By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A career-best performance from a perennial All-EuroLeague candidate in a must-win game for his team was more than enough for Walter Tavares of Real Madrid to walk off with the MVP honor for Game 3 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs.
Tavares dominated to the tune of 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks for a performance index rating of 41, the second-best ever in the playoffs since 2005, as Real Madrid stared down elimination with an 80-82 road win at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
While his PIR was a club record in the playoffs, he tied two others with his point total and 11 made two-pointers in 14 attempts.
Kostas Sloukas, the buzzer-beating hero as Olympiacos Piraeus downed host Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 71-72, followed with a PIR of 34 based on his 25 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
The next-best PIR of 26 belonged to Fenerbahce center Tonye Jekiri, who scored 15 points and had seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in his team’s home loss.
Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv posted a PIR of 24, collecting 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, despite a 78-83 home loss to AS Monaco.
Rounding out the list of Game 3’s top performers is Mario Hezonja of Real, who collected 12 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists for a PIR of 22.