Kirilenko steals the lights, CSKA spoil Euroleague opener for Zalgiris 0
The opening game of the new Euroleague in Kaunas didn’t go as planned for Zalgiris, as Andrei Kirilenko domination was the key to CSKA taking an 87-74 (25-16, 19-15, 23-21, 20-22) victory and beginning the campaign on a high note.
Kirilenko, who returned back to Europe after a decade in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, stole all the highlights, collecting a massive double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, which was accompanied by five assists and four blocks.
“We aren’t ready to play at a high level yet and we knew that. When Siskauskas is playing as a shooting guard and Kirilenko at the small forward position, it’s really difficult. We played zone defense and they made their shots. We took a risk and it didn’t pay off,” said Zalgiris’ coach Ilias Zouros after the game.
The Kirilenko-led CSKA took the control of the game from the get-go and didn’t let go, despite allowing Zalgiris to get back within a single point at 27-28.
However, the visitors bounced back after a weak start to the second quarter and used a 16-4 run to pull ahead once again, this time for good.
DeJuan Collins led Zalgiris in scoring with 18 points and added four assists, Sonny Weems finished with a solid, yet inefficient 16 points, having shot 5-of-16 from the field, while Marko Popovic and Ty Lawson chipped in with eight and seven points respectively.
The guard duo of Alexey Shved and Milos Teodosic had a very good game for CSKA, combining for 10 assists and zero turnovers. Shved provided some much-needed scoring, finishing the game as the leading scorer with 19 points, while Teodosic scored 16 points and dished out an impressive eight assists.
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