Sharpshooter Lukosiunas leads Zalgiris past Khimki 7

Zalgiris took another step in preparations for the upcoming season, defeating Rimas Kurtinaitis-admiraled Khimki Moscow region 85-71 (19-9; 27-31; 22-19; 17-12).

Zalgiris got off to a good start, as a group effort had them sitting comfortably on a double-digit lead after the opening quarter. Karolis Lukosiunas turned on heat-check mode in the second quarter, as he propelled Zalgiris offense with 4-of-4 shooting from downtown, as Khimki started breathing down Zalgiris’ necks.

Zalgiris managed to get some breathing room after the break, as they kept rebuilding the double-digit lead they held before. Lukosiunas added two more threes to the tally, making him a perfect 6-of-6 for the game, as Zalgiris lead saw a rise to 20. Rimas Kurtinaitis’ men managed to cut the margin down, but it was never a threat to Zalgiris.

Karolis Lukosiunas was the surprising scoring leader, as he got all his 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting from downtown. Martinas Geben added 16, as Nigel Hayes finished with 14 points. Zach LeDay ended the game with 10 points and 6 boards, while Thomas Walkup chipped in 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Janis Timma did it all for Khimki, as he dropped 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Dairis Bertans had 15 points, as Devin Booker finished up with 14 points, 7 assists and 3 steals.

Boxscore: http://bit.ly/2khfELN