Rytas vs Zalgiris: Analysis and Prediction – Rytas will host Zalgiris in the Lithuanian League final Game 2.
Rytas vs Zalgiris Odds
Rytas Team News
Rytas has shown throughout the season that they are likely the second-best team in Lithuania. They secured second place in the regular season and then advanced to the finals by defeating Jonava and Wolves. In the first game of the final series, they surprised Zalgiris on the road, winning after overtime.
In Game 1, Rytas led for most of the match and played excellent basketball, particularly in the first half when they completely controlled the game. Problems arose during the second half, where they managed to score only 19 points in the first 17 minutes of the continuation, allowing Zalgiris to take a significant 10-point lead. However, with a brilliant 9-0 run in less than a minute and a half, they got back into the game and won in overtime. The hero of the comeback was Justin Gorham, who made a huge contribution during that run. Gytis Radzevicius also deserves mention for hitting five out of six three-point attempts, making him the top scorer of the game. A key area for improvement is the number of turnovers, which totaled 18, but they managed to compensate with excellent rebounding, where they dominated their opponent.
Rytas will need to reduce the number of turnovers, as it’s hard to imagine them being so dominant on the boards again. Additionally, it would be crucial for Marcus Foster to find his rhythm, as he missed all six of his three-point attempts in game one.
Zalgiris Team News
Zalgiris dominated the regular season of the Lithuanian league, securing first place and showing strong performances in the playoffs as well. However, they lost Game 1 of the final series on their home court to Rytas.
In the Game 1, Zalgiris had a poor shooting night, hitting only four three-pointers throughout the entire game, which can be seen as a significant reason for their loss. Despite this, they managed to come close to winning thanks to excellent defense in most of the second half. With less than three minutes left, they had a 10-point lead, but they allowed an astonishing 15 points in two minutes, leading to overtime, which Rytas won. In the absence of Keenan Evans, Lukas Lekavicius expectedly took on a greater role, being the top scorer of the game with 21 points. Laurynas Birutis continues to deliver outstanding performances and seems to have greatly benefited from Andrea Trinchieri’s arrival on the Kaunas team’s bench.
It is clear that Zalgiris must step up significantly to win this away game against a motivated Rytas, who will be looking for another victory. They need to hit at least twice as many three-pointers as in the first game to secure a win.
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Rytas vs Zalgiris H2H
Absences and Injuries
The hosts are expected to play with their full squad, while the visitors will be without the seriously injured Keenan Evans.
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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