Bryant dominates the second round with a rating of 31

The 31-year-old guard delivered a complete performance that allowed Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv to win on the road at the Belgrade Arena. Bryant achieved the highest valuation of the day with a versatile performance that encompassed all facets of the game, reinforcing his excellent start to this regular season.

A perfect night in Belgrade

Elijah Bryant's performance in the second round of the Euroleague was all-encompassing. He scored 18 points with a 3 of 8 on two-point shots, 1 of 3 on three-point attempts, and a perfect 9 of 9 on free throws. Beyond scoring, he grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, made 4 steals, and drew 7 fouls. This combination of numbers allowed him to achieve a PIR of 31, the highest figure of the day, earning him recognition from Euroleague Basketball.

Bryant shares the lead in defensive rebounds with Jason Burnell of Armani Olimpia Milan, both with 10 rebounds. His free-throw performance was outstanding, executing flawlessly from the charity stripe. This marks his fourth MVP award of the round in his eight seasons in the continental competition, adding to one accolade earned with Anadolu Efes Istanbul and two previous ones with Hapoel.

Punter shines in Barcelona's defeat

Kevin Punter of FC Barcelona registered the second-best valuation of the day with 28 points, although his team could not avoid a road defeat of 94-87 against Dubai Basketball. The guard scored 25 points, showcasing an impressive 8 of 10 on two-point shots and 3 of 6 on three-pointers. Additionally, he contributed 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Punter continues to demonstrate his importance in the offensive play of the Blaugrana, being the top scorer of the round with his 25 points.

On the season level, Punter leads the scoring rankings in the Euroleague with an average of 22.0 points per game, solidifying his role as a key piece in Barcelona's attack during the 2026-27 campaign.

Defensive performance stands out in the second round

Carlik Jones of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus completed the honor roll with a valuation of 26 points each. Jones led Partizan to a road victory of 79-92 against Paris Basketball, scoring 20 points with a 6 of 9 on two-point shots and a perfect 8 of 9 on free throws. Moreover, he distributed 5 assists, made 3 steals, and drew 5 fouls. Vezenkov shone in the 'Red's' triumph of 91-93 against Zalgiris Kaunas, registering 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds with great scoring efficiency.

Talen Horton-Tucker of Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul and Sylvain Francisco of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens completed the list of top players with a valuation of 25 points each. The second round reflected a high level of competition across the Euroleague, with multiple quality performances distributed among the main teams.

Records and statistical leaders

TJ Shorts of Valencia Basket was the only player to reach double digits in assists during the round, distributing 10 in the match against Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Carlik Jones holds the top spot in the league for assists per game, averaging 7.5. Bryant and Shorts were the only players to record double-doubles in this second round of competition.

The 6 steals by Vildoza represented the highest figure of the day and tied for the second-best record in a single game in Partizan's history. Only Fred House achieved a higher figure with 9 steals in a victory of 61-57 against FC Barcelona on December 11, 2003. Vildoza leads the season with 5.0 steals per game. Aliou Diarra of Virtus Bologna recorded 4 blocks, the highest figure of the round. Diarra, Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos, and Dan Oturu of Hapoel are tied for the league lead with 2.5 blocks per game.

The start of the double-game week

The second round marked the beginning of the double-game week in the 2026-27 regular season, intensifying the competitive schedule. Azuolas Tubelis of Zalgiris leads the season's rebounding rankings with 9.5 rebounds per game, setting a demanding pace for the other competitors.

Elijah Bryant's performance in this round confirms his spectacular form at the start of the campaign, having been named to the Euroleague All-Star team the previous season. His ability to impact both ends of the court positions him as one of the most complete players in the competition, demonstrating that Hapoel Tel Aviv has a highly valuable asset in its pursuit of ambitious goals in this Euroleague.

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