Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas
Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas
Keenan Evans of Zalgiris Kaunas put on a memorable performance to make off with the MVP honor for Round 15, his first as a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague player. Evans posted a PIR of 39, the third highest of the season, after dominating from start to finish in Zalgiris's 75-67 win over FC Bayern Munich. His 32 points – he went 6-for-6 on two-point shooting, 5-for-9 from three-point range and 5-for-8 on free throws – were the most by a Zalgiris player since 2014. He also added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 31 minutes while drawing 6 fouls and committing only 1 turnover. He had a PIR of 18 after just 8 minutes played, and his 21 points by intermission were the most in the first half of any game this season.
Following Evans was another guard, Nicolas Laprovittola of FC Barcelona, as he had a PIR of 31 in an 84-83 road loss against Valencia Basket. Laprovittola matched his career-high with 28 points, seeing 6-of-11 three-pointers drop, while he also had 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Luca Vildoza of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade had the third-highest PIR with 29, the second-best of his 118-game EuroLeague career. Vildoza led Zvezda in its 86-90 win at Olympiacos Piraeus, as he combined 22 points with 8 assists and 4 rebounds. Bryant Dunston of Anadolu Efes Istanbul came next with a 28 PIR, his best in more than two years, in an 88-69 home win against Panathinaikos Athens. He recorded 13 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. Jarell Martin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv completed the top performances in Round 15 with a PIR of 27 in a 70-83 win on ALBA Berlin's court, as the EuroLeague newcomer scored 21 points, including 4-for-7 shooting from downtown, to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
Individual highs: Pierria Henry, Baskonia, 13 assists
With his 32 points against Bayern, Keenan Evans tied the third-highest total by any player this season. Dwayne Bacon of Panathinaikos Athens is the overall scoring leader at 20.3 points per game. Josh Nebo of Maccabi pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds against ALBA. Mathias Lessort of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade tops the rebounder ranking with an average of 7.5 per night. Pierria Henry of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz dished 13 assists, the most by any player all season. Kostas Sloukas of Olympiacos Piraeus is this season's top assist provider with 6.9 per contest. Bayern teammates Isaac Bonga and Cassius Winston had 4 steals each, the most of Round 15. The steals leader remains Thomas Walkup of Olympiacos with 2.1 per game. Filip Petrusev of Zvezda rejected 4 shots against Olympiacos for his personal-best mark. Walter Tavares of Real Madrid averages 2.6 blocks, well above anyone else. The only double-double of round 15 belongs to Efes forward Will Clyburn, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds.
