VTB United League: Nizhny Novgorod can not hold Zalgiris 0

In Week 9 of the VTB United League regular season, Lithuanian Zalgiris ran by Russian Nizhny Novgorod on the road, 76-58. The Lithuanians took a healthy lead in the first half and cruised to their eighth win of the season.

Intro
The visiting team came in as pre-game favorites. Zalgiris has dominated in the VTB United League, as well as the Euroleague this season. On the other hand, everyone remembers these two teams’ showdowns last season, when Nizhny Novgorod twice upset the Lithuanian champions. In this game, Nizhny Novgorod, disappointed by their collapse down the stretch in last week’s game, hoped to improve their position in the standings. Zalgiris, meanwhile, wanted revenge and to continue pushing for the top spot in the group.

In the opening minutes, Nizhny Novgorod took control, asserting their home-court advantage. Primoz Brezec led the way, posing problems for the Zalgiris defense in the paint and beyond the arc. Zalgiris managed to slow the home team by the end of the quarter, however. They trailed 16-15 after 10 minutes.

Americans Tremmell Darden and Ibrahim Jaaber spurred a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. Nizhny Novgorod struggled to respond as Ksistof Lavrinovic and Mario Delas locked their big men out of the lane. They took to shooting jump shots, but without much success. Zalgiris had a 36-28 lead going into halftime.

The Lithuanians didn’t try to humiliate their opponent, slowing down to focus on precise movement on offense. They used their advantage in the paint, scoring the bulk of their third-quarter points down low. The home team kept shooting from long-range, but connected only on 2 of 12 attempts. Such poor shooting did not help Nizhny Novgorod close the gap – 55-47 after three periods.

Turning Point
The home team snagged plenty of offensive rebounds, but a low shooting percentage neutralized their efforts. At one point, they missed three 3-pointers in one possession, only for Zalgiris to speed back the other way and score thanks to Jankunas. The last few minutes of the game were no different. The Lithuanians even pushed their lead to 18 – 76-58.

Star of the Game
Ksistof Lavrinovic. The Lithuanian center played with confidence even without his twin brother Darius. Ksistof worked hard under the basket, drew fouls, and recorded 14 points and six rebounds.

Stat of the Game
15 – Nizhny Novgorod’s offensive rebounding advantage. Unfortunately for the Russian team, it wasn’t enough for a win.

Top Performers
Nizhny Novgorod: Vadim Panin – 11 points, nine rebounds.
Zalgiris: Ksistof Lavrinovic – 14 points, six rebounds.