Who's hot: Patrick Richard, U-BT Cluj-Napoca

Playing in his rookie season in the 7DAYS EuroCup, and for a team enjoying its debut campaign in the competition, [Patrick Richard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/patrick-richard/011801/) of U-BT Cluj-Napoca has started to really come into his own in the last three games.

After going through some ups and downs, the soon-to-be 33-year-old has taken his game to another level between Rounds 8 and 10. In addition to increasing his scoring output, Richard has also seen a rise in his overall productivity on the court.

Though the first seven games of the season, Richard averaged 10.6 points on 25.0% three-point shooting. He dished 5.6 assists per night and also grabbed 3.6 rebounds. The veteran guard scored in double digits five times, but never more than 14 points.

Over the last three games, though, Richard has taken those all-round performances to an even higher level, with his scoring average increasing to 18.3 points per contest. Only five players in the EuroCup have scored more than the Cluj guard over that span.

What's more, Richard has nearly doubled his rebounding numbers, pulling down 6.3 per game since Round 8, while his assist numbers remain impressive at 5.0 per night.

Patrick Richard highlights since Round 8.

Who s hot Patrick Richard U-BT Cluj-Napoca

Richard shone particularly brightly in two of his last three performances. In Round 8 on the road at Prometey Slobozhanske, he finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, but it came in a Cluj defeat. 

Then, after posting 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in Round 9 against ratiopharm Ulm, Richard had his best-ever scoring performance against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse last week. En route to a career-high 23 points, he went 4-for-6 from two-point range and 3-for-6 from three-point territory. Along with that, he recorded 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

As a result, the Cluj guard has averaged a PIR of 23.0 over the last three games. That is not only an improvement of nearly 10 points compared to the first seven rounds of the season, but it also ranks him among the best performers in the entire EuroCup. Since Round 8, only three players in the entire competition have accumulated a higher PIR than Richard.

On Wednesday night, Richard will try to continue his hot streak when Cluj visits the Slovenian capital to take on Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, as the Romanian team goes in search of its first road win in the competition.

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v U-BT Cluj-Napoca (2023-01-18T19:30:00.000Z)

Gran Canaria (8-2) is on a four-game winning streak in the 7DAYS EuroCup and has won all four of its contests at Gran Canaria Arena this season, yet Promitheas Patras (6-4) is hoping to defy the odds and sweep the Group B leaders on Wednesday night.

When Gran Canaria and Promitheas met in Greece in Round 2, Promitheas came out on top 93-82 thanks to an inspired performance by Joe Young, who had 34 points in the win. It was a big shock for Gran Canaria, as the Spanish team came into the new EuroCup season as one of the favorites to go and lift the trophy.

Promitheas Patras - Gran Canaria | Round 2 Highlights | 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup

It is a slightly different story heading into Wednesday's clash, though, as Gran Canaria has found its feet while Promitheas has experienced some significant changes. Gran Canaria has gone 7-1 since its loss at Dimitris Tofalos Arena, whereas Promitheas has since changed its coach and parted ways with its leading scorer.

Makis Giatras stepped down as head coach due to health problems at the end of November after leading Promitheas to a 4-2 record, which resulted in Ioannis Christopoulos being named as his replacement. Then, at the start of January and with him having played just once in the three games since Coach Christopoulos arrived, Promitheas confirmed that it had agreed to mutually terminate Young's contract.

In Round 10, Promitheas and Coach Christopoulos began the post-Young era in the best way possible, with new signings Joe Thomasson and Dustin Hogue both appearing in an 84-71 victory at home to Dolomiti Energia Trento. One of the keys to the win was Promitheas finishing the game with five players in double figures for points. George Conditt led the way with a game-high 17, while Thomasson added 15 on his debut.

The best plays of Promitheas Patras in its 84-71 win against Dolomiti Energia Trento.

Promitheas's best plays vs. Trento

For Gran Canaria, its run of four straight wins has been aided by a few key contributors. Young center Khalifa Diop is the only player to have scored 10 points or more in that four-game streak, increasing his scoring tally with each passing game and averaging 13.5 points. Fellow big man Aleksander Balcerowski has averaged 10.0 points per night in that period, while Vitor Benite is posting averages of 11.5 points per contest and Nicolas Brussino is contributing 10.8 points per game.

Last time out, in a 79-91 win on the road at Slask Wroclaw, one player came to the fore in particular: David Mutaf. The 20-year-old is in his second season with Gran Canaria's first team, and he enjoyed his best performance to date in Round 10. Mutaf made 4 appearances in 2021-22, all from the bench, and scored a total of 11 points. This season, he had a career-best 13-point night against the London Lions in Round 3 but followed that up with scoreless performances in limited minutes in Rounds 5 and 7.

On his first-ever start in the EuroCup against Slask, however, Mutaf repaid the faith that Gran Canaria head coach Jaka Lakovic had shown him. In a career-high 24:27 minutes on the floor, Mutaf finished with a personal-best 19 points after going 2-of-4 on two-pointers and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. He grabbed 2 rebounds, dished 3 assists and recorded 2 steals, too. Mutaf will be hoping to build on that when Promitheas comes to town on Wednesday night.

The best highlights of David Mutaf during Gran Canaria's 79-91 road win at Slask Wroclaw.

David Mutaf's coming out party in Wroclaw

Gran Canaria is feeling confident and will be determined to not only protect its home court but also exact revenge against Promitheas. However, Promitheas has the rare opportunity to sweep Gran Canaria in the teams' regular-season series, having lost all four of its meetings with the Spanish side until earlier this season. It should make for a fascinating contest, so make sure to tune in when the action gets underway at 21:00 CET on Wednesday night.

Promitheas looks to cause another shock against a red-hot Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria v Promitheas Patras (2023-01-18T20:00:00.000Z)

Jordan Floyd took charge late to lift Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse past Umana Reyer Venice 86-79 on Tuesday. He scored 14 of his season-high 24 in the fourth quarter, including a jumper to break a 60-60 tie and a fastbreak slam to give his team a double-digit lead. Floyd accounted for more than half of Bourg’s points in the fourth quarter, in which the team scored 26.

 

Not that he was quiet before that, but when it was time for the game to be decided, Floyd stepped up.  

Bourg's Jordan Floyd scores season-high 24 vs. Reyer

Bourg's Jordan Floyd scores season-high 24 vs Reyer

"I just caught a rhythm," said Floyd after the game. "My team kept coming to me. And we work on the things that we do in the game and it was just able to flow at the end of the game."

 

The effort was the continuation of an excellent debut season in the EuroCup for Floyd, who topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time in 11 games – and the third time in the last four. He raised his scoring average to 16.2 points, which is 10th in the competition.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordan Floyd put UP a career-high 24 points tonight in the <a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JLBourgBasket</a> win in Round 11💰<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/nk4n9YY078">pic.twitter.com/nk4n9YY078</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1615467237682421770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Floyd did this on a night when the three-point shot failed him. He was 0 for 3 from downtown, but made 8 of 9 two-pointers. Some of those were mid-range jumpers, others drives to the hoop after breaking down defenders and there were some fastbreak buckets. Floyd was also perfect from the foul line; he has now made 19 consecutive free throws over his last three games.

 

He added 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and only committed 1 turnover in compiling a performance index rating of 26, which was the second-highest tally for Floyd all season. In three games this season against Italian clubs – two against Reyer and one against Germani Brescia, Floyd has averaged 20.3 points and a PIR of 21. Bourg hosts Brescia in Round 13 and it had better be prepared for this breakout star.  

Jordan Floyd’s fourth-quarter flourish lifted Bourg

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-01-17T18:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona’s offense shot the ball very well in its important victory over Frutti Extra Bursaspor, and that was needed to help make up for a big turnover problem.

Joventut converted on 71.4% of its two-pointers and 42.3% from long range in an 83-82 nail-biter home win in Group A. That efficiency was needed as the home team committed 20 turnovers

Joventut relied heavily on the tandem of Kyle Guy and Ante Tomic, who scored 26 and 21 points respectively while combining to make 18 of 27 shots (66.7%). The duo also made 7 turnovers - 4 by Guy and 3 by Tomic. The rest of the team made just 13 of 27 shot attempts (48.1%).

Game News

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Joventut hit shots, when it didn’t commit turnovers 

Joventut Badalona v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2023-01-17T19:15:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona survived a last-minute collapse but still grabbed an 83-82 victory over Frutti Extra Bursaspor in a big Group A showdown. Kyle Guy poured in a career-high 25 points and Ante Tomic scored 21 points as Joventut improved to 7-4, including 4-1 at home. Joventut, which still trails Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in Group A by one victory, led by 9 points inside the final minute and 5 points with 24 seconds left but saw Bursaspor tie the game with 6 seconds to play. Joventut only secured the win on Andres Feliz’s free throw with 1.5 seconds to go.

Bursaspor dropped its second game in the last three to fall to 6-5 including 2-4 on the road. Onuralp Bitim tallied 17 points, David Dudzinski and Derek Needham both had 16 points and Zach Auguste contributed 15 points in the loss. Bursaspor did, however, retain the head-to-head tiebreaker since it won their Round 2 duel by 9 points at home.

Bursaspor opened the game with the first 7 points on the road. After Joventut closed it to 13-14, Needham picked up a block and three-pointer to push the advantage to 13-22. The hosts followed with 7 straight and it was 20-22 after 10 minutes.

Joventut tied the game for the first time again at 25-25 and took its first lead at 30-29 on a Guy three-pointer. And the home side led 37-33 at the break.

Tomic stepped up with 9 points in the third quarter to keep Joventut ahead and Guy’s scoop made it 53-46. Five quick points from Joel Parra upped the advantage to 58-50 after 30 minutes.

Henry Ellenson’s three-pointer to start the fourth quarter increased the cushion to 11 points and back-to-back triples from Guy made it 68-56. Bursaspor trimmed the deficit to 6 points but could not get closer with Guy’s falling three-pointer with 58 seconds to play making it 81-72.

Anthony Clemmons hit a three-pointer and Omer Al converted a three-point play with 9 seconds left to pull within 82-80. Clemmons then stole the in-bounds ball and passed to Bitim to knot the game with 6 seconds left. Feliz was fouled with 1.5 seconds to go and connected on the first foul shot to secure the win.

Joventut survives last-minute collapse to beat Bursaspor, 83-82

### Joventut Badalona head coach Carles Duran:

"I don’t understand. But the most important thing is that we won the game. We have to improve in all things. When the team was playing well, Bursaspor was playing very hard. But the team is happy because they played with more energy in the second half... A hard game against a very good team. A good win for us."

### Frutti Extra Bursaspor head coach Dusan Alimpijevic:

"This is basketball. We lost the game by one, they deserved to win. I have to say they were better for more longer than us. For sure we have a reason to be sad but they also deserve it. The only good thing is that we defended \[the tiebreaker\] from the first game.

"Congrats to Joventut and their coach and their players for winning this game. They deserve it. This is basketball, this is life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Today they were more concentrated on some details. For me, they won the game in the first half, not in the second half or on the last possession."

### Joventut Badalona center Ante Tomic:

"I don’t know what to say. It happened almost the same as the last game in the domestic league. We need to improve our mental strength, especially in the end of games like this. We need to finish the game easy - without stress. In the end, we won the game and that’s the only thing that matters.”

Carles Duran, Joventut: 'We have to improve in all things'

Mincidelice JL Bourg controlled the paint on Tuesday in defeating Umana Reyer Venice 86-79 at home. Bourg dominated the glass, outrebounding the visitors 39-23. Pierre Pelos led the way with 8 rebounds, Amida Brimah grabbed 7 and Isiaha Mike 6 with the trio alone almost matching Reyer’s rebounding total.

Bourg’s edge on offensive rebounds was slim: 7-6. However, the home team made the most of them, cashing in for 12 second-chance points, which were double Reyer’s tally.

The second-chance points came on top of a record shooting night for Bourg. The home team sank 27 of 37 two-point shots (73.0%), while holding Reyer below 50% (19 of 39, 48.7%). That marked the best two-point shooting night ever for Bourg in a EuroCup game, topping a 72.4% effort (21 of 29) earlier this season against ratiopharm Ulm in Round 8. Brimah (4) and Alexandre Chassang (2) did not miss, Jordan Floyd made 8 of 9 and James Palmer was 6 of 8 on two-pointers.

The excellent rebounding and superb shooting masked Bourg’s only real problem in the game; it committed 16 turnovers.

Bourg dominated inside to handle Reyer

### [Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 86-79 Umana Reyer Venice](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/mincidelice-jl-bourg-en-bresse-umana-reyer-venice/U2022/102/)

Jordan Floyd scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter as Bourg pulled away to defeat Umana Reyer Venice 86-79 at the Ekinox on Tuesday night. With the win, Bourg strengthened its grip on first place by improving to 8-3 while dropping Reyer to 6-5. James Palmer added 17 points and Pierre Pelos tallied 12 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Derek Willis led Reyer with 23 points.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/JLBourgBasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JLBourgBasket</a> stands at the top of Group A!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/muQFjA3lIV">pic.twitter.com/muQFjA3lIV</a></p>&mdash; 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroCup/status/1615444652659728398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### [Joventut Badalona 83-82 Frutti Extra Bursaspor](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2022-23/joventut-badalona-frutti-extra-bursaspor/U2022/105/)

Joventut survived a last-minute collapse but still grabbed an 83-82 victory over Bursaspor in a big Group A showdown. Kyle Guy poured in a career-high 25 points and Ante Tomic scored 21 points as Joventut improved to 7-4. Joventut led by 9 points inside the final minute and 5 points with 24 seconds left but saw Bursaspor tie the game with 6 seconds to play. Joventut only secured the win on Andres Feliz’s free throw with 1.5 seconds to go. Onuralp Bitim tallied 17 points for Bursaspor, which dropped to 6-5.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">😤 Triomf treballadíssim en l&#39;últim segon!<br><br>💥 Un tir lliure de Feliz dona la victòria a la Penya amb una exhibició de Guy en l&#39;últim quart<br><br>🔗 La crònica: <a href="https://t.co/pSVdh3db4n">https://t.co/pSVdh3db4n</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badalona%C3%89sFutur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BadalonaÉsFutur</a> <a href="https://t.co/JjznTXSDHd">pic.twitter.com/JjznTXSDHd</a></p>&mdash; Club Joventut Badalona (@Penya1930) <a href="https://twitter.com/Penya1930/status/1615466169733091328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game Center: Bourg, Joventut win tough games at home

### Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse head coach Frederic Fauthoux:

"We never give up and I’m very proud of these guys because it wasn’t easy. But we played well, we controlled the tempo, we played very good defense. The guys respected the game plan. We won for the second time against Venice. It’s a very good step… Today was perfect, but the way is long. We are happy for the victory."

### Umana Reyer Venice head coach Walter De Raffaele:

"I said \[at halftime\] that we need to compete on rebounds until we have \[no\] energy. Until we had \[no\] energy, we competed in many one-on-one situations after, honestly, we missed some easy pull-ups and then the energy was not full for everybody. Bourg deserved to win this game."

### Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse guard Jordan Floyd:

"Coming into the game, we knew that Venice was a nice team. They were gonna play hard defensively and we’re at home, so we have to make big games at home. We’ve lost two games at home this year; we’ve been playing better on the road, but tonight we came out and got the job done… We work hard every day in practice. Our coach provides a great game plan for us and we just come out here and play basketball. We have fun doing it."

### Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse guard Hugo Benitez:

"It’s a good win for us. We knew we have to play with a lot of energy because they have very clever and very big players. I think this is what we did and we controlled the game. Maybe we could have killed the game before, but it is good for us. It is a good win at home and we have to keep on going."

### Umana Reyer Venice forward Derek Willis:

I think we were a little short on our defensive energy tonight and some shots we usually make didn’t fall in the first half. We fought back, but it wasn’t enough. JL Bourg had a good game plan, they played well, they were ready for us. We just have to get ready for the next game now.