Pangos lifts Zalgiris to derby win over Lietuvos Rytas

Kevin Pangos took matters into his own hands in the fourth quarter to decide the clash of Lithuanian giants in favor of Zalgiris, who came out victorious on the road at the Siemens Arena in Vilnius on Sunday evening.

Having collected 13 out of his game-high 19 points, the 24-year-old guard willed the Kaunas side past their opponents to a dramatic 70-67 victory over Lietuvos Rytas.

Zalgiris began the final period with a marginal deficit, but the brilliant fourth-quarter performance by Pangos swung the flow of the game the opposite direction.

Trailing by five points with just over a minute to go, Lietuvos Rytas made it interesting in the final seconds, but Jimmy Baron's potentially game-tying Hail Mary shot did not reach the target.

Brandon Davies also had a good game for Zalgiris with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals, while Edgaras Ulanovas and Axel Toupane finished the evening with 10 points apiece.

For Lietuvos Rytas, Robert Carter and Chris Kramer shared a team-high scoring mark of 12 points, with Rokas Giedraitis chipping in with 10 points.

It was the second defeat for Lietuvos Rytas in the Betsafe LKL Regular Season, dropping to 4-2, while Zalgiris caught up with second-place Neptunas in the standings after improving to 5-1.

Elsewhere, league leaders Lietkabelis kept their perfect record intact with an easy 87-69 win against Vytautas behind the duo of Adas Juskevicius and Zanis Peiners, who collected 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Lietkabelis are one win clear of their nearest rivals Neptunas and Zalgiris with a 6-0 record, while the Prienai-Birstonas club find themselves on the opposite end of the table with a 0-5 mark.

Meanwhile, Pieno Zvaigzdes earned an important 81-79 victory over Siauliai, their direct rivals for mid-table positions in the early rounds of the new season.

After setting a Betsafe LKL season-high in scoring in the last game, Ryan Harrow continued his hot stretch of play with a 20-point and 6-assist performance, as his backcourt partner Arturs Ausejs collected 18 points and 3 steals.

Up-and-coming guard Kristpusas Zemaitis double-doubled with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort for Siauliai, with Nicholas Zeisloft and Omar Prewitt tallying 11 points apiece.

Highlights of Pieno Zvaigzdes vs Siauliai: