Great performance from ASVEL, which produced a benchmark match to win at Zalgiris, bring its balance sheet almost to balance, and above all conclude the first leg with promises.
One thing is certain, theASVEL was not going to finish the first leg of the regular season in the Euroleague – which ended this evening – with a positive result. But she could get closer with a victory. Problem, we had to go and impose ourselves on the floor of the Zalgiris, who could climb to tied second place with a success, proof of his successful start to the season.
Nothing to scare the Lyonnais, nor the always electric atmosphere of the Zalgirio Arena. They stand out from the start with great skill, a polished play of movements and take control of the match. The impact of Andre Roberson was particularly striking, but not enough to widen a real gap. The Zalgiris returned patiently under the leadership of Bryant Dunstonbefore a choppy and tight end to the first quarter which allowed ASVEL to keep a nest egg (16-21).
Problem, the visitors fell into dry dock offensively speaking, with a period of more than six minutes straddling the two quarters without the slightest point scored. But the wake-up call came in the form of a 9-0with a Melvin Ajinça bleeding and precise behind the arc. Certainly, Zalgiris was going to see a certain Sylvain Francisco warm for a few moments, but at the break, it was ASVEL advantage (36-43) and it was only fair.
Except that Zalgiris swept away this gap with the back of their hand as soon as they returned from the locker room and woke up their arena. ASVEL picked up a 11-2 in this series match, before finally rebalancing the debates. When the Lyonnais managed to develop their game, they were difficult to take, and Nando De Colo did a remarkable job of stabilizing his people in the absence of Joffrey Lauvergne. After three quarters, ASVEL still had the upper hand (53-56), but the end of the meeting promised to be heated.
It was mainly defensive, scoring a basket proving extremely complicated for both teams. The duel From Colo – Francisco was exciting, the second signing his Euroleague points record, but a big shot from Theo Maledon then a slick collective action put ASVEL at +10 4 minutes from time. A gap sufficient to repel the last Lithuanian assaults. Victory 72-78the balance sheet will be balanced in the event of success in the next match, but above all, ASVEL has perfectly exploited a recent momentum to transform it into victories, and with an attractive game and individualities on show, it can see far.
