By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
This exciting double-game week has started with a double-MVP honor, as Vasilije Micic and Mike James share the award for Round 15 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, for their respective performances that have led Anadolu Efes and Monaco to victories.
Per EuroLeague:
Vasilije Micic of Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Mike James of AS Monaco shared the Round 15 MVP honors after leading their teams to victory in the first games of a double-round week with identical performance index ratings of 31 each.
Micic amassed 24 points on 5-for-8 two-point, 3-for-5 three-point and 5-for-5 free throw shooting in Efes‘s 87-72 home victory against Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. He added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 6 fouls drawn.
James had a double-double of 20 points and 14 assists — his new career high — in Monaco’s 98-107 overtime road win against Zalgiris Kaunas. James hit 6 of 11 two-pointers and 5 of 6 three-pointers while adding 5 rebounds and 7 fouls drawn.
Next came Toko Shengelia of CSKA Moscow, whose PIR of 27, based on 20 points and 6 rebounds, couldn’t prevent his team’s 67-88 home loss against UNICS Kazan. In the same game, UNICS forward Mario Hezonja combined 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 26. Nando De Colo of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Walter Tavares of Real Madrid and Shane Larkin of Efes, with PIRs of 25 each, completed the top performances in Round 15.
Individual highs: Mike James, Monaco, 14 assists
Micic was Round 14’s top scorer with 24 points. Elie Okobo of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne remains the top overall scorer at 17.1 points per game. Ognjen Kuzmic led all rebounders by pulling down 14 for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in a home loss to FC Barcelona. Georgios Papagiannis of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens is the competition’s best rebounder at 8.1 per night.
James was the only player to record double-digit assists in Round 15, dishing a career-high 14 against Zalgiris. That was also the most by any player in a game this season.
Nick Calathes of Barcelona, who is currently injured, remains first overall with 5.7 assists per game. Four players — Nicolo Melli of AX Armani Exchange Milan, Devin Booker of Fenerbahce, Dejan Davidovac of Zvezda and Keenan Evans of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv — collected 3 steals each in Round 15. John Brown of UNICS ranks first steals with 2.5 steals per game. Jan Vesely of Fenerbahce, James Gist and Kostas Antetokounmpo of ASVEL, and Booker each had 3 blocks. Tavares is first overall at 1.7 blocks per night. Hezonja and James were the only players to register a double-double in Round 15.