Žalgiris Secures Citadele KMT Title in Dominant Style, Moses Wright Named MVP

Autorius: LKL.lt

2026-02-22

In the final of the Citadele King Mindaugas Cup, suspense lasted only briefly. After a fairly even opening minutes, Žalgiris took full control in the second quarter, delivering a crushing stretch on both ends of the floor. A decisive 24–1 run blew the game wide open and effectively settled the contest. Although Rytas showed resilience after halftime and managed to cut the deficit, the champions quickly restored order and cruised to another comfortable triumph, securing their seventh consecutive KMT title.

The spotlight belonged to MVP Moses Wright, whose physical dominance defined the final. The Žalgiris center poured in 27 points, controlled the paint, and set the tone with his energy, capping off a tournament in which he was one of the most consistent performers. His partnership with Sylvain Francisco proved decisive throughout the weekend, giving Žalgiris both stability and explosiveness whenever the game threatened to drift.

Postgame reactions reflected contrasting emotions on the sidelines. Žalgiris head coach Tomas Masiulis celebrated the first trophy of his head-coaching career, praised his players’ professionalism, and urged fans to continue supporting Laurynas Birutis. He also expressed gratitude to his mentor Šarūnas Jasikevičius. On the opposite bench, Rytas coach Giedrius Žibėnas did not hide his frustration, admitting the game slipped away in the second quarter and stressing how difficult it is to compete with Žalgiris without a full rotation.

In the bronze-medal game, Lietkabelis once again underlined their reputation for consistency, convincingly defeating Neptūnas 94–73. After a shaky start, Nenad Čanak’s team seized momentum with a strong second quarter and never looked back, extending their remarkable run to ten consecutive KMT medals and closing the tournament with a confident statement.

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