Betsafe-LKL finalists victorious on the first week, 7bet-Lietkabelis falls to spectacular Neptūnas
The three months long wait is over. 31st edition of Betsafe-LKL kicked off last weekend with six games of the first round.
The season opener took place in Klaipėda where Neptunas Klaipėda picked up the first win of the season against bronze medalists 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevėžys (91:81). It was raining threes in Klaipėda as the home team made 18 three pointers with Sterling Gibbs hitting 7 triples.
CBet Jonava took an easy victory 94:77 in a matchup with Nevėžis-Optibet Kėdainiai.
Žalgiris Kaunas started off as strong as champions should. They demolished Gargždai 107:55 with Brady Manek having a terrific shooting performance from downtown, making 7 of 9 triples.
A fierce match took place in Šiauliai between Šiauliai and Wolves Vilnius. This time the guests from the capital proved to be superior in a close battle 68:66. Vaidas Kariniauskas who just joined the team was a pivotal player for Wolves side as Lithuanian national team point guard led his team in points, assists and efficiency ranking.
Rytas Vilnius got a convincing win (106:90) against Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys as Gytis Masiulis recorded round-high 34 efficiency ranking, lacking only one rebound for a double-double (21 pts, 9 reb).
To finish the first week of the championship Uniclub Casino – Juventus Utena met up with M Basket-Delamode Mažeikiai, a team that returned to the elite Lithuanian competition after 9 years. Despite trailing double-digits in the begining of the fourth quarter, the home team took 81:74 victory.