The battle for the last playoffs’ spots: Zalgiris Kaunas – Armani Milan
The Euroleague Round 26 match between Zalgiris Kaunas and Armani Milano will be played on Friday as scheduled, despite Lithuanian Ministry of Health advice to be cancelled or to take place behind closed doors, due to the coronavirus spread. However, the GM of Zalgiris announced that the game will have a sold-out crowd at the Zalgiris Arena.
This game will be huge for both teams because the battle for the last two playoff positions is stronger than ever. Zalgiris is one win away from 8th place after winning 4 of their last 5 games including the last one against Baskonia in Spain 74-60. They played a very good game defensively, holding their opponents to only 5 threes made out of 20 attempts, while in the rebound battle, they smashed them 38-22. On the other hand, for Milano, this trip came at a bad moment, because their form is very bad. They lost 4 out of last 5 games, including the last game at home against Khimki Moscow, another rival that aims the last playoff position. At halftime the score was balanced, but in the second half, the Russian team took control of the game and in the end won the game 78-69. Currently, they are on 8th position, but with the same record as Milano, Fenerbahce or Olympiacos, while Baskonia, Zalgiris and Crvena Zvezda are one victory away.
In their last H2H meeting, Milano won 85-81, thanks to a very good first quarter when they won it 23-7. Comparing their roster, Milano lost Aaron White and Shelvin Mack but added Drew Crawford and Keifer Sykes, players that are coming from the bench. In Lithuanian team camp, the Mexican player Alex Perez was replaced with K.C Rivers who came from Spanish team Betis. For this game, Milano can’t count on Christian Burns and Arturas Gudaitis, while for Zalgiris the only absentee is Marius Grigonis.
This game will be played in a full Zalgiris Arena and despite some concerns about coronavirus, I expect a huge atmosphere for the home team. The win is the only options for both teams as the battle for the last two playoffs places intensifies due to the last results. Zalgiris have the advantage here thanks to their form and home court, but you never know what Coach Messina prepare for a game like this.
Photo: Euroleague
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
