Tel Aviv clamps down defensively for its biggest Kaunas win since 2004
Lonnie Walker shines as Maccabi crushes Zalgiris in Kaunas
Rapport de match
3 Minute de lecture
Regular Season
Round 14 of 38
Regular Season
Zalgiris KaunasZAL
6583
Maccabi Rapyd Tel AvivMTA
Overview
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Lonnie Walker returned to Zalgirio Arena in style, powering Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv to a stunning 65–83 road win over his former team, Zalgiris Kaunas, on Thursday night. Walker erupted for a game-high 23 points, including a personal 10-point run in the second quarter that put Maccabi firmly in control. Few would have predicted such a lopsided outcome before tipoff.
Maccabi, which entered the game with the second-worst defense in the EuroLeague, flipped the script by holding Zalgiris to a season-low 65 points — 13 fewer than its previous low. The victory was Maccabi’s biggest in Kaunas since a 102–75 triumph in November 2004 and marked Zalgiris’s worst home defeat since a 51–73 loss to CSKA Moscow more than four years ago.
“There are a lot of good things to take from this game, but I have to be honest. We know basketball: It was one of those days,” Maccabi head coach Oded Kattash said. “Zalgiris missed a lot — layups, open shots. We were lucky today. We were on the good side of the luck.”
Luck or not, Maccabi will gladly take the momentum. The win lifted its record to 4–10, and next week the team will play its first true home game since October 2023 when it hosts LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Tel Aviv.
Walker, who showed appreciation for his former team and Zalgiris fans, expressed optimism about Maccabi’s future:
“We’re a heck of a team, even though our record doesn’t show it. I think we’re going to consistently climb that ladder. We showed grit and grind, especially in the third quarter, limiting them to about 15–16 points. We have so much talent to show and the best is still yet to come.”
After a Moses Wright free throw gave Zalgiris a 9–8 lead midway through the first quarter, the hosts never led again. Maccabi forward Oshae Brissett credited the team’s mindset:
“We came out knowing things needed to change. We had to play harder and that’s all it was. We didn’t wait for them to hit us first — we hit them first and didn’t look back.”
It was a disappointing loss for the home team, which suffered its second home loss and slipped to 8-6 for the season. Despite the disappointment, Zalgiris fans showed love for Walker after the game—and he returned the sentiment:
"I love (the Zalgiris fans) to death. Endless support, endless love, even after leaving, and whatnot, has been tremendous. Zalgiris will forever be in my heart," Walker said.
"I've got a lot of love for the city of Kaunas and for Zalgiris… To welcome me in with open arms (last season), understanding what I had and what my thought process was, it was a very unselfish act, and I'm in great, great, great debt, to Zalgiris. I'm always going to bleed green and white."
