LKL Round 22 (Regular Season): Zalgiris hold off Rytas in Kaunas

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Third defeat of league's leader Rytas (18-3) against second ranked Zalgiris (18-2) 97-94 was the most important game of the last round. It ended at the same time the nine-game winning streak of Rytas. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Strangely Rytas outrebounded Zalgiris 37-22 including 25 on the defensive glass. 25 personal fouls committed by Rytas helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international center Laurynas Birutis (213-1997) who helped to win the game recording 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Lukas Lekavicius (180-1994) contributed with 17 points for the winners. Zalgiris' coach Andrea Trinchieri used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. The former international point guard Arnas Velicka (195-1999) replied with 18 points and 9 assists for Rytas. Zalgiris have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader. Rytas at the other side dropped to the second place with three games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Zalgiris. Rytas will play next round against Neptunas trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Zalgiris will try to continue on its current victory against eleventh ranked P.Zvaigzdes in Pasvalys.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Wolves (15-7) against eighth ranked Jonava (9-14) on Wednesday night. Visiting Wolves was defeated by Jonava in Jonava 81-68. Forward Justas Furmanavicius (199-1994, college: Ole Miss) scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Ryan Larson chipped in 16 points during the contest. At the losing side Swedish-American forward Jeffery Taylor (201-1989, college: Vanderbilt) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jonava maintains eighth position with 9-14 record. Wolves at the other side keeps the third place with seven games lost. Jonava will play against bottom-ranked Gargzdu (#12) in Gargzdai in the next round. Wolves will play at home against Lietkabelis (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Jonava was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Lietkabelis (12-7) played at the court of 8th ranked Jonava (9-14). Lietkabelis did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 92-74 on Saturday. Nikola Popovic notched 18 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort. Lietkabelis' coach Nenad Canak used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Even 15 points by Justas Furmanavicius did not help to save the game for Jonava. Lietkabelis maintains fifth position with 12-7 record. Loser Jonava keeps the eighth place with 14 games lost. Lietkabelis will meet higher ranked Wolves (#3) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Jonava will play against Gargzdu (#12) and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 22 were not that significant. Mazeikiai beat Nevezis on the road 83-72. Neptunas won against Siauliai on its own court 85-76. P.Zvaigzdes was outscored by Juventus in Utena 119-78.
The most impressive performance of 22th round was 20 points and 8 rebounds by Ivan Vranes of Juventus.



Nevezis - Mazeikiai 72-83

No shocking result in a game when sixth ranked Mazeikiai (10-11) beat 10th ranked Nevezis (6-16) in Kedainiai 83-72 on Thursday. American point guard Kamau Stokes (183-1995, college: Kansas St.) notched 20 points and 6 assists to lead the effort and Martynas Paliukenas (191-1993) supported him with 16 points. Stokes is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Even 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists by American forward Zane Waterman (203-1995, college: Manhattan) did not help to save the game for Nevezis. Nigerian-American power forward Francis Okoro (204-1999, college: St.Louis) added 11 points and 9 rebounds for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Newly promoted Mazeikiai maintains sixth position with 10-11 record. Loser Nevezis dropped to the ninth place with 16 games lost. They share the position with Siauliai. Mazeikiai will meet Siauliai (#9) on the road in the next round. Nevezis will play against Juventus and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mazeikiai: K.Stokes 20+3reb+6ast, M.Paliukenas 16+2reb+2ast, M.Gecevicius 11+1reb+4ast, D.Dolenc 10+1reb+1ast, C.Collins 7+3reb+2ast, K.Bruhnke 7+1reb+1ast
Nevezis: Z.Waterman 20+9reb+4ast, C.Ramey 12+2reb+2ast, S.McNeil 11+1reb+1ast, F.Okoro 11+9reb, I.Vaitkus 9+9reb+2ast, C.Jurgens 6+1reb+5ast

Jonava - Lietkabelis 74-92

The game in Jonava was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Lietkabelis (12-7) played at the court of 8th ranked Jonava (9-14). Lietkabelis did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 92-74 on Saturday. Lietkabelis made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. Bosnian-Serbian power forward Nikola Popovic (211-1997, college: Boston Coll.) notched 18 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and Vytenis Lipkevicius (198-1989) supported him with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Lietkabelis' coach Nenad Canak used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Even 15 points by forward Justas Furmanavicius (199-1994, college: Ole Miss) did not help to save the game for Jonava. Slovenian-Serbian center Ivan Marinkovic (207-1993, agency: 011 Sports) added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for lost side. Four Lietkabelis and five Jonava players scored in double figures. Lietkabelis maintains fifth position with 12-7 record. Loser Jonava keeps the eighth place with 14 games lost. Lietkabelis will meet higher ranked Wolves (#3) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Jonava will play against Gargzdu (#12) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Lietkabelis: N.Popovic 18+5reb+2ast, P.Valinskas 15+1reb, G.Orelik 13+3reb+2ast, L.Liutauras 10+2reb+1ast, M.Varnas 10+2reb+2ast, V.Lipkevicius 9+7reb+4ast
Jonava: J.Furmanavicius 15+4reb+3ast, T.Jogela 14+5reb, I.Marinkovic 13+5reb+4ast, I.Gandia-Rosa 13+4reb+3ast, E.Seskus 13+1reb+4ast, M.Gabrielius 4+1reb

Zalgiris - Rytas 97-94

Third defeat of league's leader Rytas (18-3) against second ranked Zalgiris (18-2) 97-94 was the most important game of the last round. It ended at the same time the nine-game winning streak of Rytas. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Strangely Rytas outrebounded Zalgiris 37-22 including 25 on the defensive glass. 25 personal fouls committed by Rytas helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international center Laurynas Birutis (213-1997) who helped to win the game recording 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). The former international point guard Lukas Lekavicius (180-1994) contributed with 17 points for the winners. Zalgiris' coach Andrea Trinchieri used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. The former international point guard Arnas Velicka (195-1999) replied with 18 points and 9 assists and the former international center Martynas Echodas (206-1997) added 18 points and 6 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) in the effort for Rytas. Four Zalgiris and five Rytas players scored in double figures. Zalgiris have an impressive nine-game winning streak. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader. Rytas at the other side dropped to the second place with three games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by Zalgiris. Rytas will play next round against Neptunas trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Zalgiris will try to continue on its current victory against eleventh ranked P.Zvaigzdes in Pasvalys.
Top scorers:
Zalgiris: L.Lekavicius 17+3ast, L.Birutis 16+5reb+1ast, K.Evans 16+1reb+3ast, E.Sumner 13+1ast, R.Smits 9+3reb+1ast, T.Dimsa 7+2ast
Rytas: M.Echodas 18+6reb+1ast, A.Velicka 18+2reb+9ast, M.Foster 15+5reb+4ast, J.Gorham 12+8reb, J.DeLaurier 11+6reb+3ast, G.Radzevicius 11+4reb+4ast

Jonava - Wolves 81-68

Very important is a road loss of third ranked Wolves (15-7) against eighth ranked Jonava (9-14) on Wednesday night. Visiting Wolves was defeated by Jonava in Jonava 81-68. Wolves was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. Forward Justas Furmanavicius (199-1994, college: Ole Miss) scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Ryan Larson (185-2000, college: Charleston) chipped in 16 points during the contest. At the losing side Swedish-American forward Jeffery Taylor (201-1989, college: Vanderbilt) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds and international guard Kristupas Zemaitis (192-1996) scored 13 points and 5 assists. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jonava maintains eighth position with 9-14 record. Wolves at the other side keeps the third place with seven games lost. Jonava will play against bottom-ranked Gargzdu (#12) in Gargzdai in the next round. Wolves will play at home against Lietkabelis (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Jonava: R.Larson 16+2reb+3ast, I.Marinkovic 13+6reb+1ast, J.Furmanavicius 13+6reb+5ast, L.Kreismontas 9+5reb, E.Seskus 9+2reb+4ast, T.Jogela 8+3reb+2ast
Wolves: J.Taylor 15+8reb+2ast, K.Zemaitis 13+3reb+5ast, E.Zukauskas 10+1ast, C.Mekowulu 10+7reb+1ast, R.Miniotas 9+6reb+1ast, G.Brooks 6+6reb+1ast

Neptunas - Siauliai 85-76

Rather expected game when 9th ranked Siauliai (6-16) lost to seventh ranked Neptunas (10-12) in Klaipeda 76-85 on Monday. Neptunas made 16-of-18 free shots (88.9 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Neptunas made 7 blocks. The former international forward Azuolas Tubelis (211-2002, college: Arizona) notched 17 points and 9 rebounds to lead the effort and center Martynas Pacevicius (206-1997) supported him with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Neptunas' coach Giorgos Vovoras allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even 18 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists by American guard LJ Thorpe (196-1999, college: UNC Asheville, agency: Worldwide SM) did not help to save the game for Siauliai. Jamaican-Canadian forward Shaquille Keith (198-1993, college: Cape Breton) added 12 points for lost side. Four Siauliai players scored in double figures. Neptunas maintains seventh position with 10-12 record. Loser Siauliai keeps the ninth place with 16 games lost. They share the position with Nevezis. Neptunas will meet league's second-placed Rytas in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Siauliai will play against Mazeikiai (#6) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Neptunas: A.Tubelis 17+9reb+2ast, M.Girdziunas 13+4reb+1ast, M.Pacevicius 10+8reb+1ast, Z.Janavicius 9+4reb+1ast, T.Lambrecht 8+1reb+4ast, J.Newkirk 7+1reb+4ast
Siauliai: L.Thorpe 18+7reb+9ast, S.Keith 12+4reb+3ast, K.Giedraitis 12+3reb+1ast, D.Paulius 10+5reb+2ast, B.Daniel 8+2reb, T.Pavelka 6+10reb

Juventus - P.Zvaigzdes 119-78

Very predictable result when fifth ranked Juventus (13-8) rolled over 11th ranked P.Zvaigzdes (5-15) in Utena 119-78 on Sunday. Juventus dominated down low during the game scoring 74 of its points in the paint compared to P.Zvaigzdes' 40. Juventus forced 19 P.Zvaigzdes turnovers and had a 28-16 advantage in offensive rebounds. Juventus looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Croatian center Ivan Vranes (207-1996) notched 20 points and 8 rebounds (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and guard Evaldas Saulys (191-1993, agency: Octagon Europe) supported him with 19 points. Juventus' coach Oliver Kostic felt very confident that he used 11 players saving starting five for next games. Even 16 points by American guard Jordan Watson (189-1995, college: West Liberty) did not help to save the game for P.Zvaigzdes. Guard Adomas Sidarevicius (188-2001) added 13 points for lost side. Five Juventus and four P.Zvaigzdes players scored in double figures. Juventus moved-up to fourth place. P.Zvaigzdes lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 15 games lost. Juventus will meet Nevezis (#10) in the next round where they are favorite. P.Zvaigzdes will play against the league's leader Zalgiris in Kaunas and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Juventus: I.Vranes 20+8reb+1ast, E.Saulys 19+2reb+2ast, A.Penava 15+7reb, Z.Skucas 14+6reb+2ast, S.Smith 13+1reb+4ast, T.Starks 12+8ast
P.Zvaigzdes: J.Watson 16+1reb+2ast, A.Sidarevicius 13+2reb+3ast, M.Arlauskas 11+5reb+2ast, K.Jack 11+6reb, D.Darryl 10+2ast, S.Jarumbauskas 7+5reb+1ast