Vezenkov dominates Barcelona and takes the MVP of Game Week 6
Euroleague recognizes Sasha Vezenkov as the best player of the sixth round after a stellar performance by the Olympiacos forward during their visit to Palau Blaugrana. The Greek team won in overtime with a PIR of 38 from the international player.
The forward of Olympiacos Sasha Vezenkov has been awarded the MVP of Round 6 of the Euroleague after a dream night in Barcelona. The Euroleague confirmed the honor officially on Saturday, just 24 hours after the Greek player led his team to victory at the Palau Blaugrana in a game decided in overtime.
Vezenkov's Dominant Performance in Barcelona
Vezenkov saved his best for a great night against FC Barcelona. The forward recorded a season-high PIR of 38 points, as Olympiacos Piraeus won 100-105 in overtime. His offensive performance was virtually perfect: he scored 25 points, a season-high, shooting 6 of 7 on two-pointers, 1 of 2 from three-point range, and a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. He completed his performance with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 8 personal fouls without committing a single turnover.
This is Vezenkov's first round MVP award of the season, but the 18th of his career in the continental competition. With this distinction, the Greek international is just one away from the historic record of Shane Larkin, who has accumulated 19 MVP awards in a single round.
Moneke Shines in Belgrade and Feliz Surprises Real Madrid
Although Vezenkov received the main recognition, other players also made their mark in Round 6 of the Euroleague. Chima Moneke of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade recorded the second-best PIR of the round with 31 points in just 20 minutes of play as his team defeated Paris Basketball 90-81. The Belgian forward scored his season-best 23 points without a single turnover, going 4 of 5 inside the arc, 2 of 2 from beyond the perimeter, and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line. He added 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 7 drawn fouls.
Meanwhile, Andrés Feliz had the best night of his professional career in the Real Madrid's victory over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne by 111-92. The Spanish shooting guard set personal records with 26 points and a PIR of 30. Feliz was spectacular from beyond the arc, hitting 8 of 11 three-point attempts, tying the most threes made by any player in a single game this season. He completed his performance with 1 of 1 inside the arc, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and just one personal foul.
Ndiaye and Lucic Close Out the PIR Podium
Closing out the best performances of the round were Mbaye Ndiaye of Olympiacos and Vladimir Lucic of FC Bayern Munich, both with a PIR of 28. Ndiaye was crucial in his team’s win in Barcelona, scoring 17 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 1 assist, generating 2 steals, blocking 3 shots, and committing only 3 fouls. Lucic also showed strength in his team's 95-87 loss against Besiktas Istanbul, with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 5 drawn fouls.
Individual Records and Season Leaders
In the scoring leaders of the round, Dwayne Bacon of Dubai Basketball topped the list with 29 points. However, Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball maintains the Euroleague lead in points per game with 20.3, despite missing the last two rounds due to injury.
In terms of rebounds, Josh Nebo of Barcelona, Dario Saric of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz shared the round's lead with 10 boards each. For the season, Jonas Valanciunas of Zalgiris Kaunas leads with an average of 7.7 rebounds per game.
Theo Maledon of Real Madrid was the round's top assist provider with 9 assists. In the season standings, Partizan Mozzart Bet's Carlik Jones from Belgrade and Chris Jones from Crvena Zvezda share the lead with 6.0 assists per game. Both will face off in next week’s Belgrade derby in what promises to be an intense match.
On the defensive side, Collin Malcolm of Efes recorded 4 steals in the round, while Luca Vildoza of Partizan leads the competition with 2.7 steals per game so far this season. In terms of blocks, Marcus Bingham of Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul contributed 5 blocks in his team's thrashing of Partizan, which set a record of 14 team blocks in the Euroleague. Aliou Diarra of Virtus Bologna remains the season's leading shot blocker with 2.2 blocks per game.
Only three players managed to record double-doubles in Round 6: Dario Saric with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Josh Nebo with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tadas Sedekerskis with 11 points and 10 rebounds. These records highlight the importance of interior play in the continental competition.
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