In the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague roll call, we take a look at five players who had a big impact on their respective games in Round 22.
Roll call, Round 22: Career-best nights and rising to the occasion
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Pleiss showed up on both ends for Efes
Anadolu Efes Istanbul had Tibor Pleiss to thank for its fast start against FC Barcelona in Round 22, as the German big man hit the ground running by scoring the first 6 points of the game to put the hosts 6-0 ahead. Despite lining up against Jan Vesely, Pleiss was cooking in the first minute and a half of the contest. Barca soon went on a 0-5 run, but Pleiss was there to score again and keep Efes 8-5 in front. Soon after, the other Efes players started to find their groove, but it was Pleiss that got the ball rolling. He then made his presence felt on defense, blocking Vesely’s shot at the midway point of the opening quarter before later rejecting shots from Nikola Kalinic and Jabari Parker in the third. Pleiss finished the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks as he put in a high-level performance on both ends of the floor.
Lee sets career highs in Bologna
It may have come in a losing effort, but LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne point guard Paris Lee had one of the best performances of his career in Round 22 – and one that nearly led to an upset in Bologna. In the end, Virtus Segafredo Bologna came back in the fourth quarter to beat ASVEL 73-63, but not before Lee set his career high with 12 assists and also tied another personal best with 4 steals. Lee finished the game with 14 points and he was the main reason why ASVEL led 45-54 after 30 minutes, before Virtus rallied late on.
Marinkovic found range in his hometown
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz pulled out a thrilling 90-91 win in the Serbian capital against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, and it was quite a homecoming for Vanja Marinkovic. The Belgrade-born sharpshooter, who came through the system of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Zvezda’s archrival, did not mind the hostile environment. Marinkovic knocked down a season-high 5 triples, including a pair in the fourth quarter that opened a 70-80 lead. Zvezda rallied in the final minutes, but with the visitors clinging to an 87-89 advantage, Marinkovic made both free throws with 7.5 seconds to go to ice the game. His performance was even more significant when you consider that this is the first time Marinkovic has scored in double figures since Round 17, having last week shot 0-for-7 from long range in a win over Olympiacos Piraeus.
Dozier’s efforts came up short
Although Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade fell to defeat at Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Friday night, it wasn’t for the want of trying by P.J. Dozier. In the absence of Kevin Punter and Aleksa Avramovic, Dozier left it all out on the floor and was not a million miles away from posting a triple-double as he posted team highs of 16 points, 7 rebounds and a career-best 8 assists. He also had a personal-best 6 steals, the most of any player this season, and 1 block. It was a really impressive all-round performance by the EuroLeague rookie, but ultimately it proved to be in vain.
Jones was perfect for Valencia
Round 22 saw Valencia Basket grab an impressive come-from-behind victory against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, with Chris Jones orchestrating things on offense. In addition to posting a joint team-high 15 points, the guard had 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Perhaps most notably, Jones didn’t commit a single turnover on the night. That protection of the ball is precisely what head coach Alex Mumbru likes to see from the conductor of his team’s offense, and it certainly paid off as Valencia won 84-72.