Zalgiris seals VTB United League regular season champion crown with a win 0

In Week 18 of the VTB United League regular season, Zalgiris (Lithuania) defeated Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) at home, 69-62. The Russian team stayed within striking distance all night, but Zalgiris closed down the visitors in the final minutes to grab its 16th regular-season win.

Intro
Though Zalgiris had already guaranteed 1st place in the group, Nizhny Novgorod could still finish in 4th with a win in Kaunas and VEF loss at Lokomotiv-Kuban.

A slow tempo to start the game was in Nizhny’s favor. They led after a low-scoring first quarter, 13-9, with both teams emphasizing perimeter shooting over interior offense.

The second quarter was far more intriguing. Fewer turnovers and more efficient offense helped entertain a crowd of 9,000-plus in Kaunas. Darjus Lavrinovic and Mindaugas Kuzminskas pulled Zalgiris back into the lead by halftime, 33-32.

Nizhny Novgorod, however, kept the pace under control and prevented the home team from adding to its lead. Obi Trotter’s aggressive drives through the lane were key for the visitors and they managed to knot the game at 51 with 10 minutes to play.

Turning Point
Defense once again became the focal point in the final quarter. The first three minutes were scoreless, until Mario Delas and Adas Juskevicius collected five quick points to put Zalgiris on top. From there, the Lavrinovic brothers kept Nizhny at bay, as Zalgiris held on for a 69-62 victory, its 16th of the season. As for Nizhny, even a win wouldn’t have been enough to move up in the standings, given VEF’s win down south in Krasnodar. The Russians end the season in 5th place in Group B.

Star of the Game
Darjus Lavrinovic. No one really stood out for Zalgiris. Nonetheless, Darjus Lavrinovic had an impressive night, good enough for Star of the Game status – 15 points (50% from the field) and four rebounds.

Stat of the Game
69 – number of points scored by Zalgiris, its worst showing all season.

Top Performers
Zalgiris: Mindaugas Kuzminskas – 18 points, seven rebounds, three blocks; Darjus Lavrinovic – 15 points; Mario Delas – nine points, five rebounds; Ksistof Lavrinovic – six points, nine rebounds.

Nizhny Novgorod: Dijon Thompson – 19 points, nine rebounds; Vadim Panin – 17 points, seven rebounds; Semen Antonov – 11 points.