By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
A stellar individual performance in a come-from-behind victory allowed Elie Okobo of AS Monaco to earn MVP honors in Round 16 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Okobo helped Monaco edge past Zalgiris Kaunas 84-82, a game in which he scored 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. He was 3-of-6 on two-pointers, 2-of-5 on three-pointers and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
In addition to that, Okobo dished a season-high 9 assists, matched his personal best with 4 steals, grabbed 4 rebounds and drew 6 fouls for a PIR of 35, the highest of any player in Round 16. It is Okobo’s second MVP of the Round honor after previously finishing with a PIR of 37 while playing for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in a 70-84 road victory against Panathinaikos Athens in Round 7 of the 2021-22 campaign.
The next best PIR, 33, belongs to Olympiacos Piraeus center Moustapha Fall. In a road win in the Greek Derby against Panathinaikos, Fall had 19 points on 9-for-10 two-point shooting, as well as 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Brandon Davies of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan led his team to a 90-79 home win against Valencia Basket with a PIR of 32. Davies had 17 points on 6-of-6 two-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws, along with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 5 fouls drawn.
Rounding out the list of the best performers in Round 16 are Johnathan Motley of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Nemanja Nedovic of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, both of whom had a PIR of 30 in a losing effort. Motley had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, while Nedovic had 24 points, 7 assists and 9 drawn fouls against FC Barcelona.