Partizan vs Panathinaikos: Lessort Arrives as MVP
Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort had 19 points, eight rebounds and a PIR of 30 against Fenerbahce, and on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. he plays his former club in Belgrade.
In 23 minutes on the floor, Mathias Lessort did not commit a single foul, and he drew six on the other side. The Panathinaikos center rounded off a performance against Fenerbahce that earned him the EuroLeague’s MVP award for round four. On Tuesday, October 13, at 8:30 p.m., he brings that award to Belgrade Arena for the game against Partizan.
What did Lessort do against Fenerbahce?
Panathinaikos won 92-74, and Lessort scored 19 points on 6 of 9 from two-point range and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. He grabbed eight rebounds, five of them on the offensive glass, and added one assist, one block and one steal, with no turnovers. His performance index rating (PIR) was 30, and the round’s MVP award is his first this season.
The numbers show how he got there: 12 points came from two-point shots and 7 from the free-throw line, so none from three. Seven free throws make up more than a third of his total, which fits with six fouls drawn against none committed. Lessort forced opponents to make mistakes and gave nothing back.
There were higher ratings that round, but not on winning teams. Moses Wright of Olimpia Milano had 32 and Chris Duarte of Baskonia had 31, yet Olimpia lost to Maccabi 97-79 and Baskonia lost to Besiktas 92-84. Among players on winning teams, the closest to Lessort was Wendell Moore of Virtus with a PIR of 28: 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the win over Bayern in Munich.
What does his arrival in Belgrade mean?
Panathinaikos enters the game with four wins in four rounds, all of them at home in OAKA in Athens. Belgrade is the Greek club’s first road game of the season. Lessort averages 13.3 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, so against Fenerbahce he was far above his own scoring average.
Sport Klub reports that it was his best game since returning from a layoff of about a year and three months. For the former Partizan player this will be the fourth return to the Arena since he left the club, and for Panathinaikos it is the first meeting between Zeljko Obradovic and Partizan since he resigned in December.
What kind of Partizan awaits him?
The black-and-whites come into Tuesday’s game after a 86-76 loss to Real Madrid in round four, in which they hit only three of 20 three-point attempts. Facing them is a team that has not lost this season, with a center whose latest performance is his best since coming back from a long layoff.
The game is on Tuesday, October 13, at 8:30 p.m. in the Arena.
