Zalgiris Kaunas took a big win on the road defeating Partizan Belgrade, 83-74. The Lithuanian side improved to 22-15, and a win in EuroLeague Round 38 at home to eliminated Paris Basketball will mean securing a spot in the business end of the competition for the first time since 2023.
The visitors led from start to finish and repelled several Partizan fightbacks as Sylvain Francisco had 18 points and 6 assist.s Nigel Williams-Goss added 13 points, Edgaras Ulanovas and Azuolas Tubelis chipped in with 12 each while Dustin Sleva netted 10.
Carlik Jones paced Partizan on 15 points, Isaac Bonga and Shake Milton scored 13 apiece while Bruno Fernando racked up 12 and 9 boards.
Zalgiris came out firing, carving out a 26-22 advantage at the end of the first quarter and holding on for a 48-41 halftime lead while remaining in full control. Francisco, who netted 16 points in the opening 20 minutes, punctuated the first half with a pull-up three-pointer at the buzzer as he toyed with defenders throughout.
The hosts made a push in the third quarter, closing to within 56-55, before a 14-2 Zalgiris run settled the contest.
