Ukrainian center Oleksiy Len had his most productive game in the Spanish basketball league, scoring 15 points in the regular season against Zaragoza.
Len's most productive matches for Real Madrid have so far been in the national championship. The Ukrainian scored 12 points three times, including in his debut match for the “creamy” team (against Hoventuta in November).
With Zaragoza, Lenj returned to the starting five of Real Madrid. He played 21 minutes on the court, during which he scored 15 points. Only Italian forward Gabriele Procida showed better results for the home team with 19 points.
Overall, this is Len's fifth game with double-digit scores of 10+ points for Real Madrid. All of them were in the Spanish league, while his best game in the Euroleague was against Milan in January (8 points).
Oleksiy Len at Real Madrid: top 5 most productive matches
- 15 points (“Zaragoza”, Spanish Championship, February 1)
- 12 points (“Rio Breogan”, Spanish Championship, January 24)
- 12 points (“Murcia”, Spanish Championship, December 30)
- 12 points (“Joventut”, Spanish Championship, November 9)
- 10 points (“Andorra”, Spanish Championship, January 11)
…
- 8 points (“Milan”, Euroleague, January 20)
In the allotted time, Len also added one assist and six rebounds (he only had more against Girona in December – seven).
“Very good. He did what we asked,” head coach Sergio Scariolo shared his impressions of Len's performance after the match. “With each match, he becomes more and more integrated into the team.”
“When [main center Walter Tavares] is not playing and we decide to keep a big-name lineup on the court, he has to do what he did: shoot from under the basket and defend his own – he did that well.”
In the current Spanish league season, Lenj is averaging 8 points per game for Real Madrid. The Ukrainian's team, after their fourth consecutive victory, is at the top of the ACB League table and has a four-point lead over Valencia.
Real Madrid's next two matches will be in the EuroLeague: on February 3 and 5, they will play against Panathinaikos and Dubai, respectively. The team will return to the national championship on Sunday, February 8, with a game against Granada.