Žalgiris Kaunas didn't need a scoring explosion to win in Istanbul. They needed Beşiktaş to spend three quarters fighting for every clean look, and on Friday 6 November they got exactly that. Žalgiris won 83–67, held their hosts to 44 points through three periods and stretched their EuroLeague winning streak to four. The visitors moved to 6–4; Beşiktaş slipped to 4–6. The most telling number wasn't the 16-point margin, but the 14 points Beşiktaş managed in the second quarter when the game began to tilt decisively towards the Lithuanians.
The opening period was competitive at 20–17, before Žalgiris put together a 25–14 second quarter and took a 45–31 lead into half-time. They then won the third 17–13, making it 62–44 with ten minutes left. Beşiktaş did score 23 in the final term, but the contest had already been shaped by the previous 20 minutes. The official Žalgiris game statistics show a team that controlled the game's physical details: 47–39 on rebounds, 10 turnovers to Beşiktaş's 13 and 19 made free throws from 23 attempts.
Jonas Valančiūnas gave that control a familiar face. He finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, providing the size and rebounding security that allowed Žalgiris to keep Beşiktaş away from second chances. Ąžuolas Tubelis led the scoring with 14 points, while Marius Grigonis added 13, including three triples. Carsen Edwards scored 11 and Saben Lee 10. It wasn't one player rescuing a stalled offence; the scoring load moved around, and Žalgiris could keep pressure on the rim without asking a single guard to manufacture every basket.
There was an interesting selection detail, too: Keenan Evans made his first start for Žalgiris and opened the scoring with a three-pointer. He finished with six points, but the bigger story was the structure around him. Žalgiris could alternate creators, get Valančiūnas touches inside and use Tubelis as a mobile scoring option. The club's match report describes the second-quarter sequence that included a five-point Valančiūnas burst and Edwards scoring inside before half-time. That's the kind of variety that makes a defence work even when the three-point shooting isn't spectacular.
Beşiktaş had some individual answers, just not enough connected possessions. Eugene Omoruyi scored 17, Wenyen Gabriel supplied 14 points and seven rebounds, and Anthony Brown had 10 points, nine boards and four assists. But the home side shot six of 23 from three and 11 of 14 at the foul line, compared with Žalgiris's eight of 26 and 19 of 23. Those extra trips to the stripe helped the visitors build a lead without relying on a hot shooting night. Beşiktaş's official match centre confirms the 83–67 defeat at the Turkcell Basketball Development Center.
Coach Tomas Masiulis pointed to the defensive plan and his side's low turnover count after the game. That fits what the scoreline shows: Žalgiris didn't just make Beşiktaş miss; they collected the ball, protected it and made the hosts defend another organised possession. The ten-turnover figure matters when the opposition is chasing a deficit, because there are fewer cheap run-outs to ignite a comeback. The coach’s postgame comments carries the coach's postgame explanation.
The result leaves Žalgiris with four straight EuroLeague wins and a firmer platform before Thursday's trip to Milan. For Beşiktaş, the challenge before visiting ASVEL on Friday is more specific than simply scoring more: they need a way to generate better looks against disciplined half-court coverage without giving up the rebounding and free-throw margins that made this loss so uncomfortable. Žalgiris have shown what that discipline can buy them on the road. Friday's win was less flashy than a shootout, and considerably more convincing.
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