Creek helps Cluj secure Romanian championship

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• Mitch Creek on Europe, potential NBL return

Australian Boomers forward Mitch Creek is a Romanian League champion after U-BT Cluj-Napoca closed out CSM Oradea 74-72 to win the Finals series 3-1.

Creek, who will play for Australia in Perth early next month, finished Game 4 with 10 points, six rebounds and three fouls in 32:19, shooting 4-from-5 from the field, 1-from-2 from three and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

It capped a strong Finals series for the Australian Boomers forward, who lifted when the title series tightened. Creek’s biggest performance came in Game 3, where he scored 27 points on 9-from-12 shooting as Cluj took control of the match-up with a 103-78 win.

Across the four-game series, Creek produced:

Mitch Creek Finals Series
Games: 4 │ Points: 59 │ Rebounds: 18 │ Assists: 4 │ Averages: 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists │ FG: 21-from-39 (53.8%)

DJ Russell led Cluj in the championship-clinching win with 23 points, five rebounds and seven assists, while Isaiah Molinar added 17 points. Creek’s efficiency and rebounding gave Cluj another steady frontcourt performance as they held off Oradea by two points to seal the title.

Story published – June 2, 2026

After opening the Romanian League Finals with back-to-back 13-point performances, Australian Boomers forward Mitch Creek produced his best game of the series to help U-BT Cluj-Napoca claim a commanding 103-78 win against CSM Oradea and take a 2-1 series lead.

Creek finished with 27 points, five rebounds and two assists in just 27 minutes, shooting 9-from-12 from the field, 4-from-6 from three-point range and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. It was a significant jump from the opening two games, where Oradea had largely succeeded in limiting his offensive impact.

Cluj's response in Game 3 was emphatic. After splitting the opening two games in Oradea, the home side delivered its most complete performance of the Finals, shooting efficiently, sharing the ball and controlling the game at both ends of the floor.

Creek set the tone early, finding space on the perimeter and converting scoring opportunities in transition and the half-court. His +25 plus-minus reflected the influence he had whenever he was on the floor.

DJ Russell continued his strong Finals campaign with 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds. The American guard combined with Creek for 51 points and 10 assists as Cluj repeatedly broke down Oradea's defence.

Cluj also received valuable contributions throughout the rotation. Tre Woodbury scored 15 points on 6-from-7 shooting, while Dusan Miletic added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, finishing a perfect 4-from-4 from the field.

Seven Cluj players scored at least six points as the hosts shot better than 50 percent from the field and steadily extended their lead throughout the contest.

For Oradea, Kris Richard led the scoring with 18 points while Emmanuel Nzekwesi added 16 points and four rebounds. Neither could prevent Cluj from taking control after halftime as the margin continued to grow.

The result completed a dramatic momentum shift in the series.

In Game 1, Oradea defended home court with an 87-84 victory despite 28 points from Russell. Creek finished with 13 points, four rebounds and shot 5-from-12 from the field as Oradea's frontcourt combination of Nzekwesi (21 points, seven rebounds) and Richard (14 points, five rebounds, six assists) proved decisive.

Cluj responded in Game 2 with an 88-83 road win to level the series. Creek again scored 13 points, adding one rebound and one assist while shooting 4-from-8 from the field and 3-from-4 from three-point range. Russell contributed 17 points and nine assists, while Miletic added 15 points and eight rebounds as Cluj wrestled back home-court advantage.

Through three Finals games, Creek is averaging 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. After a steady start to the series, his Game 3 explosion has helped put Cluj in control heading into Game 4.

Story published – May 17, 2026

Australian Boomers wing Mitch Creek has Romanian Liga Națională club U-BT Cluj-Napoca on the verge of the 2025-26 championship series after pouring in 28 points in 28 minutes in Game 2 of the best-of-five semi-finals series against SCM Craiova today (AEDT).

The 34-year-old former Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix star joined Cluj for the start of their four-competition campaign in late 2025 after vowing to never again play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).

Creek, who played for the Boomers against Guam in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in March, led the No1 ranked Cluj to a 3-0 sweep of CSU Sibiu in the quarter finals and, now, to a 2-0 lead SCM Craiova. Game 3 is on May 21, 2026.

He led U-BT Cluj-Napoc to the Romanian SuperCup this season.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca 85 def. SCM Craiova 74 – May 17, 2026

Romania Divizia A Playoffs – Semi-finals (Game 2)

Cluj-Napoca moved within one win of the finals after riding a dominant performance from Mitch Creek to an 85-74 road victory over SCM Craiova to take a 2-0 series lead.

Creek controlled the game from the opening quarter, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes while shooting 12-from-18 from the field and 11-from-16 from the free-throw line. The Australian veteran consistently attacked mismatches in transition and half-court sets as Cluj separated after halftime.

Cluj built its advantage through interior scoring and rebounding, with Dusan Miletic adding 15 points and 18 rebounds while Zavier Simpson contributed 10 points and 14 assists. Nikola Ceaser also finished with 15 points on 6-from-7 shooting.

SCM Craiova stayed within striking distance through the first half behind 24 points from Ira Leggett, who added five assists, while Vladimir Nistor knocked down three triples for 11 points.

But Cluj’s size and offensive efficiency eventually wore Craiova down. Cluj shot 50% from the field and generated repeated second-chance opportunities behind Miletic’s work on the glass, while Creek repeatedly got downhill to pressure the defence.

By the Numbers

• Mitch Creek (Cluj-Napoca): 28 points │ 6 rebounds │ 3 assists │ 12-from-18 FG │ 28:52
• Dusan Miletic (Cluj-Napoca): 15 points │ 18 rebounds
• Zavier Simpson (Cluj-Napoca): 10 points │ 14 assists
• Ira Leggett (SCM Craiova): 24 points │ 5 assists
• Cluj-Napoca: 50% FG │ 42 rebounds
• SCM Craiova: 39.7% FG │ 29 rebounds

Mitch Creek – U-BT Cluj-Napoca: All Competitions in 2025-26

‍48 GP │ 27.9 MPG │ 17.1 PPG │ 4.6 RPG │ 2.2 APG │ 0.8 SPG

• ‍Romanian Liga Națională Playoffs (DIV): 5 GP │ 26.4 MPG │ 19.6 PPG │ 6.2 RPG │ 2.8 APG │ 0.4 SPG‍
• ABA League: 26 GP │ 28.6 MPG │ 16.6 PPG │ 4.0 RPG │ 2.1 APG │ 0.9 SPG‍
• EuroCup (EUR): 16 GP │ 30.7 MPG │ 18.0 PPG │ 4.0 RPG │ 2.1 APG │ 0.8 SPG‍
• Romanian Cup / SuperCup: 4 GP │ 24.3 MPG │ 10.5 PPG │ 4.8 RPG │ 2.0 APG │ 0.3 SPG

Mitch Creek's Liga Națională Playoffs Scoring

• 28 points vs Craiova
• 20 points vs Craiova
• 18 points vs Sibiu
• 16 points vs Sibiu
• 16 points vs Sibiu

Mitch Creek's Biggest ABA Games

• 35 points vs Igokea
• 33 points vs Dubai
• 28 points vs Cedevita Olimpija
• 23 points vs KK Bosna
• 22 points vs Crvena zvezda

Mitch Creek's EuroCup Highlights

Creek produced some of his biggest offensive games in continental play:

• 40 points vs Neptunas
• 27 points vs Manresa
• 27 points vs Aris
• 26 points vs Hapoel Jerusalem
• 20 points vs Hamburg

Romanian Cup

• 18 points vs Dinamo Bucharest
• 16 points vs Steaua Bucuresti
• 2 points in the final vs Oradea