By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
EuroLeague Regular Season Round 24 featured Anadolu Efes improving to 21-3 and punching in its playoffs ticket way early. Three wins behind is Real Madrid tied with Barcelona in second place. Our MVP of the week masterminded the latest victory of Pablo Laso’s team by tying the all-time record of 19 assists.
Eurohoops MVP
Facundo Campazzo
He is a two-time EuroLeague champion, but now shares the record for assists in a single game of Europe’s premier club competition. Apart matching Stefan Jovic with 19 dimes to his name, Facundo Campazzo scored ten points and earned seven fouls before fouling out himself. In adjusted circumstances might have set a new record, but Real Madrid ultimately prevailed in the crazy road game against Alba Berlin.
Eurohoops Best Five
1. Facundo Campazzo: Our MVP will look for 20 assists next time.
2. Malcolm Delaney: His 26 points, nine assists and five boards pushed Barcelona to 18-6.
3. DeShaun Thomas: Season-high 27 points highlights monster performance and Panathinaikos victory.
4. Kostas Papanikolaou: Olympiacos claimed a massive “W” with the Greek forward dropping a team-high 19 points.
5. Jonas Jerebko: Back on the winning track is Khimki as the Swedish big combines 19 points with eight rebounds.
Coach of the week: Giannis Sfairopoulos
Maccabi is tied with CSKA in fourth place trailing the Spanish powerhouses by a couple of wins. Giannis Sfairopoulos’ part in the 2019-20 run is no secret and has been pointed out several times. However planning out the last play for the road win versus Fenerbahce earned him the distinction as our coach of the week once again. The Greek head coach accurately mapped out the last possession and Othello Hunter delivered. Honoring his nickname “coach Bullet” – “Sfaira” in Greek means “Bullet” – his play “killed” Fenerbahce.
The big issue: CSKA’s fifth loss in two-game stretches
Similar to November’s double-game stretch, CSKA suffered a couple of defeats this week to Anadolu Efes and Olympiacos. Also went 1-1 in the first 2019-20 two-game set. A negative pattern seems to be forming as Dimitris Itoudis’ squad is 11-3 in single-game weeks. Injury woes are tough to overcome, especially when facing multiple top European clubs in a matter of days.