Zalgiris
stuck close with Maccabi until the very last minutes of the game, but it wasn’t
enough to open the Top 16 stage on a positive note, as the Israeli side
performed better in the clutch and ended up taking an 84-76 (23-16, 25-11,
16-24, 20-15) victory.
One of the
leaders of the Kaunas club, Sonny Weems had a very disappointing game, missing
7-of-8 shots from the field on the way to a total of only two points and a
ranking of minus eight.
Milovan
Rakovic stepped up as the go-to guy for Zalgiris with 15 points, Marko Popovic
scored 14, while DeJuan Collins and Mantas Kalnietis both finished with 10
points each.
Maccabi’s
point guard Demond Mallet lit up the Lithuanians with 15 points, hitting 4-of-7
shots from beyond the arch, Lior Eliyahu had 14 as Keith Langford contributed
to the victory with 12 points and seven assists.
