Milan extend Zalgiris' road losing streak in the EuroLeague to over a year / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Roberto Finizio/Getty Images Credit Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

AX Armani Exchange Milan (14-6) secured their fourth straight W at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, taking care of the undermanned Zalgiris Kaunas (3-16) 65-58 (20-20, 19-10, 15-15, 11-13).

Player of the Game EFF 22 Kyle Hines Points 6 Accuracy 3-3 Rebounds 6 Assists 4

Zalgiris lost their sixth straight EuroLeague contest. Their last road win in the strongest EuroLeague competition came on January 27th, 2021. Therefore, Zalgiris haven't won an away contest for over a year.

Zalgiris started the game with seven unanswered points, but Milan quickly erased their deficit, gaining a two-point advantage (12-10). It was a tie contest after one (20-20).

Milan started proving their edge in the second, kicking it off with a 6-0 spurt. Devon Hall and Nicolo Melli increased the hosts' advantage to double-digits towards the end of the half (39-28), but Marek Blazevic cut Zalgiris' deficit back under ten going into the break (30-39).

Lukas Lekavicius brought Zalgiris back within six in the third (35-41), but Zalgiris' successful break was short-lived, as Sergio Rodriguez gave Milan their largest lead at the end of the quarter (54-40).

Both squads struggled to put the ball in the basket in the fourth, which was in favor of Milan. Zalgiris managed to cut their deficit to single-digits at one point (54-61), but that was their best effort, as Milan held on to a seven-point victory.

Kyle Hines led Milan in efficiency despite scoring just 6 points (3/3 2PT). He added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 22 PIR. Troy Daniels and Devon Hall both added 12 points each.

"They are a tough team," Hines said respectfully. "They are missing some players but we knew Zalgiris has a tradition and will fight no matter what. For us, more importantly, we held them at 58 points. Offensively, it is not going to be our night every night. But guys like Troy, Chacho, and some other players stepped up."

Zalgiris played without Josh Nebo, Mantas Kalnietis, Paulius Jankunas, Janis Strelnieks, and Joffrey Lauvergne tonight. Milan didn't have Jerian Grant, Konstantinos Mitoglou, and Shavon Shields at their disposal.

"It's a win made of effort and very little quality," coach Messina said. "Effort at this level is not enough. Since we have quality, we have to use it. And to use it, you have to put your focus, your brain your attention to details that tonight was basically below the level needed. We were fortunate to escape with a win because we work very hard."

Milan: Devon Hall 12, Troy Daniels 12, Sergio Rodriguez 10, Ben Bentil 7, Kyle Hines 6 (6 REB), Nicolo Melli 6.

Zalgiris: Marek Blazevic 13, Lukas Lekavicius 13, Tyler Cavanaugh 10 (7 REB), Arturas Milaknis 8, Tai Webster 7.

Highlights

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