Munich, Germany – The second day of the Euroleague’s 2020 Adidas Next Generation Tournament at Audi Dome in Munich started with the phenomenal performance of Eleftherios Mantzoukas, who broke the ANGT single-game scoring record with 49 points in the 93-87 win for his Promitheas Patras over Alba Berlin. The previous record was Dragan Bender’s 43-point performance against Maccabi Tel Aviv in December, 2014. Mantzoukas added an eye-popping 19 rebounds, shooting 20-of-23 from the charity stripe (14 fouls drawn). He showed great leadership skills and maturity on both ends of the floor. His teammate, Christos Kafezas (2002), a 6-3 point guard, added 21 points, five assists and two steals but committed five turnovers. Athanasios Bazinas had a strong all-around performance, having 11 points, five boards, eight assists and four steals. Marc Cristoph Tilly (2003), a 6-10 center, led Alba Berlin in scoring with 22 points, being very effective close to the basket, shooting 9-of-12 on 2s and 4-of-6 from the charity line. Erik Penteker (2002), a 6-0 combo guard, added 15 points, shooting 4-of-10 on 3s. Penteker displayed a quick release on his shot and was in the right place at the right time all over the perimeter.
Real Madrid sealed its first place in Group B after a blowout victory over Porsche Ludwigsburg 95-61. Real Madrid opened the game with a 15-0 run in the first five minutes, thanks to great defensive aggressiveness and playing a full-court press. Tristan Tsalikis-Vouktsevits (2003), a skinny 6-8 center, led Real in scoring with a game-high 18 points in 18 minutes on the court, shooting 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. Juan Nunez (2004), a 6-3 combo guard added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and five steals. Nunez displayed very good passing skills, while on the defensive end he was a core part of the full-court pressing team. Urban Klavzar continued his strong performance at the event, scoring 15 points, shooting 3-of-8 on 3s, while his teammate Konstantin Kostadinov (2003), a 6-7 Bulgarian versatile forward, added 12 points, eight boards and four steals in 19 minutes on the floor. Ralph Hounnou with 15 points, shooting 5-of-10 on 2s, was the only light in the tunnel for Ludwigsburg after its key player Ariel Hukporti injured his right ankle, landing awkwardly on it on a dribble-drive with 15 seconds left in the first half.
CSKA got its first win at the event, edging Ratiopharm Ulm 89-84. Aleksandr Maltsev (2002), a 6-6 small forward, led the winners in scoring with 24 points, shooting 6-of-9 on 2s and 6-of-7 from the charity line. Anton Kardanakhishvili had another all-around performance, finishing with 23 points, four boards, seven assists and three steals. Kardanakhishvili displayed great court vision and the ability of creating contact while driving (eight fouls drawn). Igor Milicic was the highest scorer for Ulm with 16 points, adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals, while his teammate Andrija Grbovic finished with a double-double – 15 points and ten rebounds, adding four assists. Aleksa Buljaic added 13 points and seven assists, shooting 6-of-6 from the charity line.
Stella Azzurra secured its spot at the first-place game on Sunday, after beating the hosts from Bayern Munich 97-73. Stella Azzurra controlled the tempo of the game, playing very good man-to-man defense, neutralizing the key players of Bayern Munich. Sasha Grant finished with only six points, which all came from the charity line, while Bayern’s shooting weapon from the 3-point line, Simonas Lukosius scored 5 points, shooting 0-of-7 on 3s. Matteo Visintin (2004), a 6-2 guard, led the winners in scoring with his 21 points off the bench, shooting 2-of-4 on 3s, adding three steals. Fedor Zugic scored 16 points, shooting 4-of-7 on 3s, while his teammate Leo Menalo added 13 points, connecting on his two three-point attempts. Abramo Canka displayed great awareness on the defensive end, being an aggressive man-to-man defender and looking to come up steals. Canka finished the game with 10 points, four assists and six steals. Ivan Onojaife from Stella Azzurra had another big game on the defensive end, recording 10 points, seven boards, two steals and three blocks.
Without Hukporti playing because of his ankle injury, Porsche Ludwigsburg managed to top Promitheas Patras 95-88 in a close contest. Tyreese Blunt (2002), a 6-3 combo guard with a solid frame, led the winners with his aggressive start in the first quarter, registering 16 points and finished the game with 23 points, five boards, four assists, two steals and only one turnover. Cristian Cotoara (2002), a 6-8 mobile Romanian forward, added 18 points, eight boards, four assists and two steals and shot 7-of-12 on 2s. His teammate Hounnou finished with 15 points and eight boards. Aleksa Kovacevic was one assist shy from an uncommon double-double, having 11 points and nine steals. Promitheas was led by Mantzoukas, who registered another impressive performance offensively, finishing with 35 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-of-15 on 2s and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe (seven fouls drawn). Kafezas added 26 points and eight assists, shooting 4-of-7 on 3s.
In the last game of the day Real Madrid dominated against Alba Berlin to win the game 97-78. Tsakilis-Vouktsevits led Real for the second consecutive game in scoring with 20 points, shooting 6-of-7 on 2s and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. His teammate Eli John Ndiaye dominated the paint, having 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block. Kostadinov added 14 points and five rebounds, shooting 2-of-3 on 3s, showing his versatility. Nolan Adekunle (2002), a 6-6 small forward, led Alba in scoring with 21 points, while Penteker added 16 points, shooting 4-of-11 on 3s. Tilly finished with 11 points and five boards, shooting 4-of-7 on 2s and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
On Sunday Real Madrid will face Stella Azzurra Rome at the final, while Bayern Munich and Porsche Ludwigsburg will play for the third place. CSKA Moscow will face Promitheas Patras in the game for the fifth place, while Alba Berlin and Ratiopharm Ulm will face each other to decide which team will run away from taking the last spot.
This article was written by Simeon Marinov, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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