The 30-year-old came up big for Zalgiris Kaunas in its 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague home opener.
Arnas Butkevicius woke Zalgiris up against Zvezda
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The wait was over for thousands of Zalgiris Kaunas fans, who finally got to see their team play a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game in their home arena. Zalgiris last played a EuroLeague showdown at Zalgirio Arena in last season's playoffs, losing against FC Barcelona. A good number of them returned to the building to watch the 2023 EuroLeague Final Four, which was held in Kaunas for the first time.
Zalgiris was back in the building to face Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, 163 days after facing Barca in Game 3 of the 2023 playoffs. It was a back-and-forth battle in which the fans played a major role, as Zalgiris rallied to beat its Serbian opponent 79-74 to remain undefeated in this EuroLeague season.
"I'm happy for all the fans because I know they were waiting all the summer for Euroleague Basketball," team captain Edgaras Ulanovas said.
Butkevicius came to the fore
Just as expected, it was not easy. Zvezda rallied from a double-digit lead to get the lead and kept full control for the majority of the game. It led 56-63 with under 6 minutes left when Arnas Butkevicius took the ball one-on-one against Milos Teodosic. Ulanovas offered a screen, Butkevicius spotted a small advantage and attacked the rim, dunking over Zvezda center Joel Bolomboy. The crowd erupted with joy and Zvezda coach Dusko Ivanovic quickly called a timeout.
"I think he woke up and our arena woke up after his dunk," Zalgiris coach Kazys Maksvytis said about Butkevicius's high-flying finish. "It was a wake-up call."
It definitely changed the game's momentum, as Zalgiris started to shoot the ball with more confidence. Butkevicius struck from downtown, then Brady Manek and Rolands Smits each added a triple to cap a 13-0 run that put Zalgiris ahead for good, 67-63. Zvezda still managed to get within 67-66, but Manek followed a dunk in traffic with another three-pointer to put Zalgiris on the right track to win the game.
Manek had 8 of his 9 points in the final 5 minutes, while Butkevicius had 11 of his 12 points in the final 7 minutes. Smits led Zalgiris with 18 points. Above all, Zalgiris fans had a happy return to Zalgirio Arena; their famous and unique pre-game show was back, their team won and they got to witness one of the best dunks of the season, one that ignited their teams' comeback.
"It's crazy. I had goosebumps!" Smiths said about Butkevicius's dunk. "I am happy for him!"