BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site

Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 points in a losing effort for the Raptors last night but none of his buckets stood out quite like the one above as the big Lithuanian posterised the best player in the game. Valanciunas added 9 boards for his trouble but it wasn’t enough as LeBron James scored 35 points, grabbed 8 boards, and disheed 8 assists in a 104-95 win for the Heat.

Tony Parker had a big night in Denver. Parker went 9-13 from the field as he scored 24 points and had 6 dimes in a 102-94 win for the Spurs. Parker’s French national team-mate Boris Diaw chipped in with 9 points and 8 boards in 26 minutes of play while Italy’s Marco Belinelli had 4 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 10 minutes off the bench. Timofey Mozgov had 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Nuggets in 21 minutes of action while Evan Fournier had a minor impact off the bench, grabbing 2 boards and 1 assist in his 9 minutes of action.

Dennis Schroeder continued his impressive start to life in the NBA as he dished 7 assists in Atlanta’s 105-100 win at Sacramento. The German guard added 6 points and 2 boards but managed to pick up 4 fouls in just 19 minutes of game time. Pero Antic matched his career high, admittedly it’s been a four-game career, with 5 points for the Hawks. The Macedonian also snagged a rebound. Most promising for Antic was the trust placed in him on Tuesday night as he got 16 minutes, the most in any of his outings so far, on the floor.

The good news for Mirza Teletovic is he played 12 minutes and the Nets won. The bad news is he shot 0-5, managing just 1 point from the charity stripe, and had 1 rebound. #FreeMirza and bring him home. Andrei Kirilenko scored 6 points and grabbed 5 boards in 17 minutes for Brooklyn as they beat the Jazz 104-88. Enes Kanter scored 21 points and grabbed 8 boards but the Turkish big had 7 turnovers in the loss. Rudy Gobert grabbed 11 boards in 16 minutes off the bench.

Omer Asik had 8 points and 5 assists in Houston’s 116-101 win in Portland. Nicolas Batum had 13 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 boards in a losing effort for the Blazers. Spain’s Victor Claver saw just a minute of court time.

Ian Mahinmi (Pacers) and Gigi Datome (Pistons) both had quiet nights as Indiana rolled to a 109-100 win in Detroit.

Andrea Bargnani scored 6 points and grabbed 2 boards as the Knicks fell 102-97 to the Bobcats.
EDIT: Thanks to the guys at Swedish Basketball for pointing out that Jeff Taylor had season highs of 13 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes for Charlotte.

Ukraine’s Viacheslav Kravtsov scored 3 points off the bench as the Suns beat the Pelicans 104-98.

And finally, two of Europe’s most storied ballers clashed in Dallas on Tuesday night. Dirk Nowitzki took the W over Pau Gasol as the Mavs beat the Lakers 123-104. Dirk had 11 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists for Dallas while Pau scored 10, had 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Spain’s Jose Calderon had a good night for the Mavs, with 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 boards.

After a weekend filled with double-doubles and topped by a trip-dub from Batman, Monday was a much quiter affair for the NBA’s European contingent.

Marc Gasol scored 14 points and snagged 8 rebounds in the performance of the night by a European. The Spaniard helped Memphis eke out a 95-88 win over the Celtics. Kosta Koufos got 13 minutes on the court, picking up 3 points, 2 assists, and 2 boards in the process. Boston remain winless.

Ricky Rubio could steal but left his shot at home as the Timberwolves fell 93-92 to the Cavs. La Pistola was anything but effective on the open floor, shooting just 0-7. Rubio’s 5 steals and 5 assists meant he was still contributing to the T-Wolves on offence but he scored just 4 points on the night, all from the line. Nikola Pekovic grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 8 points but he shot a ghastly 3-12 from the field as the T-Wolves lost by the narrowest of margins.

Omer Asik and the Rockets saw their unbeaten start to the season come to a screeching halt as the Clippers rolled to a 137-118 win. Asik had 6 points and 7 boards in 23 minutes on the court. Donatas Motiejunas got 5 minutes game time and missed his only shot.

Finally Nenad Nedovic played a minor role as the Warriors ended Philadelphia’s unbeaten start to the season. Nedovic picked up 2 points and a rebound in 12 minutes for Golden State as the rolled to a 110-90 win.

There is nothing remotely European about this clip. It would however be most un-European of us not to bring it to your attention. Javonte Douglas is a junior college player with the College of Central Florida Patriots. He nailed a putback with no regard for human life.

Nikola Vucevic’s double-double helped the Magic overcome the Nets while Ricky Rubio had 10 assists as the T-Wolves topped the Knicks.

It was a good night for La Pistola as the Timberwolves beat the Knicks 109-100. The T-Wolves out-scored the Knicks 40-19 in the first frame as Kevin Love led Minnesota with 34 points and 15 boards. Hot starts have been the order of the day in the early going for the T-Wolves, with 38 and 34 in the opening quarters of their other two games. Rubio had 10 assists and 8 points in this effort, although his shooting was a less than impressive 3-11 including 0-3 from deep. Nikola Pekovic’s double-double was outshone by Love’s outburst but the Montenegrin was his usually beastly self, with 12 boards and 11 points on the night.

Nikola Vucevic got it done on both ends for the Magic as they recorded an impressive 107-86 win over the Nets. Vucevic had 19 points and 12 boards, 6 on each end, as Orlando rolled to 2-2 to start the season. For Brooklyn, Andrei Kirilenko had 3 points and 4 boards in 11 minutes while Mirza Teletovic got 7 minutes and shot just 1-6 to finish with 2 points and a rebound. #FreeMirza continues its struggle.

The Wizards may have lost to the Heat on Sunday but the move to Washington seems to be to Marcin Gortat’s liking. The Polish big man had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Kevin Seraphin was an efficient 4 of 5 from the field as he picked up 9 points in 15 minutes for the Wiz. Miami’s Big Three all scored 20+ as the Heat took the win 103-93.

Paul Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, all on the defensive end, as the Lakers edged the Hawks 105-103. Dennis Schroeder got 22 minutes off the bench for Atlanta, finishing with 10 points, 4 assists, and 3 boards. Pero Antic once again saw limited action for Atlanta, picking up 2 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes.

As the season heads into the winter months, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague is hotting up with some cracking games as the campaign gathers pace in Group B and C.

The showcase match for Group B came courtesy of Brose Baskets Bamberg who edged past Anadolu Efes Istanbul 88 – 86 in a thrilling game that went right down to the wire. There was only 1.3 seconds remaining on the clock when Casey Jacobsen clinched it for the winners. He scored 23 points overall and was helped by Anton Gavel who scored 17 points, Jamar Smith put 14 points on the scoreboard while John Goldsberry contributed 8 assists for Bamberg.

Efes made it difficult for Bamberg by being incredibly effective when on the offense. A scoring rate of 15-of-21 two-point shots and 5-of-7 three-pointers before halftime meant that the team took a 44-51 lead at the break as well as extending the margin to 52 – 66 midway through the third quarter. However, Bamberg didn’t give up and thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Jacobsen, the team started a 20 – 2 run that saw Bamberg lead 70 – 66 with nine minutes to go.

The lead was increased to 84 – 77, but Efes’ Kostas Vasileiadis singlehandedly brought the team back to life. The decider came at the final minute as a jumper by Jamon Gordon gave Efes a 85 – 86 lead with 6.8 seconds left. Bamberg called timeout and Jacobsen rounded off an impressive game by scoring the winning shot with only a second to spare.

The other Group B game that night saw Real Madrid continue a dominant start to its campaign by defeating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 93 – 74 at home. The win meant that Madrid remains the only unbeaten team in the group while Milan dropped to fourth place.

Leading for the entirety of the match, Madrid were in total control thanks to Sergio Rodriguez who finished the first half on a 22 – 5 spurt, ensuring the score was 52 – 31 during the halfway mark. Nikola Mirotic scored 15 of his total 19 points in the first quarter alone, Rudy Fernandez tallied 16 points during the game, while Felipe Reyes bagged himself 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Group C saw Stelmet Zielona Gora making history by securing its first ever victory in the Euroleague by beating Montepaschi Siena 73 – 65. Led by Lukasz Koszarek and Vladimir Dragicevic, Zielona Gora stayed in contention before Przemyslaw Zamojski secured the win with 7 points in the final half minute.

The third series of games in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague got underway on Halloween night, but instead of frights and scares, it was a night filled with thrilling matches and shocking victories as the season gathers momentum.

Budivelnik Kiev had a night to remember as it became the first Ukranian team to win a game in the Euroleague. It thumped Partizan NIS Belgrade 74 – 69 at home in a hard fought game.

The result means that both teams are tied in Group A, each holding a 1 – 2 record. It was Darjus Lavrinovic who gave Budivelnik the edge as he provided 22 points and 8 rebounds while DaJuan Summers and Ricky Minard scored 15 and 10 points respectively. The game was also memorable for a thrilling second quarter where impressive scoring from both sides saw the half end 44 – 42

Both teams have their work cut out if they want to catch up with Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, who currently top the group. The Turkish side remain unbeaten in Group A as it thrashed CSKA Moscow 86 – 60. The hosts provided in style thanks to contributions from Bojan Bogdanovic and Bo McCalebb.

For Moscow, it was its worst loss in 16 years, meaning that the team will want to put it behind them soon when they face FC Barcelona next week.

Barcelona is another team that’s looking to forget last night as it lost to JSF Nanterre 67 – 71 at home. The game gave the French champions’ its first victory in the Euroleague and made them the first French team to win in Palau Blaugrana in more than 17 years, the last team being Asvel Basket back in 1996.

Nanterre secured the upset in the final 28.8 seconds when free throws by Victor Sada tied both sides at 67-67 before Je’Kel Foster secured the win with a layup. Juan Carlos Navarro of Barcelona had the chance to level both sides but missed from downtown at the buzzer.

The final game of the night came from Group B as Zalgiris Kaunas defeated Strasbourg 88 – 64, making it a debut to remember for Kaunas’ new head coach Saulius Stombergas.

The Lithuanian champions hit an impressive 14 triples on only 22 attempts, and was helped by Martynas Pocius who got 7 of 9 from downtown, while scoring 23 points and contributing 5 assists in only 24 minutes. The night was also notable for Sarunas Jasikevicius as he became the seventh player in history to score 300 three-pointers, scoring 13 points off the bench.

Episode #59 of the BallinEurope/heinnews co-produced “Taking the Charge” podcast series is now available online or via iTunes.

Co-host David Hein and BallinEurope’s Os Davis have a good one for the NBA fans out there, particularly those backing the Indiana Pacers. Joining us as guest on the show is new Pacers director of international scouting Pete Philo. Philo brings an impressive resume to the club which not only includes a nice stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a talent scout, but also an executive position with China’s national program and status as cofounder of the Eurocamp youth program in the 1990s.

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Pero Antic: Ready for his (NBA) closeup

(That was a rhetorical question.)

Right, then. Here’s what we’re looking at in the NBA season to come.

• Tony Parker and his French Foreign Legion. The San Antonio Spurs, who first dipped into international talent when they drafted that guy from the Virgin Islands back in 1999, added yet another non-North American this offseason to go with Parker, Nando de Colo, Boris Diaw, Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splitter et al in Marco Belinelli. The thought here surely is for the Western Conference champs to supplement shooting off the wing and supplement they shall.

Meanwhile, pundits aplenty (all the way up to “Bill and Jalen” over at Grantland.com) wonder openly about the psychological effect of heartbreaking losses in game six and seven of last year’s finals. BiE’d say that this ain’t no ordinary team and despite never having been in this position (i.e. as the previous year’s runner-up) to start a season, the Spurs’ll shrug it off. What cannot be so easily brushed aside is ol’ Father Time, who’s clearly gaining on Ginobili and surely must be sneaking up on Tim Duncan…

• Marcin Gortat’s fortunes on the Wizards. As part of an all-out – and possibly bald-faced – salary dump/preparation to tank for the draft lottery, the Phoenix Suns dumped The Polish Hammer in the eleventh hour to a suddenly impressive-looking Washington side. Continue Reading…

Ireland, still without any adult national teams, took a couple of baby steps back into international basketball this weekend.

A pair of emphatic routs gave Irish basketball fans a sweet taste of international ball but after one afternoon normal service resumed. Life without a vanguard returned. Two selections from the Irish Premier League slaughtered Wales in men’s and women’s games respectively. As these weren’t technically national sides they wore blue, not green. An immediate reminder that this generation of players will likely play their entire careers without the opportunity to represent their nation.

Money, naturally, is the issue and Basketball Ireland’s current administration inherited a situation where there wasn’t much to go around. Sanctions from the Irish Sports Council earlier this year related to that era, for using capital funding to cover day-to-day expenses, has left the sources of expenditure severely limited. Right now there simply isn’t the money to cover a national team and there is no indication that situation is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

It’s an understatement to say this is bad. Without a national side, there isn’t a single entity to drive attention locally. Former Ireland captain Conor Grace compared the issue this year to another sport fighting for attention. “From a cricketing perspective, I don’t know, if Lansdowne beat Sandycove I don’t care, but if Ireland are playing England, then I care,” Grace told our sister site.

A similar Irish league selection played a British Basketball League selection but it’s difficult to get the media to care for the mouthful that is the Irish Premier League All Stars. Attention isn’t the only issue. Most of Ireland’s better young players are multi-sport athletes, indeed many continue on doubling up in adult life. Louise Galvin of UL Huskies, the reigning champions of everything in the women’s game, plays Gaelic Football for Kerry. The men’s game has lost Michael Darragh MacAuley and Kieran Donaghy to Gaelic Football, where the duo are amongst the most recognisable names in the sport.

Grace is an odd exception, the son of an international rugby player he opted to go with hoops and hoops only from a young age. The path was clearer for an exceedingly tall Irishman back then. US colleges were an option, from there the pro game across Europe. It’s not a bad way to spend your 20s but the national team structure was at the backbone of Grace’s generation.

Now, once you leave the underage ranks there is no next level. Senior club ball is entertaining certainly but it doesn’t provide the elite competition required for late bloomers to catch attention. Worse, competing sports can give young players a grand stage on the local level earlier. Having a team in green jerseys playing against serious competition helped to make teenage players at the decisive point in their development think twice.

Yet still, it was impossible not to smile when seeing these quasi-national sides in action. Finally there was something, anything, for local players to step up to. The opposition likely would struggle against mid-tier club teams in the Premier League here but it was something.

Episode #58 (alternatively “Volume II, Episode 6”) of the BallinEurope/heinnews co-produced “Taking the Charge” podcast series is now available online or via iTunes.

So you may have heard about the wacky Euroleague thing starting last week and tipping off another slate tonight. David Hein and BallinEurope’s Os Davis weigh in on the week one results, 18-year-old wunderkind/EL debutant Kenan Sipahi of Fenerbahçe Ülker appears in brief interview form, and o boy you bet Official Fearless Predictions™ are dispensed.

The sports movie review of the week focuses on the pleasantly surprisingly good Academy Award-nominated (for visual effects, but still) Real Steel, a story of a down-and-out dude, his estranged son and their massive fighting robots.
Check out the entire podcast here or to subscribe from this episode ad infinitum, enter http://heinnews.com/feed/taking-the-charge/ into iTunes or any podcast aggregator.

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