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oct 16 2026Pablo Laso needed a night like this, and it came on one of Europe's toughest courts. His Anadolu Efes never trailed on the scoreboard at Žalgirio Arena and won 70-85. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak that had left them in the lower half of the standings. The win was built in the paint and decided in the opening five minutes.
An opening that set the tone
Efes took the court much more alert. Three-pointers from Cameron Payne and P.J. Dozier opened up a 2-14 lead in just five minutes, while Žalgiris struggled with just one make in their first nine shots and three turnovers. Arnas Butkevičius and Sterling Brown cut into the deficit slightly, but the first quarter closed at 12-21, a gap that already loomed large.
In the second quarter, Strazel and Kai Jones extended the lead to 16 points (24-40, 16:00). Tomas Masiulis' Žalgiris found some breathing room late in the half with an 8-0 run that made it 36-42 at halftime. Carsen Edwards and Brown stretched it further after the restart to within four (40-44), but that was the last moment the game was truly competitive.
Malcolm, Payne, and the paint
Efes responded with Chris Malcolm and Payne to push back over ten points, entering the fourth quarter at 56-67. The difference was in the paint. The Turks made 25 of their 41 two-pointers, while Žalgiris made just 14 of 36 and lived almost exclusively off three-pointers. Šarić and Jones controlled the glass and the interior defense, and Jones didn't miss a shot all night.
In the fourth quarter, another three-pointer and free throw from Strazel pushed the lead to 57-76. Masiulis called timeout and Edwards scored seven straight to make it 64-77, but Šarić took care of shutting down any comeback attempt.
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A rough week for Žalgiris
The loss caps off a forgettable week in Kaunas, which had already lost in Istanbul to Fenerbahçe (99-80) on Tuesday. Nigel Williams-Goss returned from his absence but finished with zero points in twelve minutes. The Lithuanian team played without Maodo Lo and Dovydas Giedraitis, who were not registered. For Efes, Spanish guard Santi Yusta did not see the court.
