Postponed game against Lietkabelis is ahead of the Dragons

Ahead of the Cedevita Olimpija senior team is the rescheduled Round 13 game of the BKT EuroCup regular season against Lietkabelis. The Dragons will take the court in Panevėžys on Thursday at 18:30 Slovenian time.

Ljubljana’s Cedevita Olimpija will return to the court on Thursday, this time on the opposite side of Europe compared to Tuesday. After playing in Bulgaria against Hapoel Jerusalem, the Dragons’ squad departed Sofia early Wednesday morning, traveling via Vienna to Vilnius and then continuing by bus to Panevėžys. There, they will face Lietkabelis at 18:30 Slovenian time in the rescheduled Round 13 game of the BKT EuroCup regular season.

Let us recall that Cedevita Olimpija was initially scheduled to play Lietkabelis at the start of the new calendar year, 2025. However, due to severe weather conditions preventing Ljubljana’s team from reaching Panevėžys, the game was postponed.

The Slovenian champions will continue their quest for a EuroCup playoff spot in Lithuania. On Tuesday, Cedevita Olimpija secured a narrow yet crucial win over Hapoel, which, with one game in hand, propelled them to second place in Group B. The Dragons aim to make another significant step toward securing a spot among the top 12 teams in the competition on Thursday in Panevėžys. Meanwhile, they will keep a close eye on the other Group B games, as favorable results could greatly enhance their playoff prospects.

PRE-GAME QUOTES:

“Immediately after Tuesday’s game with Hapoel, we started our journey to Panevėžys. The trip was definitely not easy, as there wasn’t much time for rest. We arrived in Lithuania on Wednesday, and we will hold a practice session to refresh the players. On Thursday, we will see how much energy we have left. Lietkabelis plays well in every game. When speaking with their head coach, we discussed how they are always competitive, as evidenced by their close game against Valencia on Tuesday. Thursday’s game will be challenging, especially due to the travel, and also because Danilo Tasić will not be part of the team since he wasn’t registered for the EuroCup at the time the match was initially scheduled. We’ll do our best to refresh and prepare, and on Thursday, we’ll see how we perform on the court,” said Cedevita Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrović.

“On Tuesday, we secured an important win in Bulgaria in a matchup of two teams fighting for second place in the standings. With great focus, we managed to close the game successfully and deservedly claimed victory. Now, we must turn the page and prepare for the next game. It will undoubtedly be a physically demanding match. We’ve had a tough journey, and while both teams played on Tuesday, Lietkabelis had a home game. Nevertheless, there are no excuses. We’ll step onto the court and give our all to secure another victory,” said Aleksej Nikolić ahead of Thursday’s game.

TV BROADCAST:

The game will be broadcast live on Šport TV 1, with pre-match coverage starting at 17:45.

GAME PREVIEW:

Ahead of their second meeting with Cedevita Olimpija in the 2024/25 season, Lietkabelis has recorded four EuroCup victories. The Panevėžys team defeated JL Bourg, Hamburg, Hapoel, and Valencia. However, in Round 15, they faced a home loss against the Spanish team, who won 96:91. This marked Lietkabelis’ tenth defeat in the regular season, though they remain in contention for playoff spots.

In their game against Valencia, Martynas Varnas was Lietkabelis’ standout player, scoring 19 points and making four steals. Valencia secured their win in the final quarter after the score was tied at 72:72. Varnas is currently Lietkabelis’ top performer in the EuroCup season, averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game.

On Tuesday, Cedevita Olimpija played against Hapoel in Bulgaria, claiming a tight but significant 74:70 victory. The Dragons secured their win in the closing stages of the game by halting their opponents’ offense and maintaining composure at the free-throw line. The top scorers for the Green-and-Orange team were Brynton Lemar (17 points), Aleksej Nikolić (16 points), and Devin Robinson (15 points).

Cedevita Olimpija and Lietkabelis previously met on October 15 in Stožice, where the scoreboard read 76:72 in favor of the Dragons, who led from start to finish, with their largest lead reaching 23 points (43:20). Devin Robinson (17 points, 5 rebounds), Jaka Blažič (14 points, 5 rebounds), DJ Stewart, and DeVante Jones (10 points each) were the top scorers for Cedevita Olimpija. For Lietkabelis, Stipanović and Mantas Rubstavicius each scored 13 points, while Pecarski and Oleksandr Kovliar added 12 points apiece.

BKT EUROCUP, ROUND 13 OF THE REGULAR SEASON

Kalnapilio Arena (Panevėžys, Lithuania), Thursday, January 16, 19:30 (18:30 SLO):
7BET-LIETKABELIS : CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA (live on Šport TV 1)

LOOKING FORWARD:

The trip to Panevėžys marks the second consecutive away game for Cedevita Olimpija during this period. From Lithuania, the team will travel directly to Dubai on Friday, where they will face the local team on Sunday. Following that, they will head to France for a Wednesday matchup against JL Bourg. The Dragons will return to their home court next Sunday, when Mornar-Barsko zlato visits Stožice. Tickets for the game are available at vstopnice.olimpija.com.