Žalgiris Kaunas scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to beat Barcelona 88-81 at Palau Blaugrana, turning a game that appeared to be slipping away into a statement EuroLeague road win.
The Lithuanian side entered the final period trailing 65-55. Ten minutes later, it had improved to 2-2 in Round 4 and ended a two-game losing run. Jonas Valančiūnas supplied 12 points and nine rebounds, but this was more than a near-milestone night for the centre: Žalgiris combined efficient interior production with enough perimeter firepower to overturn Barcelona’s control of the game.
The decisive number was not simply 33. It was 33-16 — a 17-point fourth-quarter swing that exposed the difference between building a lead and protecting one.
A comeback that went beyond the final possessions
The quarter-by-quarter scores show how sharply the game changed. Žalgiris led 23-18 after the opening period, but Barcelona won the second quarter 23-16 and the third 24-16. The hosts had turned a five-point deficit into a 10-point advantage across the middle two quarters.
Then Žalgiris scored more in the fourth than it had in those two quarters combined: 33 points against 32.
That matters because this was not a comeback completed by one desperate shot. ARA’s match report places Žalgiris ahead 76-72 with around four minutes remaining. From 65-55 down, the visitors had produced a 21-7 burst to take a four-point lead before the closing stretch.
They still had to finish the job, but they had already changed the terms of the contest. Barcelona was no longer managing an advantage; it was chasing the game.
The scoring sequence supports a clear assessment of Žalgiris’s response: the visitors recovered quickly enough to leave themselves time to play from in front. It does not, by itself, establish which individual coverage adjustment decided the quarter. The stronger conclusion is that their late execution sustained an offensive surge rather than relying on a last-second escape.
Edwards supplied scoring and organisation
Carsen Edwards finished with 19 points and seven assists, leading Žalgiris in both categories. Those totals are reported by BasketNews and Eurohoops, with the game’s statistical record listing four makes from eight three-point attempts.
The assists are an important part of the performance. Edwards was not only the leading scorer in a comeback that demanded points quickly; he also contributed directly to teammates’ baskets. That combination gave Žalgiris more than one route through its lead guard.
Across the game, the visitors made 13 of 27 three-pointers, a 48.1 per cent return. Barcelona made 10 of 25. Those additional three makes represented a nine-point advantage from beyond the arc in a game decided by seven.
That is a full-game comparison, not proof that every decisive possession came from long range. It nevertheless explains why Barcelona could not judge its position solely by what was happening inside. Žalgiris had the shooting to erase a double-digit gap without needing to dominate every trip down the floor.
Dustin Sleva added 14 points and Marius Grigonis scored 12, according to Eurohoops. The visitors’ attack had meaningful contributions beyond its headline guard and centre.
Valančiūnas’s efficiency mattered more than the milestone
Valančiūnas finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes and three seconds. He made four of five two-point attempts and all four of his free throws, recording a performance index rating of 20.
BasketNews reports that he was one rebound away from his first career EuroLeague double-double. That historical distinction is an interesting hook, but the basketball value was already there without the extra board.
He converted his interior opportunities efficiently and did not leave points at the foul line. In a seven-point road win, that is useful production without a heavy volume of shot attempts.
His nine rebounds also underline the substance of the performance. The double-double threshold would have changed the label, not transformed his contribution.
For readers tracking his EuroLeague fantasy value, the relevant signal is 20 PIR in just over 19 minutes. It demonstrates productive use of his court time in this game; it does not establish that his minutes will increase or that this efficiency can be assumed every round.
Barcelona’s lead offered no protection
Barcelona’s problem was not an inability to create a winning position. Its middle two quarters did exactly that. The failure came when Žalgiris accelerated: the hosts conceded 33 points while scoring only 16 themselves.
Those are linked problems. A team protecting a lead needs stops, but it also needs enough productive possessions to prevent the opponent from repeatedly attacking a shrinking margin. Barcelona achieved neither at the required level in the fourth.
For Žalgiris, the win stopped consecutive defeats against Olympiacos and Paris from becoming a three-game slide. More importantly, it provided evidence that this team can recover after losing control of a difficult road game.
Four rounds are too few to turn that into a season-long verdict. The immediate lesson is narrower and stronger: Žalgiris had the scoring options and composure to overturn a 10-point deficit, then retain the advantage. Barcelona had built the lead — but Žalgiris played the quarter that decided the night.
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