By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Baskonia faced Zalgiris Kaunas in one of their most important clashes of the year so far. This was the game that Pedro Martinez’s men have been waiting for the entire of the season and they got the victory 84 – 64 without Toko Shengelia.
If playing without your star isn’t enough, how about leaving Jayson Granger all alone against one of the best playmakers in the competition? Marcelinho Huertas sat on the bench for the whole game, while the Uruguayan had to go toe to toe with Kevin Pangos but he didn’t back down. The Canadian scored 12 points but committed 5 turnovers.
Granger paced the winners with 20 points (two triples off the glass included). The Basques managed to keep double-digit leads for mostthe of the game but when Zalgiris tried to come back in the third (45 – 39), Granger appeared again to give Baskonia a breath. Three-pointers and a 16-0 run made the rest.
Vicent Poirier contributed to the victory with 16 points and 6 boards while Matt Janning added 4 triples. Vasilije Micic attacked the low post and led Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team with 11 points.
After starting the EuroLeague season losing 5 of their 6 first games, Baskonia (13-13 record) finally reached a playoff spot.