Azuolas Tubelis and Sylvain Francisco were two of the Lithuanian's team star performers on the night
Zalgiris ‘destroys’ Monaco for a season sweep
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 38
Regular Season
Zalgiris KaunasZAL
10487
AS MonacoASM
Overview
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In a league where every game matters, it was one of those rare nights between two playoff contenders that was never a contest.
A sold-out Zalgirio Arena celebrated a blowout few saw coming, as Zalgiris Kaunas left the visiting AS Monaco in the dust en route to a 104-87 victory.
“I was enjoying to stand [on the sideline], and it was nice to see our team to play like this,” said Zalgiris head coach Tomas Masiulis, whose team got a season sweep of Monaco. The two clubs now hold an identical 15-11 record.
Zalgiris opened the game with an 8-0 run and soon held a double-digit margin, 17-7. At the end of the opening 10 minutes, the hosts were up 35-18 and had set a club record for the most points scored in a first quarter.
Monaco never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way, as the margin was as big as 26 points in the second half. Azuolas Tubelis was scoring at will, finishing with a personal-high 26 points and 7 rebounds.
“I made my layups,” said a humble Tubelis, who made 8-of-11 two-point shots and 2-of-5 triples. “My teammates, Nigel [Williams-Goss], [Maodo] Lo and Sylvain Francisco, found me. They are high-quality players, it is very special to play with them.”
Zalgiris had 27 assists, as Francisco danced his way through Monaco defense to 19 points and 8 assists. Lo and Edgaras Ulanovas dished 5 apiece, and Williams-Goss had 4 helpers in his return from injury. Dustin Sleva netted 16 points.
Tubelis praised Zalgiris's team-first effort.
“I can prepare myself mentally, but I would be just one player. Everyone has to be on the same page mentally, and I am proud of my team. We received a message that it is a very important game, and we took it from the first minute.”
On the other hand, Monaco suffered its fourth straight loss, despite Mike James having a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists.
Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis said in his postgame interview that Monaco’s off-court problems are not helping things.
“We didn’t exist on the court. It is not only about basketball. Other things bother our minds and destroy our concentration,” Spanoulis said, before adding:
“But if I have to speak about basketball, Zalgiris destroyed us.”
