Many players stand out in each round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, whether or not their teams win. Here are some players who impressed in Round 5.
Round 5 roll call: Making a good first impression
Stats
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Harper made an impact on his return from injury
After missing three games with an injury, Jared Harper returned to Valencia Basket’s lineup in style by playing an important role in the side’s resounding 72-87 road win at Zalgiris Kaunas. Harper came off the bench and scored 13 points in just under 14 minutes on the floor, finishing as the second-highest scorer on the team. What was even more important was the timing of his baskets. After scoring 5 points in the first half and helping the visitors build a 29-point third-quarter lead, Harper showed up late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. With Zalgiris finding momentum and having cut the deficit to 17 points in the final minutes of the third, Harper first drew 3 free throws and made them all, then nailed a mid-range jumper to stop Zalgiris's rally. Soon after, he opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, giving him 8 quick points while restoring a 22-point margin and allowing Valencia to cruise the rest of the way.
Mitoglou starred in the fourth quarter
Dinos Mitoglou displayed just how much he means to Panathinaikos Athens on his return to the club and the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. In just his second game back, Mitoglou shined with 23 points, shared for a team high, in a 95-81 win over the visiting Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. The power forward had a day inside, especially in the fourth quarter when he scored 14 points, making all 5 of his two-point attempts and his lone three-point shot. Behind his play, Panathinaikos turned a close affair, a 71-66 lead, into a 13-point advantage in just 3 minutes of action, allowing his team to close out the game without much stress. Mitoglou finished the night having made 7-of-8 two-point shots, while he also connected twice on 4 attempts from downtown.
Lee led all players in assists, steals
LDLC ASVEL Villerubanne came up just short of registering its first win of the season, but in an 84-87 loss to the hands of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, point guard Paris Lee was the facilitator for many good things that ASVEL did during the night. Lee had 10 assists and 4 steals, which were both more than any other player in Round 5. Lee's 10 assists were just one shy of his career high, while his 4 steals tied his personal-best mark. Lee also scored 8 points and ASVEL was +7 in the 29 minutes that the 28-year-old was on the floor, while it was -10 in the time that the third-year point guard spent resting on the bench.
Williams-Goss lifted the Reds with two new career highs
Nigel Williams-Goss's 88th career game in the EuroLeague was an important one. Olympiacos Piraeus was facing the back-to-back champion from 2021 and 2022, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, a team that arrived from a double-round week sweep and who had high expectations against a team, the Reds, that were also 2-2 in the standings. Well, Williams-Goss put his fingerprints all over that game, ending up with the highest PIR among all Olympiacos players, 20. But that was not all. His high PIR came from two new career highs that normally are not as flashy as scoring: he had 7 rebounds (all defensive) and 3 steals, which propelled the Reds from the defensive end to a final 75-57 rout of the Turkish team. Williams-Goss rounded off a solid performance with 14 points – yes, he scored, too – and 3 assists, which allowed his team to improve to 3-2 and sneak back into the top eight spots in the standings.
Dos Santos finally exploded in the EuroLeague
After a sensational season in the BKT EuroCup in 2022-23, Yago Dos Santos took the step up to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last summer by joining Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Undoubtedly, he was one of the most interesting signings since he was also picked by a team that underwent a major overhaul during the offseason, featuring several big-name additions. Unfortunately, Dos Santos did not have much time to prove his worth under head coach Dusko Ivanovic, as he only played a total 4 minutes in the first four rounds, which came against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. However, the dismissal of Coach Ivanovic and the appointment of Ioannis Sfairopoulos spelled good news for Dos Santos, who played more than 20 minutes in the Belgrade derby against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Coach Sfairopoulos put him on the court after 5:45, when things looked grim for Zvezda at 17-2. Dos Santos's presence on the court allowed his team to get back into the derby, and even if he missed some shots, he got some confidence and ended up with 11 points and 5 assists. Zvezda managed to jump ahead later in the game, but it ended up falling against archrival Partizan in the final stretch. The best news for the losing side was that this could be the start of the Dos Santos explosion in the league.