Zalgiris Kaunas started Lithuanian Basketball League playoffs with a victory. Coached by Tomas Masiulis, Zalgiris defeated Jonava Hipocredit 102-82 (22-17, 31-18, 24-17, 25-30) at Zalgirio Arena, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
Arnas Butkevicius scored the first points in transition, followed by a basket from Laurynas Birutis after a pass from Nigel Williams‑Goss. Azuolas Tubelis then added eight straight points to give Zalgiris the lead, 12-11. Moses Wright converted a second-chance effort, while Deividas Sirvydis added a two-pointer and two three-pointers to close the first quarter at 22-17.
Wright hit free throws early in the second quarter, while Dustin Sleva knocked down a three-pointer off a Maodo Lo assist, and Lo added a drive to the basket, 29-23. Despite Jonava cutting the lead to one point, Zalgiris responded with a strong run led by Sylvain Francisco, Wright, and Tubelis. Francisco continued scoring from both outside and inside, while Ulanovas added key points as the lead grew to 53-35 at halftime.
After the break, Zalgiris extended their advantage further with a three-pointer by Francisco and six points from Wright, 63-42. Lo hit back-to-back three-pointers from the same spot, pushing the lead to 25 points. Late in the third quarter, contributions from Mantas Rubstavicius and Sleva helped Zalgiris maintain full control at 77-52.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Rubstavicius converted free throws, Birutis scored inside, and Dovydas Giedraitis added a three-pointer. Wright and Butkevicius continued to add points, while Sleva, Giedraitis, and Sirvydis contributed from long range. Sleva eventually scored Zalgiris’ 100th point with a three-pointer, sealing a dominant 102-82 victory.
Wright led Zalgiris with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Sleva had 17 points, while Tubelis finished with 14 points.
