Despite his team's home loss, the 32-year-old forward had a shooting night for the ages
A first half Arnas Butkevicius (and Zalgiris fans) won't forget in a hurry
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 5 of 38
Regular Season
Zalgiris KaunasZAL
7889
EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
Overview
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Zalgiris Kaunas is renowned for its deep basketball heritage, having seen some of Europe’s greatest players wear its iconic green jersey. But it’s safe to say that few moments – if any – have matched the fiery burst Arnas Butkevicius delivered against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 5 of the EuroLeague Regular Season.
Both teams got off to a slow start, with Zalgiris leading 11-9 after seven minutes. That’s when Butkevicius decided to take over, exploding in a way rarely seen before.
He started his run with a wide-open three-pointer from the left wing, then followed it up with another from the top of the key. As the first quarter wound down, Milan had possession, but Butkevicius came up with a steal and drained a running triple at the buzzer.
The crowd erupted, and just like that Zalgiris was up 21–13.
But Butkevicius was just getting started.
Brimming with confidence, Butkevicius nailed a step-back, catch-and-shoot three from the left corner. Then came a fast-break dunk off another steal. Moments later, he brought the arena to its feet again with a deep three from the EuroLeague logo, beating the shot clock.
When he finally went to the bench, Zalgirio Arena gave him one of the loudest ovations in its history. And he wasn’t done – upon returning to the game, Butkevicius nailed his sixth three-pointer without a single miss.
Before this season, Butkevicius was a 34.6% career shooter from beyond the arc (66 of 191). But he has started this campaign red-hot, knocking down 11 of his first 14 three-point attempts (78.6% 3FG).
He reached halftime with 20 points – just shy of Zalgiris's first-half record, shared by Keenan Evans and Lonnie Walker, who had 21 points apiece before halftime against FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, respectively.
His teammates, meanwhile, struggled from long range, combining to hit just 1-of-11 threes before the break.
In the second half, Butkevicius cooled off and didn’t score again. Milan adjusted defensively, denying him clean looks and eventually pulling away for a 78-89 win.
But years from now, only the die-hard fans will remember that Zalgiris lost that game.
What will live on is the memory of a six-minute stretch in which Arnas Butkevicius lit up Zalgirio Arena with 17 points and delivered one of the most electrifying performances Kaunas has ever seen.
