The All-EuroLeague forward led Real Madrid past the debutants with 26 points
Mario Hezonja shined against Paris with the style of play he loves
Članak
3 Min čitanja
The stage was set for a big-time showdown as Real Madrid and Paris Basketball came in with 18-14 records. The winner was a guaranteed a postseason berth.
It developed into a back-and-forth, fun-to-watch battle, which is exactly the type of game Real forward Mario Hezonja enjoys watching - and playing in. Hezonja made sure Real punched its postseason ticket with a strong all-around performance and a critical play in the final minute.
Hezonja came off the bench and immediately made things happen with 5 quick points. He soon added a reverse two-handed slam but despite Hezonja providing instant offense, Paris held on to lead 23-28 at the end of the first quarter. He barely returned to the bench in the last three quarters and that allowed him to showcase his offensive skills, especially from beyond the arc. The fact that Hezonja made at least one three-pointer in each quarter speaks wonders about his consistency.
Paris stayed in the game until the final minutes when Tyson Ward buried a three-pointer to bring his team within 98-96. Hezonja grabbed the ball outside the three-point line, Euro-stepped in the paint, drew a foul and buried an off-balance jumper plus the and-one free throw that sealed the outcome with 38.0 seconds left. Paris only got closer once Nadir Hifi buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to fix the final score at 105-104.
Hezonja finished the game with a season-high 26 points on 4-of-4 two-point shooting, 5-of-9 on three-pointers and 3-of-3 on free throws, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn.
After the game, Hezonja compared Paris to one of his former teams, praised the opponent and made sure once again that everyone knows what his favorite style of basketball is: run and gun.
"Yeah, that's the game. I know a lot of people [that think] defense, defense, defense, but they probably weren't able too much to put the ball in the basket, so that's why they say that. But I'm telling you, this is a wild team. We are wilder, definitely," Hezonja said. "They remind me a lot of my UNICS Kazan team, so I know how it is, and I respect them a lot. I love to watch them. I watched them a lot this year, and I wish them the best going forward.
"I think now things are starting to work. We understand where we are and know how to play these type of games. We understand in which moment and where we are in the season. Every time there is a challenge, we respond. We have to shut up, focus, and keep going like this."
With the win, Real has a chance to finish the regular season in a top-six spot, which would send it directly into the playoffs. That will depend on other results and necessitate a win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in the Serbian capital in Round 34 next week.
