Citadele King Mindaugas Cup semifinals: 7bet-Lietkabelis stuns Rytas, Žalgiris overcomes Šiauliai challenge

The Citadele King Mindaugas Cup (Citadele KMT) semifinals brought an exciting evening of basketball. In the first semifinal, Rytas Vilnius, considered the favorites, faced a surprising twist. Despite leading in the first half, they stumbled at important moments, leading to a 94-86 loss against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevėžys.

Rytas has now missed the cup finals for the fourth time in a row. 7bet-Lietkabelis secured a place in the final for the third time in four years.

7bet-Lietkabelis was led by the outstanding Djordje Gagić, who dominated the boards with 31 points and 10 rebounds. Deividas Sirvydis added 18 points, including 8 rebounds. Key players for Rytas included Marcus Foster with 23 points and Margiris Normantas with 14.

In the second game, defending champions Žalgiris Kaunas faced a tough challenge from Šiauliai but managed to win 87-77. Overcoming a 13-point deficit, Žalgiris showed their champion spirit, earning a spot in the Citadele KMT final for the ninth consecutive year.

Lukas Lekavičius led Žalgiris with 17 points, supported by Tomas Dimša (13 points), Laurynas Birutis (12 points).

Šiauliai, despite putting up a strong fight, fell short in the end. Dovydas Romančenko led their scoring with 17 points, along with L.J. Thorpe's 14 points.

As the dust settled on the semifinals day, the excitement for the Citadele KMT final is growing. Sunday promises a thrilling showdown between 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevėžys and Žalgiris Kaunas.