Zalgiris-Barcelona

GAME PREVIEW

Zalgiris Kaunas

vs.

FC Barcelona Regal

preview

Local time: 19:45TVCET: 18:45

Head Coaches
TRIFUNOVIC, ALEKSANDAR Zalgiris head coach "The first game was very competitive, but mostly for the first 30 minutes. It just proves my words before the last game – we need to have concentration for all 40 minutes. We lost focus too easily and we had problems with individual defense, which is the key to the defense in general. We need to get better in these areas, because we will face the opponent, which is among top four teams in Europe in my opinion. I’m not the guy who believes that everything can be 100% perfect on the court, but the effort has to be 100%. We will play in our court and it should be different. We should turn the energy given by our fans to the right direction. Unfortunately Marko Popovic will be out in this game again, but we have another 11 guys who have to step in his absence."
Players
DELININKAITIS, TOMAS Zalgiris forward "We weren’t happy with the outcome in Barcelona even if we scored 80 points. Simply we allowed them to score even more. We need to strengthen our defense. FC Barcelona Regal is a tough team, but we can play with anybody. Especially when we play at home. Of course it would be better to have some wins under our belt, but it is how it is and we still are fighting for the chances to advance further. Nothing is lost yet."

RECORDS 0-3, Group H Regular season 2011-12 3-0, Group H 4-6, Fourth Group B Regular season 2011-12 9-1, First Group D PROBABLE STARTERS Mantas Kalnietis Guard Marcelinho Huertas Vytenis Lipkevicius Guard Juan Carlos Navarro Sonny Weems Forward Chuck Eidson Paulius Jankunas Forward Erazem Lorbek Robertas Javtokas Center Kosta Perovic THE STAKES Two teams in contrasting situations in Top 16 Group H meet again in Kaunas, Lithuania, where FC Barcelona Regal visits Zalgiris on Thursday. FC Barcelona (3-0) will clinch a Playoffs berth if it wins and Bennet Cantu beats Maccabi Electra. Zalgiris (0-3) may need to win to keep its Playoffs chances alive but will be all but mathematically out if Barcelona triumphs. It will be a special game for Barcelona superstar Juan Carlos Navarro, who returns to Zalgirio Arena for the first time since leading Spain to win EuroBasket 2011, earning tournament MVP honors. Barcelona has won of XXX its seven showdowns against Zalgiris in Kaunas, but the hosts will have 14,500 fans urging them on to their first Last 16 victory. INJURIES FCB Regal has no injury problems this week. Zalgiris is without Marko Popovic, out with a hamstring injury. THE TAKE Unsurprisingly, Zalgiris will need to stop Navarro to increase its chances to win the game. With Popovic sidelined, Vytenis Lipkevicius and Tomas Delininkaitis will split playing time – and defensive duties – against Navarro. Zalgiris head coach Aleksandar Trifunovic may opt for a taller lineup with veteran Dainius Salenga at shooting guard to use his defensive skills against Navarro and Chuck Eidson, a frequent mismatch due to his size, ball handling and leaping ability. Barcelona has more options at both wings, such as Pete Mickeal and Joe Ingles. Both players will have to give their best in defense against Sonny Weems, usually Zalgiris' first option on offense. The matchup between two strong, aggressive small forwards like Weems and Mickeal is one of the biggest keys to the game. Zalgiris will rely on Mantas Kalnietis to set an up-tempo pace to make the most of his transition game. He needs to use his size advantage against Marcelinho Huertas and Victor Sada, a superb defensive stopper. DeJuan Collins will offer court sense and deep range off the hosts' bench. The battle in the paint will be interesting, as Zalgiris has a battery of intense big men ready to power the boards and hustle. Robertas Javtokas must use his size and experience against Kosta Perovic, in other key matchup. Paulius Jankunas and Milovan Rakovic must battle in the paint to neutralize Fran Vazquez and Boni Ndong, two shot blockers and effective scorers. Above all, Jankunas and Javtokas will face the tough challenge of stopping Erazem Lorbek, a first-class big men right in the prime of his career. Controlling the boards and setting the desired tempo – an up-tempo rhythm for Zalgiris and a more deliberate pace for Barcelona – are the main factors in this game. Game notes, Zalgiris Kaunas Game notes, FC Barcelona Regal Marko Popovic has made at least 1 three-pointer in 34 straight Euroleague appearances. His last Euroleague game without a triple came in November 2006 with Zalgiris at home against CSKA. Salenga was a teammate of Fran Vasquez in Girona during the 2005-06 season and with Victor Sada the following season. DeJuan Collins has made 13 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action. The only win ever registered by Zalgiris over Barca came in the 2004-05 season when Zalgiris shocked with a 98-102 road win. Dainius Salenga had 16 points and 8 assists and Jankunas played as well, but didn't score. Zalgiris has committed the most fouls in the league this season with an average of 24.3 per game. After making 50% of his three-pointers during the regular season (15 of 30), Sonny Weems is shooting 10% (1 for 10) from downtown in the Top 16. Juan Carlos Navarro has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last six Euroleague game. Erazem Lorbek is ranked 11th on the Euroleague’s career blocked shots list with 99 rejections. He is tied with CSKA forward Viktor Khryapa and just one behind Maceo Baston to enter the Top 10. Lorbek has scored in double figures in each of his last seven Euroleague games. Kosta Perovic has blocked at least one shot in each of his last five Euroleague games. Barca has won 10 games in a row against Zalgiris. Barca won the 1985 Saporta Cup with a 77-73 win over Zalgiris in the title game. Barcelona has the best defense in the Euroleague this season by allowing only 61.3 points per game. Barcelona commits and draws fewer fouls than any other Top 16 team with just 18.5 fouls committed and 19.8 fouls drawn per night. Barcelona commits fewer turnovers than any other team in the Euroleague with just 10.7 per game. REFEREES Crew Chief Referee Umpire Carl Jungebrand Finland Boris Ryzhyk Ukraine Renaud Geller Belgium Zalgiris Kaunas Min Pts 2FG M-A 3FG M-A FT M-A Rebounds As St To Blocks Fouls Rkg O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv Totals 2625:00 997 272/543 86/241 195/274 133 306 439 169 72 186 25 39 316 287 943 Average 201:55 76.69 50.1% 35.7% 71.2% 10.23 23.53 33.76 13 5.53 14.3 1.92 3 24.3 22.07 72.53 Totals 2600:00 1023 296/548 90/254 161/209 130 327 457 212 98 139 55 25 240 258 1235 Average 200:00 78.69 54% 35.4% 77% 10 25.15 35.15 16.3 7.53 10.69 4.23 1.92 18.46 19.84 95 Barcelona Regal Monday, February 06, 2012 Euroleague.net

Stats Comparisions: Teams and players

Team Aver.			Team Leaders	Head-to-Head			Team Leaders			Team Aver.
76.7	Pts.		WEEMS, SONNY	16.0	Pts.	15.2	LORBEK, ERAZEM		Pts.	78.7
50.09 %	2FG%		KUZMINSKAS, MINDAUGAS	87.50 %	2FG%	70.73 %	VAZQUEZ, FRAN		2FG%	54.01 %
35.68 %	3FG%		DELININKAITIS, TOMAS	45.83 %	3FG%	53.33 %	MICKEAL, PETE		3FG%	35.43 %
33.8	Rebounds		JANKUNAS, PAULIUS	5.5	Rebounds	4.9	LORBEK, ERAZEM		Rebounds	35.2
13.0	Assist.		KALNIETIS, MANTAS	3.8	Assist.	4.5	HUERTAS, MARCELINHO		Assist.	16.3