The Lithuanian giants blast AVEL as current and future stars shine
Zalgiris showcases today's dominance, tomorrow's stars in record-tying blowout
Informes de partidos
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 8 of 38
Regular Season
Zalgiris KaunasZAL
9659
LDLC ASVEL VilleurbanneASV
Overview
w
w
w
l
l
l
l
w
l
l
On the opening play of Thursday's game at Zalgiris Arena, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne guard Nando De Colo stole the ball from Arnas Butkevicius. That steal – the first of 3 in the game for the veteran guard – put him in sole possession of fourth place on the all-time EuroLeague steal charts with 368. It would also be one of the last highlights of the game for ASVEL.
Zalgiris Kaunas broke the game open late in the first quarter to lead by 11 after 10 minutes and it would never look back, go onto to 96-59 romp, which matched the club record for the largest win ever in the EuroLeague. With club legend Arvydas Sabonis looking on and its current go-to guys, Sylvain Francisco and Moses Wright, setting the tone, Zalgiris's stars of tomorrow left their mark, too.
Teenage talent Kajus Mikalauskas made his EuroLeague debut when he subbed into the game with 1:35 remaining in the opening quarter and Zalgiris up 17-14. Over the next 95 seconds, he drained a three pointer, stole a ball and then dished to Wright for a slam, keying a 9-1 run to the delight of the home fans.
Mikalauskas finished with 5 points, 5 assists and 2 steals – for a PIR of 13 – in less than 11 minutes on the floor. Another player with a bright future, Mantas Rubstavicius, scored 8 points, including a soaring slam in the closing minutes that was the exclamation points on the win. Rubstavicius had totaled 3 points in five appearances prior to this game.
Francisco, the Round 7 co-MVP, continued his torrid start to the season with 15 points and 7 assists in just 19 minutes, while Wright posted 14 points and 7 boards in roughly the same playing time.
Zalgiris outshot ASVEL from every distance, including going 9 of 17 from deep (52.9%) and won the battle of the boards (39-29), but none of that was the focus of head coach Tomas Masiulis after the game.
"It was a great team win. We controlled the game through defense and as a coach I am very happy about this. I am proud for our fans," Masiulis said at the post-game press conference.
The focus on teamwork and defense has trickled through the roster, as evidenced by the play of sharpshooter Deividas Sirvydis, whose 10 points gave his three straight games with double figures. Sirvydis, who also contributed 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, seamed to have channeled his coach in his post-game interview on EuroLeague TV.
"The only word is defense… Luck. Defense and staying together," he said in asked what decided the game. "Today we celebrate, we enjoy. Tomorrow, we forget everything and get ready for the next game."
Indeed, Zalgiris finished the night even with league-leader Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv on wins with 6 and could be tied for first place by the end of the round. Despite the night's achievements – a blowout win, a sparkling debut for a rising star, one of the best records in the league – Zalgiris will limit the celebrations to tonight and tomorrow will get back to working hard.
"It’s nice to break or tie a record, but it doesn’t matter if you win by 1 or 40 or 37. We are just enjoying it and I’m glad we got a win."
