Fenerbahce defends home court against Zalgiris 20
Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 30 brought an intense battle, where Zalgiris Kaunas lost 79-87 to Fenerbahce Istanbul at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Friday.
Fenerbahce improved to 18-12 in the standings to get its 11th home victory of the season. Zalgiris dropped to 15-15 but is still in the race to reach the playoffs. Zalgiris retained a tiebreak advantage in its matchup against Fenerbahce due to its 20-point victory in Round 17 in Kaunas.
Nigel Hayes-Davis led the winners with 19 points. Tyler Dorsey added 15, Marko Guduric 14, and Tonye Jekiri and Johnathan Motley 13 each for Fenerbahce.
Rolands Smits led Zalgiris with 18 points while Kevarrius Hayes added 12, Isaiah Taylor 11 and Ignas Brazdeikis 10.
Hayes scored twice in the paint and fed Edgaras Ulanovas for a layup that gave Zalgiris an early 6-4 lead. Laurynas Birutis appeared with dunk-and-free throw combo, getting help from Lukas Lekavicius and Ulanovas to keep the guests ahead, 16-14. Guduric and Dorsey soon struck from downtown, though, to give Fenerbahce a 16-22 edge after 10 minutes.
Dorsey capped an 11-0 run with his second triple before Brazdeikis and Taylor stepped up for the guests. Achille Polonara then launched twice from beyond the arc and Lekavicius sank a triple that tied the game, 35-35. Tarik Biberovic sank back-to-back three-pointers and Devin Booker joined the shootout in an 11-0 run that gave Fenerbahce a 35-46 lead at halftime.
Hayes stepped up for Zalgiris after the break, getting help from Smits to give the guests hope at 44-51. Fenerbahce found a go-to guy in Motley, who allowed his team to trade baskets for a while. Once Motley went to the bench, Guduric excelled on both ends, scoring and stopping Ulanovas down low. Biberovic hit a jumper that boosted Fenerbahce’s lead to 55-65 after 30 minutes.
An unstoppable Dorsey boosted his team’s lead to 62-77 midway through the fourth quarter. Smits and Birutis tried to change things for Zalgiris, then Taylor hit a three-pointer and Hayes’ layup-plus-free throw gave the guests hope at 79-83 in the last minute, but Hayes-Davis sealed the outcome from the foul line.
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