In the opening game of the last day of the Euroleague’s 2020 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Munich, Alba Berlin picked up the right time to win its first game at the event – 81-59 over Ratiopharm Ulm, as they escaped finishing last. After being tied at 34 at halftime, Alba blew out its opponent in the third quarter 29-15 to seal its seventh place at the tournament. Hao Dai (2002), a skinny and bouncy 6-3 Chinese point guard, led the winners in scoring with 17 points in 12 minutes on the floor, adding two rebounds and three steals. Dai shot 3-of-5 on 2s and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, being aggressive down the lane (seven fouls drawn). Dai displayed good defensive awareness and willingness to block shots, thanks to his long arms and leaping ability. Erik Penteker finished with 11 points, shooting 3-of-8 on 3s, while his teammate Hendrik Warner (2002), a 6-9 center with a solid frame added six points and grabbed eight boards, six offensive. Aleksa Bulajic led the winless Ulm in scoring with 13 points, five assists, six turnovers (ten fouls drawn), while his teammate Andrija Grbovic added 11 points and four boards while having a bad shooting day (1-of-7 on 3s).
Aleksander Maltsev’s game-winning layup with 4.6 seconds left sealed fifth place for CSKA Moscow, as they edged Promitheas Patras 83-82 in a thriller. CSKA grabbed the victory thanks to a late comeback and a nine-point edge in the fourth quarter. Maltsev, a son of the head coach of CSKA, led the team in scoring with 22 points. Despite shooting 2-of-10 on 3s, Maltsev was aggressive cutting and driving to the hoop (eight fouls drawn) and active on the other end of the floor, adding five boards, six assists and four steals. Anton Kardanakhishvili had another strong all-around performance, registering 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and six steals. Maxim Kuzemkin (2002), a 6-6 power forward, shot 3-of-4 on 3s to finish the game with 11 points. Christos Kafezas led Promitheas in scoring with 24 points, shooting 7-of-8 on 2s and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe (nine fouls drawn). Kafezas was aggressive when driving to the hoop, knowing how to finish through contact. Eleftherios Mantzoukas had a difficult first half, being defended well, finishing it with 6 points and five turnovers. Mantzoukas finished the game with 22 points, seven boards and three steals, shooting 5-of-9 on 2s, 1-of-8 on 3s and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Periklis Kouroupakis (2002), a 6-8 solid center added 18 points and six boards, shooting 5-of-7 on 2s and 8-of-12 from the charity line (nine fouls drawn).
The hosts from Bayern Munich topped Porsche Ludwigsburg 82-78, seizing the third place, in another close contest at the Audi Dome. Filip Scobalj led the winners with 26 points, five boards and four steals, having a great shooting night – 7-of-8 on 2s and 4-of-6 on 3s. Scobalj displayed his versatility, high basketball IQ and awareness on defense. Simonas Lukosius finished with 16 points and six rebounds, shooting 2-of-4 on 3s and 6-of-6 from the charity line. Sasha Grant had a close to triple-double performance, registering 11 points, ten rebounds and seven assists, showing his unselfishness on the court. Michael Rataj (2003), a small forward, added 10 points and five boards, putting a lot of energy on both ends of the floor in the win. The intelligent Serbian point guard Aleksa Kovacevic led Ludwigsburg in scoring with 14 points, adding four assists and two steals and was 8-of-12 from the charity line (ten fouls drawn). Ralph Hounnou finished with 12 points and three steals in twenty minutes on the floor. In the absence of Hukporti, Christian Cotoara recorded another strong performance, finishing the game with a double-double – 11 points and ten boards, shooting 5-of-8 on 2s.
In the most anticipated game of the day, Real Madrid completely controlled the pace against Stella Azzurra in a 104-88 win, sealing first place and securing its participation at ANGT Finals in Cologne. One of the keys for Real’s success was the number of steals that the team came up with – 13 against only 2 for Stella Azzurra, leading to fast breaks and easy baskets. Real also managed to limit the presence of Stella Azzurra’s big guys – Kevin Ndzie (fouled out early in the game) while Ivan Onojaife and Wilhelm Falk scored a total of seven points. Konstantin Kostadinov led Real in scoring with 23 points, adding nine rebounds and two steals. Kostadinov shot 9-of-15 on 2s and 1-of-2 on 3s. Tristan Tsalikis-Vouktsevits recorded 19 points, five boards and four blocks. Tsalikis-Vouktsevits dominated the paint, shooting 6-of-8 and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Eli John Ndiaye controlled the rebounds, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Ndiaye intimidated his opponents thanks to his elite physical tools. Ab Sediq Garuba (2004), a 6-3 small forward added nine points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Garuba is a brother of Usman Garuba (2002), a promising center, who plays for the men’s squad of Real already. Fedor Zugic led Stella Azzurra with a game-high 26 points, shooting 6-of-10 on 3s, but committing seven turnovers. Abramo Canka finished with 16 points, five boards and five assists, shooting 5-of-7 on 2s and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe (five fouls drawn), while his teammate Nicola Giordano added 10 points and five assists, shooting 3-of-3 from the charity stripe (five fouls drawn).
Most Valuable Player – Juan Nunez (Real Madrid)
All-Tournament Team: Nunez (Real Madrid), Eli John Ndiaye (Real Madrid),
Abramo Canka (Stellazzurra Rome), Sasha Grant (Bayern Munich) and Eleftherios Mantzoukas (Promitheas Patras).
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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