Zalgiris Kaunas suffered its first defeat of the EuroLeague season, falling 79-88 on the road to Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, who celebrated their second consecutive victory and improved their record to 2-2.
Jordan Nwora paced Crvena Zvezda with a game-high 24 points, with Chima Moneke and Donatas Moteijunas adding 13 apiece. Semi Ojeleye netted 10 points and Ebuka Izundu amassed 9 for the hosts, while Maodo Lo and Arnas Butkevicius led Zalgiris on 14 points each.
Zalgiris started the game on the right foot, jumping out to a 16-7 lead early on thanks to three-pointers from Butkevicius and Sylvain Francisco. The score was 27-23 in favor of Zalgiris at the end of the first quarter.
Crvena Zvezda managed to tie the game at 27-27, but the visitors responded and pulled ahead 36-27, with Moses Wright making plays in the paint. However, the Kaunas team then began to struggle offensively, allowing the hosts to take control and lead 39-45 just before halftime.
Zalgiris regained the lead at 58-57 entering the fourth quarter, but Crvena Zvezda found their rhythm in the closing stretch, building a 69-77 advantage. Nigel Williams-Goss gave Zalgiris a glimmer of hope with a late three-pointer, but the home team managed to close out the game for an 79-88 victory.
