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EuroCup Round 16, roll call

EuroCup Round 16, roll call

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16 March 20235 Mins read

Denis stepped up for Paris

Paris Basketball had to overcome a number of absences to beat Slask Wroclaw 89-85 at home in Round 16 of the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season. Gauthier Denis was one of the players that stepped up on a night when Paris needed its role players to come to the fore. He played almost 30 minutes and finished the game with personal-best marks of 17 points and a PIR of 20. Denis buried 3-of-7 three-point shots and went 6-for-6 on free throws, while he also added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn. His all-round performance allowed Paris to grab its 10th win in Group B.

Granger filled veteran role

Umana Reyer Venice stayed in the fight to be second in Group A following a 73-89 win against Frutti Exra Bursaspor at Tofas Spor Salonu. Jayson Granger knew it was time for him to take over, as Reyer's other playmaker, Marco Spissu, was unavailable. The experienced Granger spent over 37 minutes on the floor and was able to amass 18 points, 5 rebounds, a season-best 8 assists, 1 steal and as many as 8 fouls drawn. All that allowed Granger to amass a PIR of 29, a new career high.

Balvin dominated in the paint

Prometey Slobozhanske secured a top-two finish in Group A by topping Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 96-82 at Arena Riga on Wednesday. Ondrej Balvin was a dominant force in the paint and helped Prometey get its ninth consecutive victory. Balvin had really solid numbers, getting 16 points, his best scoring night since late December, on 5-of-7 two-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws. He added 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 22.

Shurna made it rain

Gran Canaria took a giant step towards finishing the EuroCup Regular Season with the best overall record by downing Turk Telekom Ankara 89-79 to improve to a competition-best 13-3 in the standings. John Shurna hit shots from every angle, finishing this critical showdown with 20 points on 3-of-4 two-pointers and 3-of-5 three-pointers. He added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn for a team-high PIR of 23, his best mark this season.

Zugic showcased his obvious potential

Fedor Zugic is a name that many EuroCup fans will already be familiar with, but the 19-year-old reminded everyone just why he is one of the brightest prospects in Europe with a season-high 21-point showing in ratiopharm Ulm's 97-85 win against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Prior to Wednesday night's action in Round 16, Zugic had only reached double digits on two occasions this season, having had 18 points in Round 1 and 11 in Round 8. His 21 points are not the most in his young career, though, as his career-best mark came against Gran Canaria in Round 15 of the 2021-22 season, when he scored 22 points.

Tokoto set Hapoel up for comeback

When Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv is in action, several players tend to catch the eyes of fans, most notably J'Covan Brown, Xavier Munford, Jordan McRae and Chinanu Onuaku. Yet, one player who tends to play a crucial role in the shadows is JP Tokoto, who had his first-ever double-double in the EuroCup in Round 16, as Hapoel defeated Veolia Towers Hamburg 91-85. Tokoto finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but his first-quarter contribution of 8 points and 5 rebounds came at a point when Hamburg was dominating the glass and scoring at ease. Without Tokoto's stat line inside the opening 10 minutes, a quarter Hapoel lost 26-29, the team would have had an even harder time trying to mount a comeback.

Lockett caused nightmares for Buducnost

Dolomiti Energia Trento grabbed a crucial 79-76 victory against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 16 that kept its playoff hopes alive, and one player who was integral in the win was guard Trent Lockett. In a complete display that saw him record 9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, the 32-year-old also had a career-best 5 steals. Lockett's activity on the defensive end of the floor wreaked havoc, as he beat his previous best mark of 4 steals, which he achieved on one occasion in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, respectively.