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In the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague roll call, we take a look at five players who had a big impact for their respective teams in the first week of the playoffs.
Calathes outdueled friend James in Game 1
In a battle of friends and former teammates, Nick Calathes got the better of Mike James in Game 1. Not only did Calathes lead Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to a 91-95 overtime road win over AS Monaco, but he even outscored James while his defense on the Monaco star was key in securing that win. Calathes finished Game 1 by tying his season high with 17 points, scoring 10 of those in the fourth quarter and overtime. Meanwhile, the EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer, James, finished the game with 16 points. Calathes made 3-of-6 two-pointers and 2-of-4 threes on that night, and those two long-range shots came in key situations. The first Calathes strike was a half-court shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer, making it a 1-point affair and stopping any momentum Monaco thought it had gained at that point, while Calathes's second triple came early in overtime, giving Fenerbahce the lead for good.
Lessort kept it at a high level in Games 1 and 2
Panathinaikos had its ups and downs in the first week of the playoffs, but its most consistent performer refused to shy away from the big stage and continued to play at a very high level. Center Mathias Lessort averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the first two games against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, having made a remarkable 13-of-17 shots (76.5%) to start the playoffs. Lessort made his first 8 shots in Game 1, and by playing 34 minutes he was the Greens' top performer before Maccabi rallied late and pulled out an 87-91 win. Two days later, Lessort spent 32 minutes on the floor, collecting 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, while Panathinaikos was +23 with him on the floor in a 95-79 series-tying Game 2 win.
The big man is back for the playoffs
The defending champs and the best regular-season team, Real Madrid, has a 2-0 lead after protecting its home floor in the first two games, and Walter Tavares was one of the main contributors in two double-digit victories over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Los Blancos' center was all over the stat sheet on both nights, collecting 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a 90-74 win in Game 1, only to follow it up with 10 points, 9 rebound, 2 blocks and 3 steals in a 101-90 victory in Game 2. Despite playing just 20 minutes per night, Tavares still had the most rebounds (16) and steals (5) and second-most blocks (4) of all players through two playoff games. These two displays were also his best back-to-back games since January, which helped move Real Madrid to within one win of returning to the Final Four.
Hernangomez gave Barcelona a boost
Willy Hernangomez was effective in his minutes in Game 1, posting 13 points and 5 rebounds in 19:22 minutes off the bench, yet that wasn’t enough to prevent FC Barcelona from falling to a 75-77 Game 1 defeat. Again in a bench role, the Spain international joined Jabari Parker in becoming the only Barcelona players to score in double-digits in both games by notching 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in his team’s 77-69 Game 2 triumph. Although his minutes were somewhat limited, spending 17:23 on the floor, Hernangomez provided more proof of his scoring touch, this time in a crucial victory that tied up the series.
Monaco’s guards caused damage off the bench
Mike James failed to score in double digits for the first time all season in Game 2, finishing the contest with 8 points, yet his off night was certainly compensated by Elie Okobo and Jordan Loyd, who came off the bench. In fact, James and fellow starter Matthew Strazel combined for 13 points on the night, the same total Okobo managed on his own. Just a couple of days on from leading his side with 19 points, Okobo showed how much he loves playing on the big stage. Loyd, meanwhile, added 15, having scored 11 of those points in the fourth quarter as Monaco finished strong to win 93-88 in Game 2 and even up the series at 1-1.
