becomes-third-to-coach-400-games/) since the competition was founded in 2000. He joined Zeljko Obradovic and Ettore Messina in this select club.

Coach Ataman was warmly received by the Efes fans. More than half of his 400 EuroLeague games, 222 to be precise, were on the Efes bench over parts of eight seasons. He led the team to EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022, as well as to the 2019 EuroLeague Championship Game.

Efes came into this game without key players Ante Zizic, Rodrigue Beaubois, Will Clyburn, Tibor Pleiss and Derek Willis. But luckily for head coach Erdem Can, he had Tyrique Jones, who had a career night and led Efes to a hard-fought 71-68 victory.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HE WON THE CUP 🏆🏆<br><br>Ataman greets the home fans on his return 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/mujMLEcalB">pic.twitter.com/mujMLEcalB</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732092806062059583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>


### Tyrique Jones dominated for Efes

Jones set the tone early with a three-point play on his team's first possession and soon added a jump hook and dunk to quickly build a 12-4 lead. Predictably, Panathinaikos came back and took a 59-62 lead with over 4 minutes before the end. What's more, Efes had lost a sixth player, forward Erkan Yilmaz, due to injury.

Jones was far from done as he gave Efes a 63-62 lead with a tip-in. When Jerian Grant hit a three-pointer, Jones grabbed 2 offensive rebounds at the other end, drew a foul and made both of the resulting free-throw attempts to tie it at 65-65. After Kendrick Nunn buried a three-pointer, Jones scored again around the basket and got help from Shane Larkin to put Efes back ahead, 70-68.

The game came down to the last shot, but Dinos Mitoglou missed from downtown at the buzzer. When the dust settled, Jones had set new career highs in points (21), rebounds (13), steals (4), fouls drawn (5) and PIR (36). His 8 offensive rebounds were a new EuroLeague season high and also tied for second place in club history, trailing only Loren Woods, who pulled down 10 offensive boards against Le Mans on January 10, 2008.

Tyrique Jones set new career-highs in points (21), rebounds (13), steals (4), fouls drawn (5) and PIR (36).

Jones leads injury-plagued Efes to home win

"Like I said at halftime, we just needed to come out with the same aggressiveness, and it was next man up. We counted on everybody who played tonight," Jones said after the game. "Fortunately, I'm here. It's just credit to my teammates and all glory to God. It's just my will to win. We wanted this game. We're protecting home court. And we're going to continue to try to protect home court every time we step in front of this house."

### An increased role for Tyrique Jones

Jones was the 2022-23 BKT EuroCup's fifth-best rebounder with 8.0 boards per game. With less playing time and an adjustment to a new level of competition, Jones's rebounding average dropped to 2.7 rebounds in his first 10 EuroLeague games. Since Zizic picked up an injury, however, Jones is averaging over 31 minutes per night and 11.5 rebounds per game.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a night, huh?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Together?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Together</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhereIStand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhereIStand</a> <a href="https://t.co/zczaOIUKJu">pic.twitter.com/zczaOIUKJu</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1732126337689686466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He will have the chance to test his rebounding skills against Johannes Thiemann and Khalifa Koumadje next, as Efes plays against ALBA Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena, home of the 2024 Final Four, in a battle of Round 12 winners on Thursday night. As for Coach Ataman, his 401st EuroLeague game will be at home against the defending champions, Real Madrid. 

More Efes News

Anadolu Efes Istanbul center Tyrique Jones unleashes some emotion during his team's game against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in Round 12 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The former Efes boss was hoping to steer Panathinaikos to victory in his homecoming, but the American center had other plans. 

Tyrique Jones ruined Coach Ataman's homecoming game

Anadolu Efes Istanbul v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-11-24T17:30:00.000Z)

KK Partizan beat AS Monaco Basket 89-85 in overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, with Kevin Punter and James Nunnally both stepping up on the night.

Kevin Punter, James Nunnally steered KK Partizan past Monaco Basket

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade [ground out an emotional 89-85 overtime home win over AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-partizan-vs-as-monaco-basket/) largely thanks to guards Kevin Punter and James Nunnally, who scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, to give the Serbian team the edge.

The physical contest littered with fouls was hardly a classic, but it produced plenty of thrills and spills, with the lead changing hands time and again. Partizan looked home and dry after taking a 70-66 lead with 22 seconds left on the clock in regulation, but the hosts were forced into overtime by Mike James.

The Monaco guard, who endured a poor shooting night as he made only 4 of 15 shots from the field, drilled a pair of three-pointers in the closing stages, including an audacious one from way downtown in Nunnally’s face.

Nunnally later heaped praise on James – and on his own teammates.

“Damn, Mike hit a tough shot,” Nunnally said in his first reaction as he walked off the floor. “I wanted to foul him but he made one hell of a shot. We came through in the end, executed late and made some stops. It worked out great for us. A shout out to my teammates, everybody contributed,” he added.

Partizan’s prolific offense ranks second in the league with 87.5 ppg, and Zeljko Obradovic’s men long for the same explosiveness versus a Roca team with eyes on a third straight win and armed with the talismanic Mike James, who leads the rankings in scoring (18.8 ppg) and ranks third in PIR.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-AS Monaco | Round 12 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

### Struggles in the paint

Partizan missed center Frank Kaminsky through a back injury but Brazilian Bruno Caboclo compensated for his absence with 9 first-half points. However, Caboclo also committed 3 fouls and sat out the lion’s share of the second half, which allowed Donatas Moteijunas to run riot and pace the visitors with 23 points.

Partizan made a bright start and took an 11-2 lead before rugged defending set the tone for the rest of the strength-sapping contest. The hosts hit top gear again when the chips were down, with Punter hitting a crunch three-pointer to give them an 80-76 lead in overtime.

The home team closed the game out for its second successive overtime win after beating Panathinaikos Athens 92-87 at the same venue in Round 11, when Punter returned to action from a leg injury. Partizan’s captain was as delighted as he was exhausted after forcing Monaco into submission.

“We kept fighting and that was the key to victory,” he said. “We made some plays in the end and that was it.”

### Going up a gear on offense

Partizan’s head coach Zeljko Obradovic said improved second-half offense was crucial after the visitors led 32-35 at halftime. “The first half was our worst offensive half of the season and stepping up our offense after the break was the key,” he told the post-game press conference. “Monaco also had 9 offensive boards in the first half and only 5 in the second and overtime, which means we played good defense too.”

Partizan completes its three-game home stand against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 13 on Thursday, while Monaco visits Zalgiris Kaunas.

More Partizan News

The backcourt duo combined for 48 points against the battling visitors, who rallied to force overtime.

Kevin Punter, James Nunnally steered Partizan past Monaco

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v AS Monaco (2023-12-05T19:30:00.000Z)

FC Bayern Munich leaned on stellar performances from Carsen Edwards and Serge Ibaka en route to a win against Olimpia Milano in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

Carsen Edwards, Serge Ibaka are FC Bayern Munich's one-two punch 

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan led 70-76 with 59.1 seconds left in regulation and the win seemed in its hands. What happened? FC Bayern Munich [managed to force overtime in unbelievable fashion](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fc-bayern-munich-vs-olimpia-milano/).

Sylvain Francisco found Carsen Edwards for an open three-pointer. When Shavon Shields missed from beyond the arc and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound, Stefano Tonut immediately fouled on Francisco. It was Milan's last non-shooting foul and gave Bayern a chance to force overtime with another three-point shot.

### Serge Ibaka sent the crowd wild

After a timeout, Francisco got the ball again, Tonut deflected the ball, which went straight into Ibaka's hands. He turned around and buried a three-pointer from the EuroLeague logo to send the game to overtime. Asked about it after the game, it sounded like it was a routine shot for Ibaka.

"I work on that shot every day and I just trusted myself, and I just shot it!" Ibaka said.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The triple to level it in the final seconds 🚨 <br><br>Take a bow <a href="https://twitter.com/sergeibaka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sergeibaka</a>, what a SHOT 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MagicMoment?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MagicMoment</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBBasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zv0qYuWzlL">pic.twitter.com/Zv0qYuWzlL</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732148812582461499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Then it was the turn of Carsen Edwards

In overtime, Edwards made the difference. He had 11 points in the extra period, including 7 consecutive points that took the game from an 82-82 tie to an 89-82 Bayern lead. Edwards was highly praised by Bayern head coach Pablo Laso, after the game.

"It was more of a players' thing and I think Carsen \[Edwards\] showed up with 2 great three-pointers in a row and he lifted us up. Serge \[Ibaka\], for sure, with his three-pointer at the end of regulation, but I think Carsen lifted us up with those three-pointers and okay, when you get to overtime, in this kind of game where everybody is very tired, it is a matter of players," Laso said. "There was a moment for Shavon Shields, and there was a moment for Carsen Edwards, and let's put it this way, Carsen Edwards's was a better moment than Shavon Shields's."

Edwards had a tough start of the season, averaging 2.5 points and a PIR of -9.0 in his first two games. This game could be a turnaround moment for them, as he set new career highs of 32 points and a PIR of 28, making 7 of 11 two-pointers and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. .

FC Bayern Munich guard Carsen Edwards led his team to a 91-84 overtime win against EA7 Emporio Armani with new career highs of 32 points and a PIR of 28,

Edwards had career night against Milan

"We were getting stops on the defensive end and my teammates helped me get open, good plays, good set screens, so I was happy to see some going in," Edwards said. "Playing hard and being able to get stops was important for us, getting rebounds at the end of the game and playing from there."

As for Ibaka, added to his game-saving three-pointer at the end of the regulation, he finished the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and a PIR of 28. In the last four games, Ibaka averaged 19.5 points on 8 of 10 three-point shooting, 9.0 rebounds and a PIR of 24.5.

Bayern has proved to be strong at home and now faces a tough test on the road, facing last season's finalists Olympiacos Piraeus on Friday at 20:15 CET.

More Bayern News

Bayern needed overtime to beat Milan 91-84 for its third consecutive home victory. 

Carsen Edwards, Serge Ibaka were Bayern's one-two punch 

FC Bayern Munich v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-12-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid Baloncesto head coach Chus Mateo and star forward Dzanan Musa both spoke after Tuesday's road win at Olympiacos B.C. about the keys to the victory. 

Dzanan Musa, Chus Mateo demand even more from Real Madrid Baloncesto

According to the man who did the most to fire league-leading [Real Madrid to victory at Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday night](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-olympiacos-bc-vs-real-madrid-baloncesto/), the seeds of the triumph were sowed in July and August.

Dzanan Musa fired a season-high 23 points, making 5 of his 7 three-point attempts, as Real held off the Reds, 71-77, to pile on more pain following its victory over the same opponent in last season’s EuroLeague Championship Game. He made 2 of his 4 attempts from two-point range and stayed cool to convert all 4 of his free throws.

The 24-year-old forward has once again been a highly consistent scoring presence for the title holders, averaging 11.5 points per game and scoring in double digits for the last seven in a row.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DzMusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DzMusa</a> was feeling it tonight 🎯<a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a> <br>23 PTS | 5/7 3FG <a href="https://t.co/nXLleHsAEz">pic.twitter.com/nXLleHsAEz</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1732159274510336415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Dzanan Musa: 'I was able to make the shots'

Reflecting on the win, Musa explained that his scoring prowess has been helped by dedication during the off-season, telling EuroLeagueTV: ”I’m trying to stay focused and locked in, and I worked a lot in the summer on my shooting.”

For a player who was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team at the end of last season and finished the previous campaign as the Spanish league’s top scorer, that’s an impressive level of dedication to improving an already stellar skillset.

And Musa revealed another character trait – selflessness – as he added: “All credit to my teammates for finding me, and I was able to make the shots.”

Chus Mateo speaks after Real Madrid's win in Piraeus

### Putting on the clamps on defense

Musa’s scoring wasn’t the only factor behind Real’s on Tuesday, as head coach Chus Mateo admitted that his team’s ability to finish the game by holding Olympiacos to just 3 points in the last 5 minutes was inspired by the previous week’s overtime loss at Fenerbahce.

“Always a defeat makes you think a little bit more,” Mateo said. “When you win \[several games\] in a row sometimes you think you’re unbeatable and this is not true. We’ve got to work every day to win, whoever \[we play against\], not only the big teams like Olympiacos today.”

And with both star player and coach singing from the same hymn sheet about the need for constant self-improvement, no matter how great their past achievements might have been, it’s no surprise that Real Madrid is riding high at the top of the standings as it defends its title.

More Real Madrid News

Real Madrid's star forward and head coach both spoke after Tuesday's road win at Olympiacos about the keys to the victory.

Dzanan Musa, Chus Mateo demand even more from Real Madrid

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-12-05T19:15:00.000Z)

ALBA overcame major injury absences and used an impressive defensive performance to rally from 16 points down to knock off Zalgiris Kaunas 64-62 and snap a six-game losing streak. 

ALBA overcomes absences, snaps losing skid with defense

ALBA Berlin saw Zalgiris race away to a 4-20 lead after nearly 7 minutes but then turned up the defense and kept it on high the rest of the game, forcing Zalgiris into a EuroLeague season-high-tying 23 turnovers.

“It would be unfair to single out one player. Zalgiris doesn’t commit turnovers, just 12.1 per game. This is effort, this is team effort. This is just keep going, press here, press there. Run there,” said ALBA head coach Israel Gonzalez.  “Today we started blocked, standing still, afraid. I am happy we broke away from this feeling and we could get back to the spirit that this team has.”

ALBA came into the game still saddled with injury absences, missing Sterling Brown, Louis Olinde and Matt Thomas, the team’s second, third and fifth-leading scorers. Gonzalez only suited 11 players for the game, including Gabriele Procida, who is dealing with a broken finger and was originally listed as unavailable.

“This feels really good because we put the work in and we’re trying to win every game. The situation we have is tough. To see everybody fight and play with confidence and keep pushing despite the six-game losing streak I’m really proud of the guys,” said Johannes Thiemann, who paced ALBA with 16 points “I’m sure it wasn’t the prettiest game to watch but it was a fight.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🤑 MATTI$WAG 🤑 <a href="https://t.co/1bm79MXYGZ">pic.twitter.com/1bm79MXYGZ</a></p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1732163653393162503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

ALBA giving up just 62 points is a major testament to the effort and bounce-back ability of the team after it had given up an average of 96.7 points in the last three losses, including 102 to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv last week.

Jonas Mattisseck nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 6.7 seconds left to give ALBA its only lead of the game and a 2-10 record in the league.

“This was very, very important - also that we turned the game around after their first quarter when they scored every three. We didn’t give up and we fought together, and it is a well-deserved win against a very good team,” said Mattisseck.

Game News

ALBA overcame absences to snap losing skid with defense

ALBA Berlin v Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-12-05T19:00:00.000Z)

KK Partizan held off AS Monaco Basket 89-85 after overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Partizan grinds out tough overtime win over Monaco, 89-85

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Kevin Punter and James Nunnally combined for 48 points to lead Partizan to the overtime victory. 

FC Bayern Munich outlasted Olimpia Milano 91-84 after overtime in Round 12 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bayern edges Milan in OT, 91-84!

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Carsen Edwards and Serge Ibaka combined for 52 points for Bayern, which edged Milan in an overtime thriller. 

Real Madrid duplicated its championship game victory over Olympiacos B.C. Piraeus by grinding out a 71-77 road victory at Peace and Friendship Stadium in a rematch of last season's EuroLeague Championship Game.

Real Madrid holds off Olympiacos, 71-77, in Greece

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Real Madrid duplicated its championship game victory over Olympiacos Piraeus by grinding out a 71-77 road victory at Peace and Friendship Stadium. 