Zalgiris Cruises Past Besiktas for Fourth Straight EuroLeague Victory
The EuroLeague tenth round saw Zalgiris crush Besiktas 83:69 for its fourth straight win, while Olympiacos faced Red Star and Dubai traveled to Virtus Bologna.
The tenth round of the EuroLeague continued on Friday with three matchups alongside Partizan hosting Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade. The spotlight fell on a high-stakes clash between Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade, while Dubai sought to extend its positive momentum against Virtus Bologna. Meanwhile, Zalgiris Kaunas secured another victory.
In Istanbul, Zalgiris cruised to an 83:69 win against Besiktas, marking their fourth consecutive EuroLeague victory and seventh overall across all competitions. Lonnie Walker, who shone with 30 points last week against Bologna, was limited to just 7 points against his former side. After a close opening, Zalgiris mounted a 10:0 run in the second quarter to establish a double-digit lead, which eventually swelled to 25 points after halftime.
Azuolas Tubelis led the Lithuanian powerhouse with 14 points, Marius Grigonis added 13, and Jonas Valanciunas posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. For the hosts, Eugene Omoruyi scored 17 points, and former Maccabi forward Wenyen Gabriel contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds. With this result, Zalgiris improved to a 6:4 record, pulling even with Hapoel Tel Aviv and Real Madrid, while Besiktas dropped to 4:4.
In Piraeus, Olympiacos hosted Red Star Belgrade in a fascinating top-tier battle. Olympiacos, led by reigning MVP Sasha Vezenkov, entered the match aiming to bounce back, while Red Star arrived boasting one of the toughest defenses in the competition alongside impressive recent offensive performances. Elsewhere, Virtus Bologna prepared to host Dubai, with Toko Shengelia making a special return to face his former club as Dubai looked to extend its remarkable run of four wins in their last five outings.
