Zalgiris downs Milan to stay perfect at home 12

With its best defense of the season, Zalgiris Kaunas turned back visiting EA7 Emporio Armani Milan for a tough-as-nails 71-62 home win on Friday. Zalgiris (5-3) remains perfect at home this season, while Milan (3-5) lost its fourth in a row.

Keenan Evans led the offensive charge for Zalgiris with 23 points, his EuroLeague career high. Rolands Smits was the other steady for the winners, with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the defensive effort was collective and included 3 steals from Kevarrius Hayes.

Milan got 19 points, all in the final 12 minutes, from Naz Mitrou-Long and 11 from Kevin Pangos. Milan was held to just 33 points through 28 minutes before Mitrou-Long got hot, but Zalgiris had the answers down the stretch.

Ignas Brazdeikis, from deep, and Smits combined for a 7-2 Zalgiris start as Milan was held scoreless for 3 minutes and missed its first 7 three-point tries. Pangos broke that streak and Johannes Voigtmann got the visitors within 11-12, but Larynas Birutis hit 4 free throws to close the quarter at 16-11.

Lukas Lekavicius and Evans boosted the lead to 22-15 early in the second quarter. Nicolo Melli kept Milan close but Evans, Brazdeikis and Tyler Cavanaugh, from deep, made it 29-18. Pangos stole to end the 7-0 Zalgiris run before he and Evans traded triples, but Smits had the last word with a put-back for a 34-24 halftime lead.

Evans buried a transition triple soon after the break for the biggest lead yet, 41-28. Milan couldn’t buy a basket until Devon Hall and Mitrou-Long combined on 3 three-pointers to cut the difference to 47-39. Evans and Lekavicius restored a double-digit lead before Davide Alviti and Mitrou-Long resumed sniping to suddenly get Milan within 40-45 early in the fourth. Evans struck back but Alviti and Voigtmann put Milan within 53-49 with 6:50 to play. To the rescue came Brazdeikis and Arnas Butkevicius, whose steal-and-layup was followed by a triple at 60-49. Mitrou-Long almost single-handedly cut it to 63-58 before Zalgiris shut the door at the foul line to win.

Comments

  1. Darius

    kelios mintys, 5 pergales Eurolygoje is eiles namuose, kas galejo pagalvoti, kad taip bus ? Pagarba visai Zalgirio komandai uz tai. Tokios serijos ir pats Jasikevicius neatsisakytu ir idomu, o kiek pergaliu is eiles Kaune yra iskovojes Jaska su Zalgiriu ? Antras pastebejimas, kad komandos komplektacija po praeitu metu fiasko pagaliau gerai pavyko. Ir dar vienas pastebejimas, kad Maksvytis gali pasigirti iveikes geriausius ir garsiausius Europos krepsinio trenerius, nes vienas po kito is Kauno nuleistomis galvomis isvaziuoja Jasikevicius, Scariolo, Mesina. Taip ir toliau !

  2. 709

    Su pergale. Tikekimes Kevarius neiskris ilgam is rikiuotes. Sekmes ir sveikatos jam ir visai komandai.

  3. Darius

    pataisau komentara, uz zaidima ir komplektacija pagarba, o kaip ten su grynais pinigais, jau turbut viskas, arenoje grynu nebepriims ? Ir visiems tinka ?

  4. Pergale

    Bet klampios runktynes kaip zaidejams nebuvo grazios

  5. Dariau

    Paklausyk Maksvycio

  6. Zalgiris

    Zalgiris is lieka nepralaimejes namie o pasiekes 5 pergale Eurolygoje rikiuojasi salia tokiu grandu kaip Real ar Jasikeviciaus Barcelona

  7. Top8

    Zalgiris Top8 ka reiskia surinkus gera gynibine kovojancia Komanda ir buvo nemazai abejojanciu Maksvyciu Eurolygoje

  8. Top8 za

    Zalgiris Top8 ka reiskia surinkus gera gynibine kovojancia Komanda ir buvo nemazai abejojanciu Maksvyciu Eurolygoje

  9. A G

    uzkniso klaidu kiekis ir igno lipimas i medi…

  10. ....

    Šiaip bendrai paėmus, tai rungtynės nelabai pavyko. Svarbu laimėjom, bet puolimas tragiškas, padrikas ir be jokios minties. Meta kas tuo metu nori ir netingi. Armaniai labai prastai atrodė, buvo galima reikalus sutvarkyt kur kas lengviau.

  11. Startas

    Geriau nei Saro laikais Zalgiris pakartojo geriausia starta Eurolygoje

  12. Hyper

    Gražus krepsinis buvo , ypač ketvirtam kėlinyje . Su pergale !