Sylvain Francisco scores 30 points but Zalgiris loses on Baskonia and TLC’s home court

Baskonia continues their home winning streak by defeating Žalgiris Kaunas 102-91. Despite Sylvain Francisco‘s 30 points, the Lithuanians failed to conquer one of EuroLeague‘s toughest arenas. This performance allows the Basques to improve their record to 9 wins and 16 losses, while the Lithuanians see their record move to 14-11.

Sylvain Francisco was different in Vitoria – a 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 piece for the second-highest season performance. 😮 pic.twitter.com/013qQYbac1

— BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) January 30, 2026

A collective Basque effort on fire against a heroic but isolated Francisco

The Basque team’s victory was built on remarkable collective play, with no less than six players reaching double figures in scoring. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot led the offensive charge with 19 points, closely followed by Trent Forrest (16 points), Markus Howard (15 points) and Rodions Kurucs (15 points). Kobi Simmons (12 points) and Mamadi Diakite (11 points) completed this strong offensive distribution.

For Žalgiris Kaunas, the story was quite different. Despite an exceptional performance by Sylvain Francisco, who scored 30 points, the visitors never really had a chance to take control of the game.

Very frustrated after the loss on Baskonia’s court (91-102), Sylvain Francisco didn’t look for excuses and pointed out his team’s collective shortcomings, particularly on defense and in managing crunch time:

« We can’t win on the road by allowing 100 points. With three minutes left, we had the advantage and we wasted it. We lacked aggression, we played too confidently and we didn’t deliver the knockout blow we needed », lamented the French point guard, marked by the terrible 2-18 run suffered at the end of the game. « It’s not about offense, it’s about defense. On the road, it’s impossible to win by giving up that many points », he insisted, calling for a collective response before EuroLeague returns to Kaunas, with AS Monaco visiting.

The start of the game had suggested a different scenario. A hot start with a 5-14 score seemed to indicate that Žalgiris would dominate the game, but the visitors’ strong opening quickly faded. By halftime, Baskonia had already taken the lead on the scoreboard (46-45).

The positive momentum and offensive efficiency continued in the second half after the break, allowing Baskonia to approach the final minutes with great confidence. This victory confirms the difficulty for opposing teams to win at Buesa Arena, one of EuroLeague‘s most formidable venues.