Despite a strong start, the German basketball champion Alba Berlin suffered their third defeat in a row in the EuroLeague.
At the Lithuanian top club Zalgiris Kaunas, the team of coach Israel Gonzalez lost 81:88 (44:32) on Friday evening after a slump in the final phase and now has a 3:3 balance sheet.
As the best thrower at double winner Alba, who started the new season with three wins, Jaleen Smith scored 14 points. Tamir Blatt contributed 12 points.
Alba initially dominated the game and allowed little in defense. After a 7:0 start in the second quarter, the lead grew to almost 20 points (32:13). But Kaunas came back in the second half and equalized five minutes before the end (69:69). In the tight final phase, Zalgiris had better nerves.
On the next matchday, the Berliners will receive German runners-up Bayern Munich (Thursday, 8:00 p.m. / MagentaSport).
