Round 33 roll call: Big performances in big wins

In the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague roll call, we take a look at five players that had a big impact on their respective games in Round 33.

Lauvergne embodied ASVEL's pride

Next-to-last place LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne had nothing to play for but pride in its visit to Valencia Basket on Thursday, and who better to embody that pride than Joffrey Lauvergne. The veteran center was everywhere as the visitors rocked Valencia, 69-98, for ASVEL's second-biggest road win in 116 EuroLeague games this century. Lauvergne led the winners with 21 points and a 27 PIR, his second-best numbers in both categories this season. He made 8 of 10 two-point shots while adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, amounting to an inspired performance for him and his team, based purely on pride.

Wright to the rescue for Olympiacos

Olympiacos Piraeus had plenty to gain but also plenty to handle from already-eliminated Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in the latter's final game on its home floor on Thursday night. With one center, Nikola Milutinov, still sidelined with a long-term injury, and another, Moustapha Fall, held to 4 points, Moses Wright stepped into the void and made every one of his game-high 20 points count in a nail-biting 86-89 victory that guaranteed the Reds a playoff spot. Wright scored 16 of those points in a second half that saw Zvezda nipping at the heels of Olympiacos all the way to the finish. His poised three-pointer to break an 84-84 tie with 24 seconds left proved the deciding play as the Reds put one goal behind them and turned their attention to trying to secure home-court advantage in the final round of the regular season.

Hernangomez's big night in Munich

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens remained on fire and got closer to clinching home-court advantage in the playoffs. Above all, Panathinaikos keeps winning games and adding pieces to head coach Ergin Ataman's winning puzzle. In a 75-82 win against FC Bayern Munich, Juancho Hernangomez came off the bench and had a near-perfect performance. He finished the game with 14 points by making 3 of 3 two-point shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws. He added 2 rebounds, an assist and a steal for a PIR of 16. It was his first double-digit game in scoring since Round 24. With the game tied at 70-70, he capped a 0-8 run with a three-pointer, and the Greens never looked back after that moment.

Tonut excels in Italian derby win

After three consecutive losses in the competition, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 90-75, using a great team effort to get a big lead and sealing the outcome long before the final buzzer. Stefano Tonut took it as a personal challenge, arguably playing his best game in this EuroLeague campaign. Tonut had a season-high 15 points while downing 3 of 5 two-point shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws. He added 4 rebounds, an assist, a couple of steals and drew 4 fouls. All that allowed Tonut to amass a PIR of 17, his highest mark of the season. Most importantly, Tonut help Milan to stay in the play-in race until the very end of the regular season!

Costello did it again

Most centers find it hard to play against Real Madrid big men Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier, who lead the competition in blocked shots. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz big man Matt Costello is definitely not one of them. Last season, Costello had 20 points against Real, leading Baskonia to an 81-85 win with a spectacular four-point play almost at the buzzer. This season, Baskonia beat Real at WiZink Center, 91-95, and Costello shined again, using his deep range to get Tavares and Poirier out of the paint and his speed to attack the rim. Costello had a season-high 19 points on 6-for-7 two-point shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a PIR of 17.