Birutis, Butkevicius starred as Zalgiris defeated Monaco
Zalgiris Kaunas kept its hopes alive of a place in the playoffs on Wednesday evening after defeating AS Monaco 79-70 at Zalgirio Arena. Ignas Brazdeikis was the star of the night on offense, scoring a game-high 22 points, yet there were two players who played important roles in the background: Laurynas Birutis and Arnas Butkevicius.
There was some surprise when it emerged that Zalgiris head coach Kazys Maksvytis had opted for a small starting five, with Rolands Smits beginning the game at center, yet the all-action nature of Butkevicius meant that the No. 51 effectively played as free safety, putting out fires where necessary.
Butkevicius defended Monaco's players 1 through 5, and he caused all sorts of headaches for the visiting team. In the first quarter, for example, the 1.97-meter Butkevicius was defending the 2.13-meter Donatas Motiejunas, yet he quickly read the passing lane and recorded a steal as Mike James tried to find the Monaco big man.
Throughout the game, Butkevicius didn’t give the Monaco players a second to breathe, and his infectious energy rubbed off on his teammates. One player who added a second wind to Zalgiris after the break was Birutis. Coming into Wednesday's game, Birutis was averaging 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and a PIR of 6.3, and at halftime he had just 2 points to his name.
Coach Maksvytis turned to Birutis midway through the third quarter, and from there he began to wreak havoc. In particular, Monaco center Donta Hall struggled to deal with the pure size of Birutis, despite there being just 0.05 meters between the two players. The Zalgiris big man was active on the defensive glass, while he also found his way to the basket on a couple of occasions. He was earning plenty of cheers from the crowd in the process, too.
Birutis provided such a boost he was rewarded with an extended stretch on the floor in the fourth quarter, and he – together with Butkevicius – played an important role as Zalgiris kept its cool to win 79-70 and stay alive in the playoff race. Zalgiris next hosts Valencia Basket on Friday night and Coach Maksvytis will once again hope that he can get some of his under-the-radar stars to come to the fore.
Game Videos
- 02:31
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Mike James, Monaco: 'I want Monaco and Mike James to coincide'
- 04:04
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AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 5 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f7f9d7a5-ad86-401a-bb8f-b91f731ab698.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A112%3A202]()
Papagiannis's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Diallo says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:01
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/05/03/jwj7PqkaPHkAqQcn7vW45PLoYud7cWo9-1714767030246.jpg]()
Sasa Obradovic, Monaco: 'We learned a lot from these four games'
- 04:02
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/05/03/nVLdRRLcaijjGjBphapNCZeNnCWNqF3G-1714767380625.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul -AS Monaco | Playoffs Game 4 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:14
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Donta Hall: 'We just have to keep competing'
- 00:28
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Hall denies Guduric! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/812d6638-05b9-4a50-a49d-3714ce118001.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A62%3A93]()
Hall s put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:10
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/05/01/KWSWEIbXTyKB2IKAe2DOsJF89iwny4cZ-1714594773639.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul -AS Monaco | Playoffs Game 3 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:23
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/88b5bf3a-1e81-45af-b073-8a0b5f9aa311.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A147%3A142]()
Strazel feeds Blossomgame, Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Petr Cornelie swats the game's first shot! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:18
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Monaco-Fenerbahce battle is shaping up as a classic
- 00:42
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Jordan Loyd, Monaco: 'That's why I'm here!'
- 00:39
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Sasa Obradovic, Monaco: 'This was a game of character'
- 01:38
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Donatas Motiejunas, Monaco: 'It was a rollercoaster'
- 04:03
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/26/Nw2MlKXjjsmeYms6UyOt5TS4YByl8ym4-1714165518323.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 2 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 04:01
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/24/LvyGYYoVsydbos21hLcElqRc9SZVJOnd-1713987403154.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Playoffs Game 1 | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:59
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/24/Mdfxmcx4ISiSRi2alzhBkqQt5iTTdQxY-1713989541338.jpg]()
Nigel Hayes-Davis: 'We've got a lot to learn from'
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/38ef95a5-d3e0-4c96-869a-b52d29223092.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A48%3A52]()
Blossomgame with the tough finish! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/11/Ry49NzVPX2yA3oKcK0NRojcmNJQgLgXP-1712863159220.jpg]()
AS Monaco-FC Bayern Munich | Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:57
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/11/oJodoLAmmAaYsF7lJWC1n53EQpHTxg8t-1712863005274.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Real Madrid | Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/99c6ab08-e48c-4fc6-b55b-963536a6f92e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A42%3A113]()
Diallo throws down the massive dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Defense and fastbreak dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Diallo hammers it home! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Evans-Birutis connection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:06
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f0245a47-9344-4f86-98af-3ad97262800e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A103%3A104]()
Ouattara makes statement dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:49
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/04/08/Zbb3HvvEKFa63vynSrxIg5biRVARVdOX-1712561021787.jpg]()
Laurynas Birutis, Zalgiris: ‘Paulius Jankunas was one of my biggest inspirations’
- 04:05
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/46cfd736-4684-4028-9268-7c3e7ac5b2e3.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Zalgiris Kaunas | Round 33 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0e6443c6-220d-46da-bf70-dd32fc0b146e.jpg?crop=1284%3A722%3Anowe%3A6%3A48]()
Hayes with the reverse alley-oop jam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/632a2230-a89f-4792-b1da-79723b122b93.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A141%3A91]()
John Brown with the big rejection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:15
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/28/KdVUKXY3RoSaujAwkEEAd6vwkFDHrb57-1711663489887.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-AS Monaco | Round 32 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/67088bb6-0a72-4bf5-800b-1cd6dd454c40.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A126%3A53]()
Blossomgame throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/60998268-d15d-4a07-b3f3-b00503615c3a.jpg?crop=1237%3A696%3Anowe%3A65%3A9]()
Monaco turns defense into offense! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:58
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/28/6XFwFcS3h6meuAAdEFDZBTi9NFfEErY5-1711656789843.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 32 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/28/rCWUyfuBjHM2USuFg1ln9L7LhLqV9W87-1711654652496.jpg]()
Hayes throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/82758377-ee09-4667-ab50-39fbd1dfa0a8.jpg?crop=914%3A514%3Anowe%3A26%3A110]()
Hayes's one-handed alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0a7f2f8b-ce3b-4ba8-ade3-295ef63ade86.jpg?crop=1136%3A639%3Anowe%3A155%3A105]()
Evans's steal and dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0e6443c6-220d-46da-bf70-dd32fc0b146e.jpg?crop=1270%3A714%3Anowe%3A24%3A53]()
Hayes's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:59
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/22/WhmhB35ylbuXKGQsZ2ROQkaBa7KHcvlk-1711139284029.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 31 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 04:09
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/22/4DbLKiufR1cUkGwSlw4EFP3OZRQJSUy0-1711139335216.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Valencia Basket | Round 31 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/02dc1aae-95db-4f31-af21-1335a05eca44.jpg?crop=1333%3A750%3Anowe%3A0%3A144]()
Mike James spectacular block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:29
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Monaco's block party! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e21e7d96-3a4c-4cab-b36e-5e6a9383a634.jpg?crop=798%3A449%3Anowe%3A350%3A189]()
Cornelie's fastbreak flight! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/601400aa-b801-46db-8dc0-6611058f768e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A97%3A75]()
Hall denies Pradilla at the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3c0298bd-7437-4bec-8a6b-0c05994d93c2.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A205%3A45]()
Teodosic spins his web! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8fcc6244-5b64-4435-83b5-b2f05b1942e2.jpg?crop=644%3A362%3Anowe%3A571%3A166]()
Bolomboy answers the call! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/7f17175f-8bf3-4ca0-8816-170c04321188.jpg?crop=1533%3A862%3Anowe%3A778%3A529]()
Upstairs to Mickey! Motorola Magic Moment
- 04:04
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/03/21/JRWG3LLOYPaipuSY1cubAbEObAdERIlf-1711052163355.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Round 31 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 04:10
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AS Monaco-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | Round 30 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
