Zalgiris downs Bayern to reach the playoffs 8

Zalgiris Kaunas has made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs! Zalgiris has reached the playoffs for the third time in the last six years by downing FC Bayern Munich 83-80 at Audi Dome in Round 34 on Friday night.

The Lithuanian side finished the regular season with a 19-15 record, ranking seventh overall, and soon it will face FC Barcelona in a best-of-five series. Bayern finished its 2022-23 EuroLeague season with an 11-23 record.

Lukas Lekavicius led the winners with 20 points in as many minutes. Rolands Smits added 16, Edgaras Ulanovas had 12, while Tomas Dimsa finished with 10.

Corey Walden paced Bayern with 14 points. Andreas Obst chipped in with 12, of which 10 came in the final 2 minutes, and Vladimir Lucic had 10 for the hosts.

Smits struck twice from downtown and added a tip-in for a 8-6 Zalgiris lead. Walden and Lucic stepped up for Bayern and Freddie Gillespie’s layup made the hosts regain a 14-16 margin. Lekavicius and Brazdeikis helped Zalgiris get a 19-18 edge after 10 minutes.

Lekavicius kept pacing the guests, getting help from Dimsa to make it a 5-point game, 26-21. Lucic rescued Bayern with a layup-plus-foul, Isaac Bonga scored in transition and Walden hit consecutive triples, making Zalgiris call timeout at 34-34. Walden hit a jumper and Nick Weiler-Babb boosted the hosts’ lead to 34-38 at halftime.

Smits sank his third three-pointer right after the break, igniting a 7-0 run that Edgaras Ulanovas capped with a jump hook for a 41-38 Zalgiris lead. Lekavicius hit a jumper and Dimsa added a driving layup to boost the guests’ lead to 49-43. Cassius Winston stepped up for Bayern and Brazdeikis’ buzzer-beating layup fixed the score at 51-47 after 30 minutes.

Niels Giffey struck from downtown and fed Zylan Cheatman for a dunk that got Bayern within 53-23. Ognjen Jaramaz hit a triple that completed the hosts’ comeback, 60-61. Lekavicius hit a couple of floaters and added a three-pointer, then Ulanovas sank a jumper for a 71-65 Zalgiris lead with over 3 minutes left. Brazdeikis scored again and Lekavicius’ three-pointer seemed to seal the outcome, 78-68, in the penultimate minute of the game. Obst scored 10 points in 61 seconds to bring Bayern within 79-78. Lekavicius, Walden and Ulanovas each hit free throws and Winston missed a running shot from downtown seconds before the final buzzer, allowing Zalgiris fans to celebrate a historical win.