By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Darius Thompson starred for Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in a thrilling 114-111 overtime win against two-time defending Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ Anadolu Efes Istanbul, which has seen him pick up his first-ever MVP of the Round honor.
Thompson, a EuroLeague rookie, had a Baskonia season-high PIR of 36, the best in Round 21. His 16 assists were a club record and the league’s highest total in almost two years.
Thompson scored 19 points, making 3-of-6 two-pointers and 2-of-5 threes, in addition to pulling down six rebounds and recording a victory-sealing block. This is the third MVP award won by a Baskonia player this season.
Three players shared the round’s second-best PIR of 33, and it was a career-high for each of them: Mathew Costello of Baskonia, Gabriel Deck of Real Madrid, and Roman Sorkin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.
Costello scored a career-best 33 points, making 6-of-8 two-pointers and 5-of-8 three-pointers, and grabbed 5 rebounds in a win over Efes.
Deck led Real in a 91-86 overtime clásico win against FC Barcelona, scoring a game-high 23 points. He made 6-of-7 two-point shots and 8-of-8 free throws on the night. Deck also had seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Sorkin posted 23 points on 9-for-11 two-point shooting and nine rebounds in just over 20 minutes on the floor during Maccabi’s 95-89 loss against Olympiacos Piraeus.
Rounding out the list of top performers in Round 21 are Nando De Colo of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Maodo Lo of ALBA Berlin, both of whom had a PIR of 30.
De Colo recorded 26 points, five assists, and three rebounds in a win over his former team, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, while Lo scored 25 points and had three rebounds in a loss against Valencia Basket.