Jonava stuns Wolves in Betsafe-LKL playoff opener, Rytas prevails in overtime thriller

The Betsafe-LKL playoffs got off to a thrilling start this week. While most of the favourites managed to secure victories, it was the Wolves who suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of CBet Jonava.

Despite a strong performance from Betsafe-LKL regular season MVP Ahmad Caver, who racked up 18 points and 7 assists, the Wolves failed to overcome Edvinas Šeškus-led Jonava team, who clinched an 80-76 victory and took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. The win came as a surprise to many, but it was a testament to the skill and resilience of the Jonava squad, coached by the legendary Virginijus Šeškus.

Defending champions Rytas Vilnius began their Betsafe-LKL playoff campaign with an impressive 107-99 overtime victory over Neptūnas Klaipėda. Gytis Radzevičius was the leading scorer for Rytas with 21 points, while Matas Jogėla contributed 25 points for the losing team.

Meanwhile, Žalgiris Kaunas faced a tough challenge in their opening playoff game against Nevėžis-Optibed Kėdainiai, but ultimately emerged victorious with a 90-71 win. The regular season winners were led by a strong performance from Laurynas Birutis, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Edgaras Ulanovas and Ignas Brazdeikis, who all scored 15 points each. Deshawn Freeman put in an impressive performance for Kėdainiai, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Another team that put in a strong performance in their opening playoff game was 7bet-Lietkabelis, who beat Uniclub Casino – Juventus Utena 85-73. Led by Jamel Morris and Jorden Duffy, who each scored 14 points, 7bet-Lietkabelis now find themselves on the brink of the semifinals. Justin Alston had 14 points for Utena team.