Kuzma Helps Baskonia Claim First EuroLeague Win of the Season
Latvian basketball player Rodions Kurucs contributed to Baskonia's 87:76 away victory over Olimpia Milano in round three of the EuroLeague, the Spanish club's first win this season. Partizan, Valencia, Panathinaikos and Barcelona also picked up wins elsewhere.
Latvian national team player Rodions Kurucs helped Spanish club Baskonia secure its first win of the current EuroLeague season on Sunday, as the team defeated Olimpia Milano on the road, 87:76.
Kurucs played 16 minutes, scoring five points on one made two-point shot and one made three-pointer. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out one assist, and recorded two steals. By the end of the game he posted a plus-minus efficiency rating of +10, though he was also charged with four fouls.
Baskonia started strongly, building a ten-point lead after the first quarter. Milan clawed back some ground in the second quarter, but Baskonia still held an eight-point advantage at halftime, 44:36. Olimpia kept chipping away in the third quarter, and in the decisive final period the Italian side briefly tied the game at 72:72. In the end, though, Baskonia pulled away to secure the victory.
Other round-three results
Belgrade's Partizan edged past Bayern Munich in a tight contest, 86:84, with Luka Vildoza hitting the decisive shot on his way to eight points in the game. Spanish side Valencia defeated ASVEL 105:92, with Nikola Mirotic leading the winners with 22 points, while NBA champion Patty Mills scored 26 for the French club.
Panathinaikos of Athens beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 90:67, with Frenchman Gershon Yabusele contributing 17 points. After round three, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, Valencia and Partizan all sit atop the EuroLeague standings with perfect records, while Baskonia, with just one win in three games, remains near the bottom of the table.
