Zalgiris is not only undefeated at home this season, but comes off a marquee road win at Caja Laboral. Mirza Begin scored 18 points and Paulius Jankunas posted a double-double as part of an impressive Zalgiris effort to win 88-92 and improve to 3-1. Meanwhile Khimki fell out of a tie for first place when it lost at home against Maccabi at the buzzer. The teams are already somewhat familiar with one another having met last month in a VTB League contest, which Zalgiris won 75-69. Both teams boast impressive frontlines and much of the game could be decided on rebounding and points in the paint. Begic is a focal point for the hosts as a big target inside on offense and an elite shot-blocker on defense. Rebounding studs Jankunas and Travis Watson give head coach Aco Petrovic a formidable frontline. Khimki boasts a pair of old school centers in Ben Eze and Aleksey Savrasenko who will go at Begic, while Kresimir Loncar, who is more of a face-the-basket player, has been hot lately. The versatile Sergey Monya is a major part of the Khimki attack as a constant mismatch at power forward. Khimki has a versatile backcourt with Zoran Planinic able to play point guard or small forward. Keith Langford has been head coach Sergio Scariolo’s go-to guy at shooting guard, while Raul Lopez and Vitaly Fridzon bring different looks at point guard. Likewise Zalgiris has a number of ball-handlers, including playmaker DeJuan Collins and combo-guards Mantas Kalnietis and Tomas Delininkaitis. Shooting guard Marty Pocius, swingman Artura Milaknis and small forward Dainius Salenga make for a versatile Zalgiris lineup. The many options the home team has in the backcourt allows Petrovic to ride the hot hand on any given night. It will be interesting to see the matchup at center between Begic and the more-experienced Eze or Savrasenko, with the visitors knowing they must limit Begic’s impact at both ends. Zalgiris will need to find a way to guard Planinic, who can carve up defenses if guarded by a slower forward and post up smaller guards. Kalnietis and Milaknis could get their shots at a game-changing defensive role. Coming off a big win and now playing at home Zalgiris, appears the early favorite, however in a group where one victory separates first place from fifth, anything can still happen.

REFEREES: Juan Carlos Arteaga, Robert Lottermoser, Radomir Vojinovic


Game notes, Zalgiris Kaunas

Paulius Jankunas played for BC Khimki Mscow Region last season.

Jankunas has made 10 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action.

Jankunas scored the 1,000th point of his Euroleague Basketball career last week.

Marcus Brown played alongside Khimki players Sergey Monya and Andrey Savrasenko at CSKA Moscow between 2003 and 2005. They helped the team win back-to-back Russian championships and two Euroleague Final Fours.

Brown has made the last 10 free throws he has attempted in Euroleague action.

Mirza Begic has blocked at least 1 shot in each of his last 11 Euroleague games. Begic leads the Euroleague with 2.5 blocks per game.

Zalgiris defeated BC Khimki 75-69 last month in a VTB League contest in Kaunas. Marty Pocius led Zalgiris with 18 points. Vitaly Fridzon scored 19 for Khimki in defeat.

Zalgiris has committed more turnovers (20.3 per game) than any team in the Euroleague this season.

Zalgiris has drawn more fouls than any other team in the Euroleague this season with an average of 26.8 per game. Correspondingly, Zalgiris players have also taken (113) and made (87) the most free throws in the league.

Game notes, BC Khimki Moscow Region

Ben Eze moved into sole possession of eighth place on the career list of Euroleague shot blockers last week. Eze rejected 1 shot against Maccabi to break a tie for eighth place Tiago Splitter and he now boasts 94 career blocks in 94 Euroleague games.

Eze has played the most minutes (102) of any player in the Euroleague this season without delivering an assist.

Sergey Monya rejected a career-high 4 shots last week. He has blocked at least 1 shot in every game this season and is second in the league with 2 per game.

Raul Lopez has at least 1 steal in each of his last 13 Euroleague appearances.

Lopez has played the most minutes (84) of any player in the Euroleague this season without attempting a free throw.

Vitaly Fridzon has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last 12 Euroleague games.

Sergio Scariolo coached Zalgiris guars Marcus Brown, the Euroleague’s career scoring leader, for two seasons at Unicaja. They worked together between 2005 and 2007, winning the 2006 Spanish championship and reaching the 2007 Euroleague Final Four.

ACO PETROVIC, Zalgiris head coach:

— We have been in a good rhythm lately. However, as a coach I am not very happy with the fact that we are playing BC Khimki so often. One month ago we won the game in another league, but I don’t see it to be in our favor before this game. Of course we know a lot about our opponents, but they know much about us as well. Recently, Kresimir Loncar has been in a very good shape. He will require extra attention in defense, since he is a good shooter and can play great under basket too. Extra attention is also necessary for Benjamin Eze, Aleksey Savrasenko and Sergey Monya, who are important parts of Khimki play. Overall, the strong motivation and Kaunas Sports Hall full of fans should help us to reach our only goal – victory.

TOMAS DELININKAITIS, Zalgiris guard:

— We have to believe in ourselves. The most important thing is to set our minds straight on the game night like we did last week in Vitoria. We also need to dedicate a big effort on defense. Currently, the atmosphere in the team is very positive, which is a huge benefit in developing our victory path. We have experienced that Khimki is a tough team, so we are preparing for this game with big devotion.

SERGIO SCARIOLO, BC Khimki head coach:

— We are going to play against a team that is now in a great shape and supported by a great fans environment. We should show personal character and concentration. I understand that we must show our best on the road to qualify for the Top 16."

KEITH LANGFORD, BC Khimki guard:

— I expect both teams will play very hard. This is a game we absolutely need to win. I suppose Zalgiris is also preparing to meet with us fully armed and for sure they will try to do all their best for a successful outcome. We also played with them in the VTB United League and unfortunately lost. Now we have no right to a mistake. In general no matter who the opponent is – the next game is the most important one for us in any case.