Encouraging signs came from High Voltage’s most recent acquisitions.
Turn 2 of Round 6 unfolded smoothly for High Voltage, with the team being vindicated — at least for now — for the picks that played yesterday. Keeping Motiejunas proved valuable, while the arrival of Petrusev is also viewed positively, even if the Serbian’s final score looks modest compared to his explosive start against ASVEL.
In the end, Dubai’s big man finished with a 22 Index Rating, registering 13 points on 4/8 twos (two of them blocked) and 5/6 free throws, along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 drawn fouls in 29:57. Petrusev had already posted 16 in the first quarter, but the rest of the game didn’t follow the same pattern. Still, he performed above the standards of his price range.
The captain’s armband had been given to Nwora, who more than lived up to it in the matchup against Baskonia. He closed with a 26 ranking and a final fantasy score of 57.2 points including the captaincy and win bonus — another fully loaded stat line for the Nigerian this season: 19 points (4/8 twos, 2/3 threes, 5/8 free throws), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 1 block, 1 steal, and 6 drawn fouls in 27:23. Better late than never.
As for his teammate, Motiejunas played at roughly double his cost level, finishing with a 15 PIR for a 16.5 fantasy score, posting 8 points on 2/5 twos and 4/4 free throws, while adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 drawn fouls in 20.5 minutes. His standout moment came in the third quarter, when he elevated his game and Crvena Zvezda simultaneously opened the gap against the Basques.
Crvena Zvezda turned a 40–43 halftime deficit into a 90–72 win, with Sasa Obradovic thus delivering 20 valuable points from the coach position.
Finally, Atamna couldn’t contribute much, going 0/4 from the field (though with nice shooting form), grabbing 3 rebounds, and finishing with -2 ranking in 9:05 against Dubai.
Ahead of Turn 3, Vezenkov and Milutinov will surely start alongside Nwora and Petrusev, while Dorsey, Hall, and Motiejunas (16.5) will compete for the remaining two spots. I’ll keep the Lithuanian in the starting lineup, even though I usually prefer to give bench players their shot in such cases. However, the Zvezda center’s score isn’t negligible and should be enough to deliver 100%. With 2–3 points less, the decision might have gone the other way.
Between Dorsey and Hall, my first instinct leans toward the Olympiacos guard, as he has recorded more high scores (for instance, higher than Motiejunas’). The Reds’ returning players are a factor, but I believe his current form outweighs that concern. Still, if it turns out Fenerbahce will be missing several players (with Zagars already out and Horton-Tucker GTD), Hall could move into the starting lineup since he’d be asked to take on more responsibility. So that option remains open until the start of Turn 3.
Where no second thoughts are needed is the captaincy, as Nwora’s 28.6 is more than enough.
Roster
So, High Voltage’s final roster for Round 6 of the game will likely look as follows: