Zalgiris Kaunas delivered one of its most complete performances of the season, defeating FC Barcelona 88–73 at Palau Blaugrana on Thursday night to improve to 4–2 in the EuroLeague standings.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Lithuanian champions and marked Tomas Masiulis’s first win as head coach against his former club. Masiulis, who served as an assistant to Sarūnas Jasikevicius in Barcelona from 2020 to 2023, watched his team take control early and never look back.
Zalgiris led 26–14 after the first quarter and maintained its advantage throughout, thanks to the brilliance of Maodo Lo and Deividas Sirvydis. Lo, held scoreless in Round 5 against Crvena Zvezda, erupted for a season-high 20 points while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range.
Sirvydis, who had averaged fewer than two points per game entering the contest, added 14 points in 21 minutes, giving Zalgiris a major boost off the bench.
The visitors’ defensive intensity set the tone. With Barcelona missing guards Nico Laprovittola, Juan Núñez, and Dario Brizuela, Zalgiris focused on shutting down Tomas Satoransky and Kevin Punter. Satoransky finished with five turnovers and no assists through three quarters, while Punter was limited to seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Zalgiris executed a disciplined defensive plan, using fouls effectively to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm. The Lithuanian side also dominated offensively, shooting 61.1% inside the arc and 40.7% from deep, compared to the hosts’ 43.9% and 31.8%, respectively.
Zalgiris closed the third quarter up 75–54 before easing to victory despite a late push from the hosts. Moses Wright had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Sylvain Francisco contributed 14 for the visitors. Arnas Butkevicius and Azuolas Tubelis combined for another 10 points in the starting lineup.
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For Barcelona, Joel Parra and Tornike Shengelia led the way with 17 and 13 points, but the home side never found consistency on either end.
Zalgiris now returns to Kaunas for a double-round week, facing Virtus Bologna on Tuesday and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne on Thursday. Barcelona hosts EA7 Emporio Armani Milan before traveling to Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.
