Baskonia wins a thrilling game against Zalgiris
Baskonia secured a crucial victory (66-65) on Thursday against Zalgiris Kaunas to keep their hopes alive of reaching the top 10 in the Euroleague and making it to the playoffs. The game was a nail-biter until the very last second at the Fernando Buesa Arena.
The Basque team played with fire but managed to clinch their twelfth victory, putting them just two games behind the ‘play-in’ zone with six games left in the Regular Season. The game was far from brilliant for both teams, but Markus Howard’s three-pointers in the final quarter brought the hosts closer to victory.
Pablo Laso’s team struggled to close out the game, and Zalgiris had two opportunities to win it in the final possession. Chima Moneke’s defense against Francisco, former teammates from BAXI Manresa, and a missed shot by Deividas Sirvydis gave Baskonia a lifeline in a tense finish against a very erratic opponent.
At halftime, Baskonia held a comfortable lead (38-30) thanks to a last-second three-pointer by Nikos Rogkavopoulos, who showed more determination in attacking the basket to draw fouls. However, the team lacked accuracy and failed to capitalize on their strong defensive efforts and the turnovers by the opposition.
Zalgiris, coming off recent victories and a cup title, had a poor first half at the Buesa Arena, shooting just 1 for 10 from beyond the arc. They relied on rebounding to stay competitive, an area where Baskonia struggled to keep up.
The game lacked flow and inspired shooting, with Chima Moneke leading the way with nine points and Ignas Brazdeikis carrying the visitors in the second quarter. The second half saw a similar script with low shooting percentages, although Baskonia managed to equalize the rebounding battle (48-43).
In the final quarter, Howard found his rhythm, hitting three crucial three-pointers that seemed to tilt the game in Baskonia’s favor. Laso tried to contain Francisco, but Brazdeikis and Smailagic led a Lithuanian comeback, forcing Baskonia to fight until the very end with key baskets from Trent Forrest and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot.
TECHNICAL SHEET
– RESULT: BASKONIA 66 – ZALGIRIS KAUNAS 65 (38-30 at halftime)
TEAMS
– BASKONIA: Forrest (6), Luwawu-Cabarrot (7), Sedekerskis (3), Moneke (13), Diop (2) — starting five — Rogkavopoulos (3), Howard (13), Jaramaz (-), Hall (11), Samanic (8)
– ZALGIRIS KAUNAS: Francisco (8), Butkevicius (2), Brazdeikis (17), Smailagic (11), Birutis (8) — starting five — Dunston (5), Giedraitis (4), Mitchell (-), Sirvydis (1), Wong (4), Ulanovas (5)
– QUARTER SCORES: 18-12, 20-18, 10-13, 18-22
– REFEREES: Hordov, Ryzhyk, Cici. No players fouled out
– VENUE: Buesa Arena.
FUENTE