Zalgiris (11-18) will attempt to boost its fading postseason hopes against a Virtus team (17-12) that has similarly faded away from contention for the top four.
Luca Banchi, Virtus: 'We must not lose positivity'
The Lithuanian champion has lost three in a row with a struggling offense, failing to score more than 76 points in any of those games, and will hope that Rolands Smits can rediscover his usual standards after scoring 0 and 5 points in the last two games. Similarly, Toko Shengelia will aim to get back to his best for Virtus, which has lost three of its last four. Zalgiris is also looking to complete a season sweep after winning in Bologna 79-82 on opening night, powered by 25 points from backcourt leader Keenan Evans.
Luca Banchi, Virtus head coach
"We need to play fluidly, collectively, with good ball distribution and responsibility, to increase the quality of our shots. When we do that we are an effective team. Defensively we have to be determined and succeed together to limit the talent of our opponents. We must not lose positivity and be continuous for the entire 40′. We will play on a court that, since Coach Trinchieri's arrival, has suffered only one home loss, putting many important teams in serious difficulty. We will have to play with personality, be able to stay in the game with discipline and more physical presence."
Jordan Mickey, Virtus player
"We will have to play a tough game, Zalgiris is a good team, they play well, they are very focused, especially at home. We will have to be focused with rebounds and defense, those will be the main keys to the game. We will have to play a very focused game."