Maik Kotsar and Niko Rogkavopoulos rose to the challenge with their team missing three big men to injury.
Unexpected heroes stepped up for injury-hit Baskonia
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 25 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Injuries to Tadas Sedekerskis, Matt Costello and Khalifa Diop left Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz very short of bodies at the "five" position ahead of Thursday’s crucial clash with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, making it clear that its only remaining big men, Maik Kotsar and Chima Moneke, would have to get through plenty of work in a must-win game against a direct rival.
The fact that Moneke produced a monster performance was not at all surprising. The 28-year-old is enjoying a magnificent season, heading into the game with averages of 7.1 rebounds (3rd-best in the league), 14.2 points (11th) and 19.3 PIR (3rd), so Baskonia fans will have been delighted but not exactly shocked to see him rise to the challenge with 15 points and 15 rebounds in more than 36 minutes on the floor.
Moneke’s stellar contribution helped Baskonia claim a golden victory, 92-82, that not only leaves it tied with Maccabi on 13-12 but also narrowly gives the Spanish team the head-to-head tiebreak advantage after losing by 8 to Maccabi earlier in the season.
But he was certainly not alone, because the team-high PIR of 26 belonged to a man whose commanding performance was somewhat less expected: Kotsar.
The Estonian center entered the action with modest season averages of 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18 minutes, but the needs of the team meant that much more was required on Thursday night. And he didn’t disappoint, spending all but 183 seconds of the game on the floor and finishing with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots for that PIR of 26.
Another player who stepped up more than could have been reasonably expected was young Greek forward Niko Rogkavopoulos, who averaged just 4.6 points before Thursday night and hadn’t scored at all in the previous two games.
But on this occasion he more than played his part, recording 13 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, also adding 2 assists and 1 steal in more than 22 minutes of playing time. Rogkavopoulos was particularly important early in the third quarter by scoring 8 points in 4 minutes, helping establish a 19-point lead that would never allow Maccabi to recover.
And although Moneke’s huge double-double plus Markus Howard’s haul of 26 points claimed the headlines, those stars were eager to hail the contribution of their teammates.
Game Videos
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Harrison attacks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Maledon’s smooth finish! Motorola Magic Moment
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Hall rises for spectacular swat! Motorola Magic Moment,
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Hall says give me that! Motorola Magic Moment
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Roberson skies for the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Moneke with the chasedown block! Motorola Magic Moment
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Lee beats the final buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
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Donta Hall swats it away! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:32
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Forrest rejects Fournier! Motorola Magic Moment
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ASVEL solves a broken play! Motorola Magic Moment
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Moneke throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
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Howard with the sweet dish! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
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Moneke's huge alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Hall stops Nunez! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
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Ndiaye with a huge follow dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
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Hall's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
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De Colo flashes cross-over! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:21
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Harrison explodes with the reverse dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
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Lauvergne with a big alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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“We have a couple of guys who are injured so we were playing with less players than usual,” said Howard. "But so many guys stepped up. I think Maik being our only 'five' man out there, he played huge. He played really big minutes.”
Moneke focused his praise on Rogkavopoulos, enthusing: “Shout-out to Rogka, he was our X-factor. I think he’s one of the best shooters in Europe and I’m proud of him.
“When we found out we were missing four players I’m sure a lot of people counted us out, but I believe in us. It’s hard to play EuroLeague in general, and to do it without four guys is tough.”
When role players like Kotsar and Rogkavopoulos excel like they did for Baskonia on Thursday, however, it becomes a lot easier.