The game at the “Kalnapilis” arena will start at 18:50. Currently, “Žalgiris” leads the series 1-0. In the first game of the series, they defeated “Lietkabelis” 85:75 (21:20, 21:20, 21:18, 22:17).
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At that time, Sylvainas Francisco was the hardest to stop. He scored 20 points in 28 minutes (3/5 two-pointers, 3/6 three-pointers, 5/8 free throws), grabbed 2 rebounds, and made 6 assists.
In the semifinal stage, the first team to reach 3 wins will advance to the grand final, while the other team will fight for bronze.
The guests’ leaders were stopped: Jamel Morris scored 15 points but made 5 out of 14 shots from the field, and Kristjan Kullamae made 6 out of 16 shots (14 points).
“I think there are not many news. As always, basketball will be physical. It is not easy to play here. We have to stay focused for all 40 minutes and not give the opponent anything easy. After the first game, the defense in the second half was satisfactory. We need to fight more for the balls,” said “Žalgiris” coach Tomas Masiulis before the game.
“Tactically, there will be nothing particularly new. Changes will be only in offense. The most important will be energy and physicality. We can create new plays for a few attacks, but nothing more special. Everything will be about psychology,” explained “Lietkabelis” strategist Nenad Čanak.
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Game progress:
2nd quarter:
17 min. Sylvainas Francisco again pushed “Lietkabelis” into the deficit (30:33).
16 min. Paulius Danusevičius lifted Ąžuolas Tubelis and nailed a three-pointer (30:30).
14 min. “Lietkabelis” again failed to keep up with the fast “Žalgiris” offense (27:28).
13 min. Kristjan Kullamae scored a precise three-pointer after a one-on-one against Dustin Slev (27:24).
12 min. Lazar Mutić scored two points with a foul by Laurynas Birutis. The Bosnian was also accurate from the free-throw line (22:22).
11 min Perfect pass from Maodo Lo to Edgaras Ulanovas. After his two-pointer, “Lietkabelis” continues to trail the guests (19:22).
1st quarter:
10 min. Nikola Radičević ran into a fast break and scored two easy points (19:20).
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9 min. Nikola Radičević sent a long pass to Lazar Mutić, who scored two easy points (15:17).
8 min. Lazar Mutić corrected Jamel Morris’s two-pointer (13:17).
Sylvainas Francisco increased “Lietkabelis” deficit (11:17).
7 min. “Lietkabelis” defended excellently, and Deividas Sirvydis’s three-pointer did not touch the rim (11:11).
5 min. Warren Washington was completely free near the basket. Easy two points (11:11).
4 min. Sylvainas Francisco scored his 8th point, and “Lietkabelis” is again behind (9:11).
Paulius Danusevičius was accurate from mid-range (9:8).
3 min. Justas Furmanavičius nailed a three-pointer (5:5).
2 min. Dovis Bičkauskis lost Sylvainas Francisco, who tied the score (2:2). In the next attack, he nailed a three-pointer, and “Lietkabelis” fell behind (2:5).
1 min. Quick points by Kristjan Kullamae (2:0).
Before the game
These teams will meet for the fifth time this season. “Lietkabelis” is the only team in the LKL regular season to have beaten “Žalgiris”. They did so on October 19 – 87:85.
Later, “Lietkabelis” lost to “Žalgiris” 77:81, 82:94, and 70:87 respectively.
This season, the most prominent player in Panevėžys is guard Jamel Morris. He averages 25 minutes on the court, scores 16.3 points, grabs 1.4 rebounds, and makes 2.7 assists per game.
In “Žalgiris”, the offensive leader is forward Ąžuolas Tubelis. He averages 12 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1 assist per game. He spends about 19 minutes on the court on average.
The defending champions from Kaunas easily defeated “Jonava” 2-0 in the quarterfinal series. Meanwhile, “Lietkabelis” surpassed “Šiauliai” 2-0.
