Mike James wanted a foul during the last Monaco possession when Dovydas Giedraitis stripped the ball from him. James told Giedraitis he slapped his wrist, but the Lithuanian responded during the game that it wasn't his problem the refs didn't call it.
Mike James had the chance to decide the game between Zalgiris Kaunas and AS Monaco, but he lost the ball, and the Lithuanian team captured its 6th victory in the first 7 games. James thought there was a foul during the possession.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
12
|
| Laurynas Birutis | |
| Points | 9 |
| Accuracy | 3-3 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assists | 0 |
Zalgiris' Dovydas Giedraitis, who's unexpectedly having a breakout year, stripped the ball from James during the final possession, which ended up in a jump ball. Zalgiris won the toss and won the game.
"It's always fun to get a defensive stop on a final possession. I stripped the ball from Mike James, one of the best players in the EuroLeague. I don't stress these things. The victory is the most important thing," Giedraitis told Lithuanian media in the locker room after the game.
"We always go to help a bit when they play one-on-one. Sometimes, you strip the ball, and sometimes, you don't. I got the ball this time, so it's all good."
As the teams were lining up for the jump ball, James was seen talking with Giedraitis. The young Lithuanian detailed what the conversation was about.
"He was telling that there was a foul, that I touched his wrist, that a foul should've been called," Giedraitis began.
"I said, 'The wrist in a part of the ball. I might have touched the fingers, maybe the wrist, but I touched the ball too.' He told me he lost the ball because I touched the arm. 'That's not my problem, the refs didn't call it, it's not my problem.'"
The moment in question:
