EuroLeague Round 10 came to an end with some strong performances as Nikola Mirotic had a magical fourth quarter to help FC Barcelona come back and defeat CSKA Moscow.
Maccabi Tel Aviv had Scottie Wilibekin’s career-night to help get past AS Monaco, while Jordan Loyd’s offensive explosion helped Zenit secure the seventh win in this season’s competition.
Nikola Mirotic dominates in crunch time for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona got past CSKA Moscow thanks to a great performance from superstar forward Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic took over in the fourth quarter to lead the Catalans to an epic comeback win.
Mirotic went on to score one of the biggest baskets in this game, an off-balance shot in the paint that restored a 72-67 margin. He had 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, which started with Barcelona down 10 (51-61).
The EuroLeague superstar finished with eight rebounds, five fouls drawn and a PIR of 27, which was the best in the game. The veteran followed his amazing performance vs. Baskonia (25 points in 18 minutes) with another great showing.
“Glory to God! It was an amazing game. First, congrats to CSKA for an amazing performance. I am very proud of my team, of the players and the way we reacted after a not good beginning of the third quarter,” Mirotic said after the contest.
“But that was us, that was our spirit. We showed it today, that we are capable of the best and this is the way how we should play, especially in big games at home.”
Scottie Wilbekin explodes for a career-high vs AS Monaco
Scottie Wilbekin was on fire from the get-go for Maccabi Tel Aviv against AS Monaco on Wednesday night. The American guard exploded for a career-high 37 points against the French club.
Wilbekin finished the game, making 7 of 10 two-point shots and 6 of 12 threes, but he also dished 8 assists and had two steals. The veteran guard scored his last 11 points in the 4:42 of the game, helping his team withhold the lead.
That was the second game for Wilbekin with 20 points or more in a game, after his opening night performance in which he scored 28 points vs. Bayern Munich.
Maccabi had its best scoring night of the season, dropping 95 points on AS Monaco. That was the fourth time the Israeli club scored more than 80 points this season. Giannis Sfairopoulos’ team has a 4-0 record in these occasions.
“I think our determination in the second half was the one that we needed in the second quarter. We played much better on defense and smarter on offense,” coach Sfairopoulos said after the contest.
“We shared the ball, moved the ball, made big shots by Scottie Wilbekin and James Nunnally. But we changed the game in the second half, we had a much better second half.”
Anadolu Efes succumbs Olympiacos to a club-low regarding points in a quarter
Olympiacos had one of the worst nights in offense during the EuroLeague regular season, as Anadolu Efes prevailed thanks to Rodrigue Beaubois, who continued the trend of big scoring nights through Wednesday’s games.
Beaubois finished the first half with 20 points and five three-pointers and continued the show in the second with two more bombs from downtown that launched him to a career-high 29 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three.
Efes defense limited Olympiacos to three points during the final quarter of the game, as the reigning champions made a 20-3 run in the fourth, keeping the “Reds” scoreless for five minutes.
Beaubois added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks for a PIR of 33 to complete his masterpiece and lead Efes to its second consecutive win.
“I just tried to be aggressive for my team. As a team, we did a great job in the second half. If we want to win games that’s just what we need to do, to play more aggressively, we know we can do it,” Beaubois said after the game.
Jordan Loyd’s season-high leads Zenit to another huge victory
Jordan Loyd led Zenit St. Petersburg to another win, the seventh in 10 games for the Russian club. Loyd was on fire during Round 10 matchup against ALBA Berlin.
The shooting guard scored a season-high 25 points, making 7 of 11 two-pointers and 3 of 6 shots from downtown plus six rebounds, three assists and six fouls drawn.
He had a PIR of 33 to help his team to the victory. Loyd finished the game with five steals, the second-best mark for a Zenit player in EuroLeague action.
His teammate Mateusz Ponitka holds the record with seven steals in a game against Panathinaikos last season. Zenit will face Armani Milano on Friday, hoping to continue their hot streak.
“We are in the right way but know it is a long year. We have a big game on Friday against Milan. We just have to keep rolling until the next game, with the right attitude,” Loyd said after his big performance.
