By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Milos Teodosic starred in Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup semifinals against UNICS Kazan and has been named the weekly MVP.
Virtus Bologna stormed the first game at home but fell to UNICS on the road on Friday and it all comes down to Game 3 next week for the second finalist to be determined.
Per EuroCup:
By starring in a Game 1 of the semifinals and leading Virtus Segafredo Bologna to an 80-76 win over UNICS Kazan, Milos Teodosic earned his first-ever weekly MVP honor in the 7DAYS EuroCup.
Teodosic accumulated a career-best PIR of 34, the most of all players on winnings teams in the first week of the semifinals. Teodosic netted 27 points in Game 1, making 7 of 8 two-point shots and 2 of 8 three-pointers. He also matched his career-best with 6 rebounds, dished 5 assists, took 1 steal and drew 10 fouls, another career-high for him.
Teodosic’s teammate Marco Belinelli had the highest PIR in this week’s semifinal games. In Game 2 of the series, Belinelli scored 33 point, with 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal and 7 drawn fouls for an index rating of 36, but Virtus lost that game at UNICS. The next-best PIR, 25, belonged to Rob Gray of AS Monaco, who posted that total in a Game 1 win over Herbalife Gran Canaria. Gray scored 25 points, had 3 rebounds and 1 assists in his team’s series-opening victory. In that same game, Gran Canaria center Mathew Costello had a PIR of 23, collecting 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Also with a PIR 23 this week was UNICS Kazan guard Isaiah Canaan, who had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in his team’s Game 2 victory over Virtus.
Individual highs: Mathias Lessort, AS Monaco, 5 blocks
Belinelli scored 33 points in Game 2, tied for the second-most in the competition this season, and the most points in a single game since late December 2020. Belinelli leads the semifinals in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. Two players had 9 rebounds this week, and both in Game 2: Okaro White of UNICS and Mathew Costello of Gran Canaria. Costello leads the semifinals with 8.0 rebounds per game. Teodosic had 9 assists in Game 2, more than any other player in the first week of semifinals. Teodosic averages 7.0 in this stage of the playoffs. Virtus guard Alessandro Pajola picked up 4 steals in Game 1 and leads the semifinals with 3.0 steals per game. Mathias Lessort led all players this week with 5 blocks in Game 1. Costello leads is the best shot-blocker in the semifinals with 3.5 per game.
Photo: EuroCup