By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Johannes Thiemann reset his best scoring performance in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague at 17 points leading ALBA Berlin to the win, 82-74, versus Zalgiris Kaunas Thursday evening.
The German big man drilled 6/8 field goals, including three triples in the Regular Season Round 28 fixture. Four three-pointers were made by Jaleen Smith for him to follow with 16 points. Luke Sikma and Maodo Lo added 12 points each.
“Well, I had one open look and afterward I think they were still not respecting my shot and I just took them,” Thiemann went through his performance in the eighth consecutive win across all competitions, “Lucky they went in.”
The hosts, merging home and away jerseys for a blue-yellow outfit in support of Ukraine, almost got in trouble in the third period. Previously up 17, they allowed Zalgiris to get in shooting distance before a 6-0 run propelled the lead back up to nine points at the end of the quarter. Reestablishing a double-digit cushion in the last quarter got the job done.
Louis Olinde (thumb), Yovel Zoosman (hamstring), and Marcus Eriksson (foot) remaining on the injury list generated additional opportunities for younger players to contribute and help improve the EuroLeague W-L tally to 10-16 with a third win in a row.
“I am very happy with them,” mentioned head coach Israel Gonzalez referring to Malte Delow, Jonas Mattisseck, and Tim Schneider combining for eight points, “They are brave. They are playing very good giving the best effort. They are developing. This is one of our goals, to develop players during the season.”
Former ALBA player, Tyler Cavanaugh, stood out packing 18 points and six rebounds in the losing effort for the team coached by Jure Zdovc. After a fruitless first half, Josh Nebo ended up with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The former captain and longtime star of the team based in Berlin, Niels Giffey was held to three points in his return to the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
“They were coming off a good streak playing very well. They did not give up and showed character,” Lo noted on Zalgiris arriving in Germany with a three-game winning streak, “It was very crucial for us to withstand their comebacks and make sure we stay in the lead.”
A couple of days after beating Panathinaikos OPAP in a makeup contest in Athens, the Lithuania champions were limited to six points in the second quarter but did not get knocked out. They ultimately fell to 6-20 missing Mantas Kalnietis (ankle), Tai Webster (illness), and Regimantas Miniotas through the two-game week.
“I am not disappointed. We tried hard in the second half,” said Zdovc, “At the end, we were maybe one or two good defenses away from winning the game. Our energy, you could see we were a little tired after Tuesday’s game.”
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net