Lukas Lekavicius led Zalgiris to the playoffs
Zalgiris Kaunas has made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs for the third time in six years. This time, it heads into the playoffs with combo guard Lukas Lekavicius on its roster.
Just like Zalgiris, Lekavicius was in the playoffs in 2018 and 2019, but at that time he was suiting up for Panathinaikos Athens. This is his seventh season with Zalgiris across two stints, and Lekavicius is set to return to this stage against FC Barcelona, which has the 29-year-old's former head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius on its bench and former backcourt companion Rokas Jokubaitis on its roster. In Round 34, Lekavicius made sure that Zalgiris punched its playoff ticket with a great performance off the bench.
Lekavicius finished the game with 20 points in as many minutes, hitting 5-of-7 two-pointers, 2-of-4 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws, while he also added 2 steals and 4 fouls drawn. He had 12 points in the final 6 minutes, and he sank a bomb from downtown that seemed to seal the win, 68-78, with less than 2 minutes remaining. When Bayern rallied within 78-79, Lekavicius drew a foul and calmly made free throws to keep Zalgiris on the right track. When the dust settled, Zalgiris had clinched a playoff berth.
"It was a very difficult game. We didn't play well in the first half, but we stepped up defensively in the second half. I had to step up and, thank God, everything went correctly," Lekavicius said after the game, crediting head coach Kazys Maksvytis for his team's reaction after the break. "He said that we are not playing 100%. It seemed like we forgot that we were playing for the playoffs. He reminded us how important this game was, and we did a good job in the second half."
Game Videos
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Zalgiris Kaunas-LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:24
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Booker's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:23
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Smailagic with a big two-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Dunston's big swat! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
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Lonnie Walker: 'When we're locked in on defense, I don't think there's anyone who can beat us'
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ALBA Berlin-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
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Birutis skies for the dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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AS Monaco-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Booker's eyes on back of his head! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
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Lonnie Walker: 'It was a collective win'
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Real Madrid-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:27
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Andreas Obst: 'It was definitely a dogfight'
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FC Bayern Munich-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Smailagic puts it back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
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Birutis's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:12
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Lonnie Walker: 'Our defensive effort led our team'
- 01:31
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Devin Booker: 'We had the energy from the fans'
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FC Bayern Munich-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
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FANS go CRAZY for this dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Smailagic's put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
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Birutis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
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Smailagic's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
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Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Booker throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bf58ad3c-07c8-40e1-9fb6-0052dded6b07.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-FC Barcelona | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:53
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/22/LEsrFWYMVAcqdxi2Glu98wf9YkIl9PZF-1732313384347.jpg]()
Andreas Obst after setting single-game three-point record: 'It's a special night'
- 00:29
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Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:15
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Obst sets the single-game record for threes made! Motorola Magic Moment
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Zalgiris Kaunas-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:29
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Lonnie Walker: ‘I love the team, I love the organization’
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ba6a03d5-d3ef-40b1-834a-b1fa036f9325.jpg?crop=1214%3A683%3Anowe%3A88%3A65]()
What a fast break slam by Booker! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Francisco hustles back for the block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
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Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/s-yVNftwng0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:42
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Gordon Herbert: 'We played really good basketball'
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FC Bayern Munich–ALBA Berlin | RS Round 10 highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:22
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da Silva from half-court! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/86b0777d-c4eb-47a5-8f92-55f2634799e5.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:26
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/DpfH9eZv4bH2dFPnFnKrX9vswSdO47JT-1731453611260.jpg]()
Edwards finds Booker! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/bKu2tX_sBVc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich| RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
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Edwards-Booker connection! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
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Edwards finds Booker! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/uFE3aBQ4Eq8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:58
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/07/sejeRUndnaWb4G1kCS8nzWOngLebr8B0-1731018076185.jpg]()
Devin Booker: 'We gave it all 40 minutes'
- 00:12
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Edwards from half court! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
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What a dish from big to big! Motorola Magic Moment
