Zalgiris - Baskonia

Euroleague, round 24

Zalgiris are in weakest form since the beginning of the season. They lost three games in a row in the Euroleague, but a bigger indicator of their bad form are defeats against Jonava and Wolves in domestic championship. Lukas Lekavicius is currently the only ball handler in this team, which is a huge problem. After Keenan Evans' injury, Zalgiris signed Isaiah Taylor, but he also got injured. They achieved particularly good results at home, where they have an 8-3 record in the Euroleague. It’s not easy for the opponents to play in the "Zalgirio Arena", which is always filled to capacity. This will be the case this time as well.

Baskonia found a way out of the crisis with wins against Anadolu Efes and Panathinaikos at home. They are in sixth place and are very close to qualify for the quarterfinals, which would be an extraordinary success. However, there is a big difference when Baskonia plays at home and away. While they are scoring 90.9 points per game at home, the situation is quite different at road. Outside of Vitoria, they are scoring only 77.5 points on average. They depend a lot on their three-point shot because they are not dominant in the paint. Maik Kotsar is their only center. To overcome Zalgiris at road, it is necessary to win a physical battle under the hoop.

Given that Baskonia can hardly outrebound Zalgiris, they will rely on their three-point shots. It is very difficult to beat Kazys Maksvytis' team in Kaunas in that way. After this round, Zalgiris will visit Real Madrid and Barcelona, which means that they must not allow themselves to lose here. Victory is the only way to get out of the crisis, and Zalgiris are much better defensively than Baskonia. They play with a lot of patience in offense and that will be the key to win this time. Looking at all important things, it will be a surprise if Baskonia triumphs in this clash.