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“There is a serious fight with a very tall and ‘big’ team. They have the advantage of height in practically all positions, this is their main strength,” Kaunas team strategist Martin Schiller said before the next battle. .
At the end of the regular season, a round earlier, it was clear that the Lithuanian champions would finish in eleventh position.
Even earlier, Žalgiris’ future rival, Athens Panathinaikos, currently ranked 11th at 15th place in the standings, has lost all chances to break into the top eight in the Euroleague.
However, several Greek champions arrive in Kaunas in good spirits. In the last round, they broke Milan Olimpia basketball players on their field after overtime of 86:83. In the second half of the season, Panathinaikos were joined by Mario Hezonja, who played in the NBA for a long time and became one of the team’s leaders.
“He is an impressive scorer who cost a considerable amount of money. Currently, together with Nemanja Nedovičius, they are Panathinaika’s most dangerous players in attack. The average of both reaches little more than 16 points by party “, has emphasized M. Schiller.
Meanwhile, Žalgiris will face a shrinking lineup with the Athens club: Augustine Rubitas and Nigel Hayes, who are infected with the coronavirus, and Artūras Milaknis, who is still feeling the effects of the groin injury, will not be able to help. to the Lithuanian champions. .
An Austrian basketball specialist added that Joffrey Lauvergne could also miss the duel with back pain. The Frenchman did not play in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) game on Tuesday. His fate will be revealed on Thursday just before the game.
“We have already handled this problem in the LKL match, we will play in the bottom five. Artūras Milaknis is still difficult: he will not appear in the square tomorrow or in the near future.” It is still not clear about J. Lauvergne, his situation will be it will clear up just before the duel, “said M. Schiller.
This will be the second meeting between the Žalgiris and Panathinaika teams in the Euroleague this season: M. Schiller’s students won the first match in Athens 81:69.
Marius Grigonis, who scored 24 points and bounced 6 balls, was Kaunas’s most productive player.
Kaunas Club will enter their last Euroleague battle of this season on Thursday at 8pm
