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Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season - Round 4 MVP: Theo Maledon, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

A special performance in a come-from behind 76-69 win over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has seen LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne guard Theo Maledon secure MVP of the Round honors for the first time in his 24-game Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career.

The 23-year-old Maledon starred by posting a career-high 25 points in a low-scoring affair, making 1-of-3 two-point shots, sinking 5-of-10 triples and making all 8 of his free throws. He also pulled down 6 rebounds, had 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, while drawing 7 fouls for a PIR of 36, the highest of any player in Round 4 and the joint highest in any game this season.

Behind Maledon are two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague veterans, each with a PIR of 30, Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Kevin Punter of FC Barcelona. Larkin led Efes in a 91-89 win over Olympiacos Piraeus with 24 points, making 5-of-7 two-pointers and 4-of-7 three-pointers, while also amassing 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 7 fouls drawn. Punter shined with 26 points on 10-for-13 field-goal shooting, in addition to posting 3 assists and 4 steals in a 94-98 overtime road win at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Rounding out the list of Round 4's top performers are Mike James of AS Monaco and Shabazz Napier of FC Bayern Munich, each with a PIR of 29. James collected 19 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and drew 8 fouls in a 101-85 win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna, while Napier scored 27 points on 6-for-10 three-point shooting, with 5 assists, in a 109-107 win over Paris Basketball.

Individual highs: Carsen Edwards, Bayern, 32 points

Carsen Edwards of Bayern erupted for a career-best 32 points in Round 4, the most of any player this season. Edwards is the league’s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game.

ASVEL's Neal Sako pulled down 12 rebounds, more than anyone else in this round. Sako tops the charts in rebounds, posting 10.0 boards per night.

Two players – Tamir Blatt of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Paris’ TJ Shorts – had 9 assists apiece in Round 4. Blatt has averaged a league-best 9.0 assists per contest this season.

Punter and Olympiacos guard Thomas Walkup each had 4 steals, the most in Round 4. ASVEL's Sako leads the league in steals with 2.3 per game.
Partizan’s Aleksej Pokusevski had a career-high 3 blocks in this round, which is a round-high mark. Real Madrid’s Walter Tavares is atop the standings in blocks, averaging 2.0 per night.

Nikola Mirotic of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Sako (14 points, 12 rebounds) had the only double-doubles in Round 4.

Euroleague Basketball (EB) is a global leader in the sports and entertainment business, devoted to running the top European competitions of professional basketball clubs under a unique and innovative organizational model. Owned and administered by some of the most successful and historic clubs in the world, EB manages the continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup, as well as the sport’s premier under-18 showcase, the EB Adidas Next Generation Tournament.

The EB competitions bring the elite of European basketball to all five continents and to the entire sports community through the OTT platform EuroLeague TV. EB also organizes a series of community and educational activities, led by the One Team program, in alignment with the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. On the academic side, the EB Sports Business MBA trains future professionals in sports management.