EuroView: Bolden bursts as Motum beats Madgen
Jonah Bolden continued to attract attention with an eye-catching performance for FMP Belgrade in an upset win, while Brock Motum and Ben Madgen squared off against each other in Lithuania.
Behind a 46-33 first half, FMP Belgrade held off sixth placed Igokea Aleksandrovac to record an upset 10 point win in the Adriatic League. One of the stars of the show was first year professional forward Jonah Bolden.
Bolden was in devastating for, shooting 10-of-16 from the field including 4 three-pointers and some highlight reel alley-oop's in finishing with a new career-high 25 points. He also excelled defensively pulling down 10 rebounds while blocking 2 shots in playing the full 40 minutes. He combined well with team-mate Filip Čović who exploded for a game-high 36 points, as the Bolden-Čović duo torched Igokea for 61 points in their 84-74 win. Bolden's form has been so good that he is drawing the attention of NBA scouts, with DraftExpress recently analysing his strengths and weaknesses after last week's game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oGeoZh9DN0
When Žalgiris Kaunas hosted Lietkabelis Panevezys, it was more than a battle between Lithaunia's top 2 teams, it saw Australians Brock Motum and Ben Madgen feature on opposing sides.
After a tight first period where Lietkabelis managed to keep it close, Žalgiris managed to slowly edge their noses in front. It was a position they would maintain through to the final whistle in winning 76-65. Both Motum and Madgen would figure prominently for their respective sides. Motum would finish with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, while Madgen would compile 13 points (3-of-6 3PT) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Žalgiris used their advantage in the paint to carve out their 11 point victory and cement their position at the top of the table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZw0nanaX2k
In Lokomotiv Kuban's important 75-64 win against Unics Kazan, Ryan Broekhoff was again hot from long-range. The 6'7 sharpshooting forward not only connected on a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc on his way to contributing 12 points, but he pulled down 10 rebounds to register a double-double. After trailing for most of the first three-quarters, the home side finished strongly with a 20-10 final quarter burst to run away with the 11 point win. It was a good win for Lokomotiv under new coach Sasa Onradovic who replaced Fotios Katsikaris after the Russian side has struggled to earn the wins they had hoped for in EuroCup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7jAbDHP2pU
Leuven recorded a morale boosting win when they used a 20-9 final quarter blitz to overcome Belfius Mons-Hainaut 82-79 in the Belgium EuroMillions League. Forward Clint Steindl returned to form with 14 points including 2 three-pointers with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the big win. In defeating the fourth ranked Mons, the Bears recorded just their fourth win of the season in what proved to be a major upset.
In Estonia, competition leader Tartu Rock lost just their second game of the season when they fell to third placed Kalex/Cramo 75-85, their opponent's ninth win in a row. Forward Venky Jois impressed with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, but he was unable to get his team over the line as Tartu were overrun 44-32 in the second half. With the loss, Tartu are now in a three-way tie for the league lead alongside Kalev/Cramo and Rapla.
Despite 9 points and a massive 16 rebounds from forward Dan Trist, Danish league leader Horsens IC lost to third placed Svendborg 68-69 in a thriller. the contest was tight from start to finish, with Svenbdborg edging ahead when it mattered the most.