Zalgiris Kaunas stunned Barcelona (91-84) and ended the Catalans’ five-game winning streak in the EuroLeague.
The Lithuanians used an impressive fourth-quarter performance to upset the “Blaugrana” and triumph over the league leaders.
Down by 10 early in the second (9-19), Zalgiris turned things around and tied the game at halftime (35-35). Even though Barcelona regained the lead in the third (56-63), the hosts scored 35 points in the fourth and cruised to the win.
MVP: Lukas Lekavicius was the top scorer for the winners, with 22 points, on 7/9 shooting. Joffrey Lauvergne and Niels Giffey added 18 and 14 points for Zalgiris Kaunas, respectively.
Nikola Mirotic led all scorers with 26 (7/13 shooting). Nicolas Laprovittola and Kyle Kuric posted 16 and 15 points for Barcelona, respectively.
Key to victory: Zalgiris was impressive offensively in the fourth. The 35 points they scored and the 9-0 run they made midway through the fourth were the keys to the victory.
Zalgiris improved to 7-20, but remained on the bottom of the standings. Barcelona fell to 21-6 and is still on top. Under the new standings, and without the Russian teams, the Lithuanians are at 7-16, whereas the Catalans have an 18-5 record.
Next week, Zalgiris Kaunas will remain home to host Olympiacos (March 15, rescheduled game) and Anadolu Efes (March 17). Barcelona, on the contrary, will welcome Crvena Zvezda on March 18.
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball
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