Euroleague upsets as Zalgiris and Monaco down Barcelona and Anadolu Efes

Friday night delivered a pair of upsets, firstly with bottom beating top as Zalgiris Kaunas downed FC Barcelona 91-84 in a tremendous game at Zalgirio Arena. Later on, AS Monaco crushed Anadolu Efes Istanbul 102-80, also grabbing the head-to-head advantage between the teams. The defeat for Efes qualifies Barca and Real Madrid for the playoffs.

Zalgiris Kaunas 91-84 FC Barcelona

Zalgiris Kaunas rallied to upset league-leading FC Barcelona 91-84 at packed Zalgirio Arena in a back and forth battle on Friday night. Zalgiris improved to 7-20, while Barcelona dropped to 21-6. The visitors led 9-19 early in the second and 54-63 in the final minute of the third quarter, but the hosts scored 35 fourth-quarter points to claim a memorable victory. Lukas Lekavicius netted 22 points to lead Zalgiris, while Edgaras Ulanovas had 16 points, nine rebounds, six steals, and two blocks. Nikola Mirotic led Barcelona with 26 points.

AS Monaco 102-80 Anadolu Efes Istanbul

AS Monaco secured an important victory in its fight for the playoffs by thumping Anadolu Efes Istanbul 102-80, also taking the head-to-head advantage between the teams. Monaco, which improves to 15-14 after nine wins in 12 games, never allowed Efes to get closer than 8 points in the final three quarters. Mike James led the home team with 27 points while Alpha Diallo added 19. Efes has dropped two in a row and is now 14-14, including 4-11 away from home. Vasilije Micic poured in 25 points in the loss.