Round one of the Euroleague top 16 has been played, with Ryan Broekhoff and Brock Motum both looking to lead their respective teams to victory.

Lokomotiv Kuban opened round one playing Cedevita Zagreb, in what would start out as a competitive back and forth affair, with both teams exchanging leads. However, Lokomotiv Kuban would go into the main break up 50-41, thanks to Malcolm Delaney’s monstrous first half in which he scored 24 points.

In the second half, Cedevita Zagreb would reply, outscoring Lokomotiv Kuban 15-13. Yet the Russian opposition wouldn’t falter, coming back with a strong fourth quarter in which they outscored their opponents 26-19, allowing them to go on onto win the game 89-75.

Ryan Broekhoff played a key part in the victory, scoring 9 points on 3-7 three-point attempts while also grabbing 5 rebounds to go with 3 assists in 32 minutes of playing time. His energy and hustle set the tone for the team, and was one of the key reasons they were able to come out with the win.

https://youtu.be/yJeXiPyRQDU

Hoping to start round one on a high note, Zalgiris Kaunas took on Laboral Kutxa Vitoria. To start the game, the Spanish opposition would come out strong, taking a commanding 33-14 lead. They would continue to hold onto it going into halftime up 55-40. With the start of the second half, Zalgiris would fight back, reducing the gap to 9 points. However their leaky defense allowed Laboral Kutxa to score at will, and cruise to victory, with the final score 89-68.

Brock Motum played a solid game despite what the numbers say; going scoreless and with 2 rebounds. His stats are misleading, as he was one of the few players on Zalgiris to have a positive impact on the game, thanks to his defensive effort and basketball IQ. Instead of trying to take the game into his own hands, he chose to keep the ball moving and make simple, winning plays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhM10K_wVCI