Luca Banchi's return to the Olimpia Milano bench, eleven years after his first stint, ended in defeat. Žalgiris won in Assago (83-86) thanks to Jonas Valančiūnas, who dominated the paint for half an hour. The hosts mounted a comeback that came within one three-pointer of forcing overtime.
The Italian head coach arrived last week to replace Peppe Poeta, who was fired after a terrible start to the season. He does so while remaining with the Italian national team. His team showed a different image in stretches, but couldn't stop the losing streak: Milano has now lost nine straight and sits last with a 1-10 record. Tomas Masiulis's squad, meanwhile, has won five straight and improves to 7-4.
Guduric Opens Fire, Grigonis Responds
Milano started with energy. Darius Thompson and Moses Wright opened the scoring, Devon Hall made it 7-2 with a three-pointer, and Marko Guduric, with two straight, pushed it to 16-10. The Italians led by as much as seven and closed the first quarter 25-18. Meanwhile, Valančiūnas was already making an impact near the basket.
The second quarter changed the game. Marius Grigonis hit three-pointers in succession to tie at 29 and take the lead, and a 9-0 run gave Žalgiris a seven-point advantage. Ousmane Diop and Thompson, who blocked Carsen Edwards and scored on the next possession, brought Milano within one. But Saben Lee closed the quarter with a basket for a 41-45 halftime score. The quarter went 16-27 in favor of Žalgiris.
Valančiūnas, Master of the Boards
Guduric tied it at 47 with two more three-pointers after halftime, but Žalgiris answered with a 0-7 run and Edwards pushed the lead past ten points. Banchi called a timeout. Alec Peters and Hall cut into the deficit, but Valančiūnas extended the lead again and the Lithuanians entered the fourth quarter with an eleven-point advantage (52-63).
The Lithuanian center finished with 17 points, 20 rebounds (16 defensive) and a 36 efficiency rating in just 25 minutes. According to Lithuanian newspaper 15min, these are his best rebounding and efficiency numbers in the EuroLeague, and it's only the second time in fifteen years that a player in the competition has reached 20 rebounds in a game. With him on the court, Žalgiris outscored Milano by 23 points. His team grabbed 46 rebounds, 15 of them offensive, compared to 28 for Milano.
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A Comeback That Came One Three-Pointer Short
A three-pointer by Edgaras Ulanovas put Žalgiris up thirteen in the fourth quarter, and Sterling Brown, with a dunk and a three-pointer, stretched the lead to 17 points at the 34-minute mark. The game appeared decided, but Žalgiris went to sleep. Thompson and former Barcelona player Leandro Bolmaro, with a baseline basket and a three-pointer, made it 70-79. Guduric, the game's leading scorer with 20 points and six three-pointers, brought Milano within 75-81 with just over a minute remaining.
The Lithuanians turned the ball over one after another: according to 15min, they committed six turnovers in the final hundred seconds. Bolmaro made just one of two free throws, Edwards responded with a three-pointer that looked decisive, and Bolmaro answered with another from the corner. Edwards lost the ball with 1.3 seconds remaining, but Ricci's three-pointer to tie didn't fall. Žalgiris finished with 21 turnovers.