Isaiah Taylor was Zalgiris' top scorer and leader in the win over Rytas Vilnius in Game 5 of the LKL finals, which saw the EuroLeague side recapture the domestic scepter.
Isaiah Taylor became the first player to score over 30 points in an LKL Game 5 since 2009 and that was enough for Zalgiris Kaunas to re-capture the domestic title after last year's break.
The team coached by Kazys Maksvytis downed rivals Rytas Vilnius 97-87 (23-24, 23-21, 24-24, 17-18) in a packed Zalgirio Arena with fans from both sides. More than 14,000 gathered on Nemunas island, creating a new season LKL record.
It was Zalgiris' third home win in the finals that allowed the EuroLeague team to conclude the season in an ideal way. Taylor produced 32 points on 11/16 2-point shooting and 10/11 from the free-throw line in only 24 minutes of play. The Kaunas-based club captured its 24th title, while Rytas, who didn't manage to win their seventh trophy, were the runners-up for the 16th time in their history.
Kendale McCullum stood out for the Vilnius team, scoring 20 points off only 11 attempts in 22 minutes, while also tallying 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 23 in PIR. However, the visiting team went scoreless in the game's last two minutes.
Elvar Fridriksson started the third quarter with nine unanswered points, and Rytas took a 54-46 lead. However, Zalgiris answered with a partial score of 12-2 and regained the advantage.
In the final stretch, Taylor scored 7 points and Ulanovas added a couple of free throws to seal the outcome.
Zalgiris Kaunas: Isaiah Taylor 32 (11/18 FG, 10/11 FT, 5 REB), Arnas Butkevicius 16 (3/4 FG, 8/9 FT, 4 REB), Rolands Smits 11 (3/5 FG, 2/2 FT), Ignas Brazdeikis 11 (3 REB, 3 AST), Edgaras Ulanovas 8.
Rytas Vilnius: Kendale McCullum 20 (6/11 FG, 7/8 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST), Marcus Foster 17 (5/15 FG, 4/6 FT, 7 REB, 6 AST), Elvar Fridriksson 13 (3/6 FT, 4/5 FT, 3 AST), Margis Normantas 9.
