By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Launching the double-game week with a Performance Index Rating of 38, Sasha Vezenkov got the MVP of the Round nod.
Euroleague Basketball confirmed him as the Most Valuable Player of Round 16 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season on Thursday.
Vezenkov, 29, dropped 27 points with 8/12 field goals in a winning effort against Virtus Segafredo Bologna in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, SEF, on Wednesday.
The PIR of 38 eclipsed every player in action on Tuesday and Wednesday, leading to the MVP distinction.
Per the press release: “A stunning individual performance in an outstanding team win allowed Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus to earn Round 16 MVP honors with a PIR of 38.
Vezenkov was everywhere in his team’s 87-77 home victory over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. He had 27 points on 6-of-9 two-pointers, 2-of-3 three-pointers and 9-of-11 free throws, as well as 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 8 fouls drawn to get a PIR of 38, the highest in this round and his highest PIR this season. This is Vezenkov’s 12th MVP of the Round award, only trailing Shane Larkin (17 times) and Nando De Colo (16). Vezenkov has earned MVP of the Round honors for the third time this season, having shared this accolade with Neal Sako of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 2 and exclusively in Round 3.
Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens led his team to a 103-74 home victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan with a career-high 39 points on 4-of-7 two-pointers, 8-of-16 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws, adding 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 fouls drawn for a personal-best PIR of 37.
Maodo Lo of Paris Basketball amassed a PIR of 35 in his team’s 85-96 home loss against Real Madrid. Lo had 30 points on 9-of-10 two-pointers and 4-of-8 three-pointers, in addition to 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 5 fouls drawn.
Kevin Punter led FC Barcelona to a 90-63 home win over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul with 25 points on 6-of-11 two-pointers, 2-of-2 three-pointers and 7-of-7 free throws. He added 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 6 fouls drawn to reach a PIR of 32.
Rokas Jokubaitis of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, with a PIR of 31, completes the top individual performances in Round 16. Jokubaitis posted 22 points, shooting 7 for 10 on two-pointers, 1 for 2 from deep, and 5 for 5 on free throws, and he also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Individual highs: Balsa Koprivica, Partizan, 4 blocks
Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos led all scorers with 39 points, a new season high among all players. Carsen Edwards of FC Bayern Munich remains atop the overall standings with 20.4 points per game.
Walter Tavares of Real Madrid led all rebounders by pulling down 14 boards. He is also the runaway leader with 8.4 boards per night.
Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul dished 12 assists, more than any other player in this round. Tamir Blatt of Maccabi is first overall with 8.6 assists per game.
Larkin also led Round 16 in steals, getting 4. Alpha Diallo leads the way in steals with 1.6 per game.
Balsa Koprivica of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade had 4 blocks in this round. Tavares leads this season’s standings with 1.6 blocks per night.
Tavares (10 points, 14 rebounds) and Olympiacos Piraeus’s Sasha Vezenkov (27 points, 10 rebounds) were the only players to get a double-double in Round 16.”
Top 10 Plays
A Partizan Mozzart Bet combination created by Duane Washington Jr. and completed by Tyrique Jones with an emphatic dunk ranked first in the Top 10 Plays of Round 16.