Galatasaray fuels playoff hopes with road win at Zalgiris

Carlos Arroyo hit 5 three-pointers in a span of nine minutes of the second half, lifting Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul to a key 72-84 road win over Zalgiris Kaunas at Zalgiris Arena on Thursday. The Turkish champion won its third consecutive game and remains in at least a share of fourth place in Group F with a 6-6 record, while already-eliminated Zalgiris dropped to 1-11. Galatasaray held a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but the hosts used a strong finish to the half to cut to 35-38 at the break. Galatasaray pulled away in the third quarter behind Furkan Aldemir and Malik Hairston, before Arroyo put on his show to not allow Zalgiris to even think of a comeback. Arroyo scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and dished 7 assists. Hairston had 16 points plus 8 rebounds, Milan Macvan added 13 points, while Aldemir collected a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds in victory. Justin Dentmon, like Arroyo, netted 17 of his 19 after halftime. Martynas Pocius scored 14, Arturas Milaknis 12 on 4-for-4 from three-point range, while Robertas Javtokas had 10 points in defeat.

First quarter: Markoishvili triples separate Galatasaray

A second-chance layup from Tomas Dimsa started the scoring, before Hairston had a layup and a baseline jumper to make it 2-4. Javtokas made a put-back for Zalgiris, and after Erceg replied with a driving layup, Pocius nailed the first triple of the night. Aldemir had a put-back dunk for Galatasaray, and Zoran Erceg added a layup. At the other end, Javtokas made a hook-shot for the hosts midway through the first quarter, but that turned out to be the last field goal Galatasaray allowed in the quarter. Manuchar Markoishvili sank a three-pointer to make it 11-13, and after Hairston's dunk, Markoishvili hit another from long range. Macvan ended the quarter from close range to make it 12-20.

Second quarter: Zalgiris catches up with a strong finish

Dentmon raced for a fastbreak layup to open the second quarter, but Aldemir had a dunk and Hariston scored on a powerful move inside, helping the visitors move out to 14-25. The hosts struggled offensively, before Sarunas Jasikevicius got them going with a three-pointer. Paulius Jankunas hit a short fade-away jumper, then followed it with a layup for 21-25, only for Sinan Guler to snap a 7-0 run with a driving layup. Ender Arslan buried a three to put Galatasaray back in control. Javtokas scored on an alley-oop dunk, but Arslan's layup made it 23-32. After layups from Jasikevicius and Jankunas, Guler drove to the hoop and Erceg followed on a breakaway for an easy dunk and a 27-36 lead, which caused Zalgiris to call timeout. After Javtokas tipped in an alley-oop pass from Dentmon, Arroyo answered with a jumper, but Zalgiris finished strong as Arturas Milaknis nailed a corner triple, and Pocius drove the baseline to elevate for a reverse layup-plus-foul, cutting it to 35-38 at halftime.

Third quarter: It rains threes, as visitors pull away

Dentmon hit a pair of jumpers in the opening minute of the half, but Markoishvili and Hairston scored from close range for Galatasaray to make it 39-42. But the visitors converted on second-chance buckets on three consecutive possessions, with Aldemir scoring a couple of put-backs, and Hairston staying focused to make a basket-plus-foul. Arroyo continued the run with his first triple for a 41-52 lead. After a timeout, Milaknis traded a pair of triples against Arroyo and Erceg, who had one apiece for Galatasaray. Dentmon also scored from downtown, the fifth triple in a row in the game, getting the deficit back into the single digits. Mindaugas Kupsas scored a layup. But back-to-back three-pointers from Arroyo and Markoishvili got the visitors to 52-64. Milaknis nailed his third three in the quarter, and after Markoishvili scored a layup, Kupsas finished the quarter with a baseline jumper for a 57-66 score.

Fourth quarter: Arroyo and Macvan put the game away

Dentmon's pair of free throws started the quarter, but Arroyo sank back-to-back from long distance, and Aldemir had a put-back, giving Galatasaray a 59-74 cushion. Dentmon sank a three-pointer for the hosts, but Hairston quickly replied with a fastbreak layup. After a timeout, Pocius and Macvan traded triples to make it 65-79. Dentmon hit another one, and Javtokas added a layup to keep Zalgiris with some hope, but Arroyo sank a jumper and Macvan another three-pointer for a 70-84 margin, which essentially sealed the outcome.