Galatasaray fuels playoff hopes with road win at Zalgiris 0

Carlos Arroyo hit 5 three-pointers in a span of nine minutes of the second half, lifting Galatasaray Istanbul to a key 72-84 road win over Zalgiris Kaunas at Zalgiris Arena on Thursday. The Turkish champion won its third consecutive game and remains in at least a share of fourth place in Group F with a 6-6 record, while already-eliminated Zalgiris dropped to 1-11.

Galatasaray held a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but the hosts used a strong finish to the half to cut to 35-38 at the break. Galatasaray pulled away in the third quarter behind Furkan Aldemir and Malik Hairston, before Arroyo put on his show to not allow Zalgiris to comeback.

Arroyo scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and dished 7 assists. Hairston had 16 points plus 8 rebounds, Milan Macvan added 13 points, while Aldemir collected a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds in victory.

Justin Dentmon, like Arroyo, netted 17 of his 19 after halftime. Martynas Pocius scored 14, Arturas Milaknis 12 on 4-for-4 from three-point range, while Robertas Javtokas had 10 points in defeat.

First quarter: Markoishvili triples separate Galatasaray

A second-chance layup from Tomas Dimsa started the scoring, before Hairston had a layup and a baseline jumper to make it 2-4. Javtokas made a put-back for Zalgiris, and after Erceg replied with a driving layup, Pocius nailed the first triple of the night. Aldemir had a put-back dunk for Galatasaray, and Zoran Erceg added a layup. At the other end, Javtokas made a hook-shot for the hosts midway through the first quarter, but that turned out to be the last field goal Galatasaray allowed in the quarter. Manuchar Markoishvili sank a three-pointer to make it 11-13, and after Hairston’s dunk, Markoishvili hit another from long range. Macvan ended the quarter from close range to make it 12-20.

Second quarter: Zalgiris catches up with a strong finish

Dentmon raced for a fastbreak layup to open the second quarter, but Aldemir had a dunk and Hariston scored on a powerful move inside, helping the visitors move out to 14-25. The hosts struggled offensively, before Sarunas Jasikevicius got them going with a three-pointer. Paulius Jankunas hit a short fade-away jumper, then followed it with a layup for 21-25, only for Sinan Guler to snap a 7-0 run with a driving layup. Ender Arslan buried a three to put Galatasaray back in control. Javtokas scored on an alley-oop dunk, but Arslan’s layup made it 23-32. After layups from Jasikevicius and Jankunas, Guler drove to the hoop and Erceg followed on a breakaway for an easy dunk and a 27-36 lead, which caused Zalgiris to call timeout. After Javtokas tipped in an alley-oop pass from Dentmon, Arroyo answered with a jumper, but Zalgiris finished strong as Arturas Milaknis nailed a corner triple, and Pocius drove the baseline to elevate for a reverse layup-plus-foul, cutting it to 35-38 at halftime.

Third quarter: It rains threes, as visitors pull away

Dentmon hit a pair of jumpers in the opening minute of the half, but Markoishvili and Hairston scored from close range for Galatasaray to make it 39-42. But the visitors converted on second-chance buckets on three consecutive possessions, with Aldemir scoring a couple of put-backs, and Hairston staying focused to make a basket-plus-foul. Arroyo continued the run with his first triple for a 41-52 lead. After a timeout, Milaknis traded a pair of triples against Arroyo and Erceg, who had one apiece for Galatasaray. Dentmon also scored from downtown, the fifth triple in a row in the game, getting the deficit back into the single digits. Mindaugas Kupsas scored a layup. But back-to-back three-pointers from Arroyo and Markoishvili got the visitors to 52-64. Milaknis nailed his third three in the quarter, and after Markoishvili scored a layup, Kupsas finished the quarter with a baseline jumper for a 57-66 score.

Fourth quarter: Arroyo and Macvan put the game away

Dentmon’s pair of free throws started the quarter, but Arroyo sank back-to-back from long distance, and Aldemir had a put-back, giving Galatasaray a 59-74 cushion. Dentmon sank a three-pointer for the hosts, but Hairston quickly replied with a fastbreak layup. After a timeout, Pocius and Macvan traded triples to make it 65-79. Dentmon hit another one, and Javtokas added a layup to keep Zalgiris with some hope, but Arroyo sank a jumper and Macvan another three-pointer for a 70-84 margin, which essentially sealed the outcome.