Zalgiris Kaunas strengthened its EuroLeague playoff push on Thursday night with an 86-82 road victory over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan at Allianz Cloud.
The Lithuanian side improved to 14-10 and completed back-to-back wins for the first time since early November after also beating LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne earlier in the week.
Zalgiris was led by Sylvain Francisco, who delivered 25 points and 6 assists while repeatedly punishing Milan’s defensive rotations during key stretches.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan entered the game aiming to respond after a heavy loss to Real Madrid and looked sharp early, opening with a 17-8 burst.
Despite that start, Zalgiris recovered to trail by just one point at halftime, 45-44, after tightening its perimeter defense and limiting second-chance opportunities.
Shavon Shields powered Milan after the break, scoring 27 points with five rebounds and four assists as the hosts briefly took control in the third quarter.
A 14-2 Milan run flipped a six-point deficit into a 62-56 advantage, placing pressure firmly on the visitors heading into the final period.
Zalgiris responded with poise, leaning on its backcourt execution and disciplined half-court offense in crunch time.
Maodo Lo finished with 17 points and delivered the decisive sequence by knocking down two of three consecutive three-pointers that turned a 74-70 deficit into a 80-76 Zalgiris lead.
The visitors closed the game by dominating the fourth quarter 24-15, forcing Milan into rushed possessions and limiting clean looks from distance.
Zalgiris also received balanced contributions from Arnas Butkevicius with 11 points and Moses Wright with 10, helping offset Milan’s rebounding edge.
Zalgiris next travels to face Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, while Milan hosts Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in the upcoming round.
