An outstanding first half put Zalgiris on the right track
Zalgiris overpowers Efes, 85-72
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 14 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Zalgiris Kaunas snapped its two-game losing streak by topping Anadolu Efes Istanbul 85-72 at home in Round 14 on Thursday. Zalgiris improved to 8-6 in the standings while Efes dropped to 7-7.
Lonnie Walker paced the winners with 18 points. Sylvain Francisco added 16 and Deividas Sirvydis had 14 for Zalgiris. Elijah Bryant led Efes with 23 points and Darius Thompson added 10 for the visitors.
Game Videos
- 01:23
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/13/zLY71NqDJGHSBQRx4f5bngpjT8psfu5C-1734119154037.jpg]()
Rodrigue Beaubois: 'When we play like this, we're very difficult to beat'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/66cd8665-3775-41cf-b901-f70822433973.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:31
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a969d3d4-8ae1-426d-bbc4-8dc5e76bef91.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A47%3A44]()
Oturu dunks over Lessort! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/8d60cc90-b061-4bb2-8e5a-abda058af8c1.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A138%3A116]()
Poirier posterizes two defenders! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/888bbe89-53c1-48f5-b6b7-1ce84fd820fe.jpg?crop=969%3A544%3Anowe%3A331%3A62]()
Thompson's half-ending block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/12/WE6BQO19exI6VKKUVImiR7Y5svex7y3O-1734043574146.jpg]()
Lonnie Walker: 'It was a collective win'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cb51b927-3088-4142-8b2c-91cf3d68fe39.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3652c392-64f1-4722-adf5-dad9b666e1fe.jpg?crop=1328%3A747%3Anowe%3A0%3A14]()
Smailagic puts it back! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/88abae27-2c2c-4415-aa7d-33c3305a3253.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A135%3A103]()
Birutis's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:12
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/05/UI1w0QJJA8QkTKvwfuY1Ox1ZNVeS9zs6-1733441184985.jpg]()
Lonnie Walker: 'Our defensive effort led our team'
- 00:26
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/05/h5N7RnfvbPHAzrzMehVRd3fQdAEJxgSu-1733436269493.jpg]()
FANS go CRAZY for this dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0ff530da-db2f-4dea-b72e-3f1aeb202f4f.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6abb4ce1-1563-438c-80be-9de8afc02eb6.jpg?crop=1334%3A750%3Anowe%3A8%3A33]()
Smailagic's put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/88abae27-2c2c-4415-aa7d-33c3305a3253.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A167%3A85]()
Birutis throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/0adea31c-c01b-40d8-bb0d-8fe9a50d57e1.jpg?crop=1236%3A695%3Anowe%3A57%3A59]()
Smailagic's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:08
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/03/SpbHF4HY1DPXok9DVX6Qqf2UJSaF1rKt-1733265615701.jpg]()
Darius Thompson: 'Whoever came in competed'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4dfca9c9-6a24-41d8-84bc-974fffe64c54.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/FJpaXHEPEzc/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-FC Bayern Munich | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b0b54eee-4e11-4843-9f1b-adc96077decc.jpg?crop=1246%3A701%3Anowe%3A0%3A53]()
Nwora's huge slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/83d8db43-3bd1-414f-986e-1f896e0789bd.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A100%3A62]()
Bryant beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2bb79a05-6b2b-48cb-81e0-3ba4a2ec697b.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/897c988b-5c64-4a7a-a453-904a3935743a.jpg?crop=893%3A503%3Anowe%3A113%3A41]()
Bryant bullet-pass feed for Poirier! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/92049d76-cbaf-455a-9562-a9286baa0b81.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:29
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/22/VFoyDhGC1NUeT53Nul9O5ICBYPeM6R2z-1732310134528.jpg]()
Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/GZzt0du0g6A/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:29
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/22/AbDlhRWgrfgb0AD6HTcm1Yt3P7lKg57J-1732307196906.jpg]()
Lonnie Walker: ‘I love the team, I love the organization’
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/93468087-bce0-4611-a5fb-27e37ef6805c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A115%3A123]()
Francisco hustles back for the block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/355e7bd7-410c-46ca-afa6-459d66d5f51c.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A109%3A94]()
Lonnie’s lift-off!! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/682d4129-3f07-4c67-a998-91e30a90a6b0.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Paris Basketball | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3599f7fc-5479-4165-be1d-4eb7c0d87c97.jpg?crop=1262%3A710%3Anowe%3A44%3A44]()
Willis throws it down! 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
- 01:27
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/NRaBSMw7tbply1Q42qdCuirlaswOckxW-1731628448414.jpg]()
Vincent Poirier: 'We made the right play at the right moment'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/v2UN5hWpeio/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Real Madrid-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:41
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/14/WCVSyp7UORCo5j9QhdtI8Fex8zJwzXIr-1731624027511.jpg]()
Unbelievable block by Thompson! | Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ab4fc6c5-033c-4e28-b9de-6556d0682e82.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A107%3A62]()
Poirier says no! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/69b70a4b-a874-4ab3-bdd0-eeda2ff52cb0.jpg?crop=1350%3A760%3Anowe%3A0%3A55]()
Poirier’s putback with interest! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/51bc2d2d-ea86-424e-802b-1cc3841084cf.jpg?crop=808%3A454%3Anowe%3A270%3A56]()
Darius Thompson’s huge steal and slam! 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
- 00:54
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/12/Kv54mFs1WEo4y8f53in26tSb4bkiNPnI-1731450732845.jpg]()
Rodrigue Beaubois: 'We have so much talent'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/31b1b3bf-f957-4bae-9fac-d4480dd4fdfc.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Anadolu Efes Istanbul | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d42e45cb-c38c-4f0e-8ce3-f98efcdf4f99.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A129%3A94]()
Oturu rejects Diop! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5162b243-df0d-4adf-9aee-58c318e8f6a1.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-AS Monaco | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dc7da48a-08b4-41be-b57c-6cce87b46924.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A145%3A0]()
Thompson finds Oturu! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/888bbe89-53c1-48f5-b6b7-1ce84fd820fe.jpg?crop=1025%3A577%3Anowe%3A260%3A54]()
Thompson throws it down! 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
- 01:09
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/01/SwwTq52wSuS6K1uYSaQ2m4ysjib23Q0j-1730494302912.jpg]()
Arnas Butkevicius: 'When you work hard, luck is on your side'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/LqahQ4LBt5g/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-AS Monaco | RS Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c9bf1a55-9e58-4ca6-bb6f-0baed2167bc2.jpg?crop=1220%3A686%3Anowe%3A90%3A71]()
Smailagic rocks the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:25
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3a509e06-553e-41fb-904b-423e9b802b24.jpg?crop=1282%3A721%3Anowe%3A28%3A51]()
Ulanovas beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1ee7e731-2ab5-448a-82fd-2a739069889e.jpg?crop=688%3A386%3Anowe%3A10%3A40]()
Birutis dunks in traffic! Motorola Magic Moment
Sirvydis got Zalgiris going with a wild four-point play and Walker improved on Vincent Poirier's alley-oop slam with a triple for a 7-2 lead. Bryant followed Thompson's layup with a bomb from downtown to tie it at 7-7, Walker struck twice from beyond the arc and fed Sirvydis for a fastbreak layup, which prompted Efes to call timeout at 15-7. Sirvydis soon hit a triple that made it a double-digit game, 18-8. Ercan Osmani joined the three-point shootout before Walker buried a mid-range shot. Thompson's layup gave Efes hope at 20-13. Walker kept pacing Zalgiris and Mike Mitchell hit a fadeaway jumper for a 25-15 Zalgiris lead. Bryant and Arnas Butkevicius traded free throws to fix the score at 27-17 after 10 minutes.
Dovydas Giedraitis scored around the basket early in the second quarter. Ridval Oncel answered with a layup that Butkevicius bettered with a corner triple for a 32-19 Zalgiris lead. Bryant Dunston took over with a put-back layup and Ignas Brazdeikis added a jumper in a 12-0 run that Francisco capped with a three-pointer, which caused Efes to stop the game at 41-19. Dan Oturu and Derek Willis stepped up for Efes, but Walker sank another jumper and Alen Smailagic's layup made it 45-24. Bryant swished a mid-range jumper and soon added a three-pointer to bring Efes closer. Brady Manek's three-pointer established a 48-30 Zalgiris cushion at halftime.
Sirvydis took over with a backdoor layup soon after the break. Poirier answered with a three-point play and matched Giedraitis's running floater with a two-handed dunk. After Sirvydis beat the shot clock with a wild step-back triple, Bryant buried a jumper and added free throws to bring Efes closer, 57-39. Rodrigue Beaubois and Willis each struck from beyond the arc to give the visitors hope at 59-44. Francisco buried a fallaway jumper that Bryant erased with a floater. Thompson struck from downtown and Oturu added a hard-fought put-back layup to make it 63-53 through three quarters.
Beaubois bettered Edgaras Ulanovas's layup with a three-pointer that brought Efes within single digits, 65-56. Ulanovas kept pushing Zalgiris with a big basket in the low post, then Walker boosted the hosts' lead to 69-56. Bryant took over with a highly-contested jumper and Thompson struck from downtown, which prompted Zalgiris to call timeout at 69-61 with over 6 minutes left. Oturu scored down low, Laurynas Birutis dunked and Francisco gave Zalgiris fresh air at 73-63. After Willis sank a baseline jumper, Francisco buried a fadeaway shot. Bryant brought Efes within 75-67 with 2:28 left. Francisco stepped up in crunch time to seal the outcome, 80-69, in the next-to-last minute.
