By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
After Josh Nebo in Round 29, another Maccabi Tel Aviv player was named MVP of the Round. It’s the case of Wade Baldwin IV, who had an unbelievable night against ASVEL to keep the Israeli yellow-and-blue team in contention for the playoffs.
Dropping a double-double of 30 points and 10 assists, the former Bayern Munich and Baskonia skilled guard also added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 9 (!) fouls drew in the 98-90 victory. He shot 9/15 from two-point range and 1/2 from beyond the arc, converting 9/11 at the line.
He’s now the player with the highest PIR in a EuroLeague game for Maccabi Tel Aviv since Anthony Parker in 2006, who had 47 PIR against… ASVEL. The 27-year-old American star stopped at 46, his career-high.
“We continued to find a way to win games. We have guys who are committed to doing the right things and play hard when we need to. We are competing to beat a top-six team and tonight was a good push to get there”, he commented after the win.
Being named MVP of the Round also against Virtus Bologna (Round 20) and Panathinaikos (Round 23), he proved once again to be one of the best players in this year’s EuroLeague. The former Bayern Munich and Baskonia guard is putting up 17.7 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Full list of 2023-24 EuroLeague Round MVPs
- Round 1: Alec Peters, Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos (31 PIR)
- Round 2: Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid vs Anadolu Efes (39 PIR)
- Round 3: Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Bologna vs ALBA Berlin (32 PIR)
- Round 4: Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos vs Partizan Belgrade (30 PIR)
- Round 5: Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos vs Baskonia (31 PIR)
- Round 6: Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Bologna vs Anadolu Efes (30 PIR)
- Round 7: Facundo Campazzo, Real Madrid vs Virtus Bologna (39 PIR)
- Round 8: Codi Miller-McIntyre, Baskonia vs FC Barcelona (29 PIR)
- Round 9: Chima Moneke, Baskonia vs ASVEL (35 PIR)
- Round 10: Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes vs Partizan Belgrade – Maodo Lo, Milan vs Crvena Zvezda (38 PIR)
- Round 11: Serge Ibaka, Bayern Munich vs Virtus Bologna (34 PIR)
- Round 12: Tyrique Jones, Anadolu Efes vs Panathinaikos (36 PIR)
- Round 13: Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes vs ALBA Berlin (41 PIR)
- Round 14: Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos vs ASVEL (29 PIR)
- Round 15: Josh Nebo, Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Baskonia – Kevin Punter, Partizan Belgrade vs Valencia – Shavon Shields, Olimpia Milano vs ASVEL (25 PIR)
- Round 16: Milos Teodosic, Crvena Zvezda vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (40 PIR)
- Round 17: Johannes Voigtmann, Milano vs Baskonia (29 PIR)
- Round 18: Chima Moneke, Baskonia vs Panathinaikos – Bonzie Colson, Maccabi Tel Aviv vs AS Monaco (34 PIR)
- Round 19: Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid vs Anadolu Efes (45 PIR)
- Round 20: Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Tel Avis vs Virtus Bologna (29 PIR)
- Round 21: Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos vs AS Monaco (42 PIR)
- Round 22: Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (40 PIR)
- Round 23: Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Panathinaikos (33 PIR)
- Round 24: Mike James, AS Monaco vs Partizan Belgrade (31 PIR)
- Round 25: Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas vs Panathinaikos (35 PIR)
- Round 26: Codi Miller-McIntyre, Baskonia vs ASVEL (42 PIR)
- Round 27: Mathias Lessort, Panathinaikos vs Real Madrid (33 PIR)
- Round 28: Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes vs Bayern Munich (33 PIR)
- Round 29: Josh Nebo, Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Crvena Zvezda (33 PIR)
- Round 30: Wade Baldwin IV, Maccabi Tel Aviv vs ASVEL (46 PIR)
Per the press release: “With a historic performance that vaulted his team two places higher in the standings, Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv more than earned the MVP honor for Round 30 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Baldwin scored 30 points and dished 10 assists as Maccabi shook off visiting LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 98-90 on Tuesday. He made 9 of 15 two-point shots, 1 of 2 threes and 9 of 10 free throws while also grabbing 5 rebounds and 2 steals. With the victory, Maccabi jumped from ninth to seventh place over Tuesday losers Virtus Segafredo Bologna and Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Baldwin’s resulting performance index rating of 46 was not only his career best, but the highest in the EuroLeague for more than three years and for Maccabi since 2006. He tied the great Nikola Vujcic for Maccabi’s second-best PIR this century, both of them just 1 PIR point behind club record-holder Anthony Parker with 47. Baldwin also became just the 17th player to earn seven or more MVP of the Round awards.
In the same game, ASVEL center Youssoupha Fall combined for 17 points and 12 rebounds for a PIR of 31, the second-best of Round 30.
Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens came next with a PIR of 30 based on his 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a 76-89 road win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. His teammate Kostas Sloukas, author of 17 points and 10 assists in the win at Zvezda, followed with a PIR of 29.
Two players tied for Round 20’s fifth-best PIR with 28 each. Bruno Caboclo of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade posted an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double in an 87-83 home win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. His PIR was matched by Mario Hezonja of Real Madrid, whose 22 points and 8 rebounds helped topple host ALBA Berlin, 79-86.”
Top 10
Martin Hermannsson setting up Khalifa Koumadje for a huge dunk ranked first in the Top 10 Plays of Round 30.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague