Zalgiris Kaunas rediscovered his rhythm on Thursday evening, beating Paris Basketball 108-105 in a quick shootout at the Adidas Arena.
The Lithuanian club came into the match having lost four of their previous five EuroLeague matches, but delivered one of the most balanced attacking displays of the season during a match that saw 19 lead changes.
Azuolas Tubelis decided the game with an 11-second running layup, sealing a much-needed road victory that moved Zalgiris to 9-6.
Zalgiris turned its energy around after halftime to win the third quarter 32-17, giving it the leverage it needed late.
Paris earlier led by 10 in the second period, and Zalgiris later built a 10-point lead of their own at 91-81 before the home side responded with a 10-0 burst to level.
The final two minutes became a rapid exchange of blows, with Paris briefly taking the lead in the final 59 seconds.
Tubelis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, anchoring the interior while delivering the decisive play. His late putback was matched by a jumper from Amath M’Baye, but he answered again with the game-winning drive.
Sylvain Francisco paced Zalgiris with 26 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
Nigel Williams-Goss added 18 points and 10 assists, Laurynas Birutis scored 17 points while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 on twos, and Edgaras Ulanovas contributed 14 points and 4 assists.
Francisco, Birutis, Tubelis and Williams-Goss each registered a PIR of over 25, while Ulanovas narrowly missed out on joining them with a PIR of 19.
Paris, returning home for the first time in four weeks, fell to 5-10 after its fourth consecutive defeat. Nadir Hifi’s 27 points and Amath M’Baye’s career-high 23 helped fuel the attack, but the hosts again struggled to close.
Zalgiris now prepares for a double week at home against Anadolu Efes on Tuesday and Partizan on Thursday. Paris opens its own double week by hosting FC Barcelona before making a road trip to Real Madrid.
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