Kiasha Taheri named player of the game: 12 points, 8 assists

Kiasha Taheri of Golnoor Isfahan was named player of the game in the third week of Iran's men's Basketball Premier League against Esteghlal Tehran. He finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, and his efficiency rating reached 15.

The game was played on Thursday, 14 Aban, at the Mokhaberat Hall in Isfahan, and Golnoor went down 71–61 to Esteghlal Tehran.

The numbers: 12 points, 8 assists

The official player-of-the-game card records his night in four columns:

Eight assists mean Taheri had a direct hand in eight Golnoor baskets. Scoring was not his only job on the night: the ball also moved through him for his teammates.

What an efficiency rating of 15 means

The efficiency rating adds a player's positive contributions into a single number. For Taheri, 15 on a night his team lost shows that his individual performance stood apart from the team result.

Alongside eight assists, that number describes a multi-purpose player who both scores and creates.

Golnoor in week three

Golnoor went down 13–20 in the first quarter and 12–20 in the second; Esteghlal led 40–25 at half-time. The Isfahan side won the third quarter 17–16 and the fourth 19–15, but the gap was not closed.

Golnoor's bench scored 32 of the team's 61 points and the side was better on fast breaks and in the paint; Esteghlal, however, was better on total rebounds, assists and three-point shooting.

The rest of the season

Golnoor, coached by Aran Davoudi, will look to make up for this result and improve its standing in the table. Taheri is one of the players whose form will be measured over the coming weeks.