EuroLeague rookie earns his first MVP of the Round award.
Round 18 MVP: Jaylen Hoard, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
Awards
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A stunning performance by Jaylen Hoard of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in a 95-78 win over Zalgiris Kaunas has seen him earn Round 18 MVP honors with a career-high PIR of 34.
Hoard’s 34 PIR, which was the highest in this round, came after he scored 23 points on 6-of-10 two-pointers, 1-of-1 three-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws, as well as 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 drawn fouls. He did not commit a single turnover, either. This is the first time that Hoard has been MVP of the Round in his 18th game in the competition, with this being his first season in the EuroLeague.
Chima Moneke of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Achille Polonara of Virtus Segafredo Bologna each amassed a PIR of 28 in Round 18. Moneke led Baskonia to a come-from-behind 94-81 home victory over Paris Basketball with 29 points on 6-of-9 two-pointers and 4-of-8 three-pointers, 10 rebounds, 1 block and 5 fouls drawn. Polonara had 17 points on 2-of-4 two-pointers, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 5 fouls drawn to lead Virtus to an 83-69 home win over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s Duane Washington, with a PIR of 27, and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s Nigel Hayes-Davis, who had a PIR of 26, complete the top individual performances in Round 18. Washington posted 27 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in Partizan’s 90-81 triumph over Fenerbahce, while Hayes-Davis amassed 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in that same game.
Individual highs: Wenyen Gabriel, Panathinaikos, 5 blocks
Moneke was this round's top scorer with 29 points. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens's Kendrick Nunn is the league’s new top scorer with 20.6 points per game.
Johannes Voigtmann of FC Bayern Munich led all rebounders by pulling down 13 in Round 18. Walter Tavares of Real Madrid leads the way in rebounds with 8.1 boards per night.
Facundo Campazzo of Real Madrid and Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris Kaunas each had 9 assists in this round. Maccabi’s Tamir Blatt is this season’s top assist provider with 8.4 dimes per contest.
Evan Fournier of Olympiacos Piraeus collected 5 steals to lead the way in Round 18. Bayern’s Nick Weiler-Babb is atop the steals charts with 1.6 per game.
Wenyen Gabriel of Panathinaikos had 5 blocks, more than anyone else. Gabriel is the new leader, averaging a league-best 1.5 blocks per night.
Moneke (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Voigtmann (14 points, 13 rebounds) were the only two players to record a double-double in Round 18.