The 2020–21 Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, also called Betsafe-LKL for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th season of the top-tier level professional basketball league of Lithuania, the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). Žalgiris achieved their 23rd title overall, eleven consecutive.[1]
Betsafe-LKL | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | 2020–21 | ||||||||||||
Duration | 18 September 2020 – 10 May 2021 (Regular season) 12 May 2021 – 9 June 2021 (Play-offs) | ||||||||||||
Games played | 180 (Regular season) | ||||||||||||
Teams | 10 | ||||||||||||
Regular season | |||||||||||||
Season MVP | Elvar Már Friðriksson | ||||||||||||
Finals | |||||||||||||
Champions | Žalgiris (23rd title) | ||||||||||||
Runners-up | Rytas | ||||||||||||
Third place | Lietkabelis | ||||||||||||
Fourth place | Juventus | ||||||||||||
Finals MVP | Thomas Walkup | ||||||||||||
Statistical leaders | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Records | |||||||||||||
Biggest home win | Žalgiris 92–45 Rytas (06 December 2020) | ||||||||||||
Biggest away win | Nevėžis–OPTIBET 53–108 Žalgiris (06 February 2021) | ||||||||||||
Highest scoring | Juventus 80–116 Žalgiris (27 May 2021) | ||||||||||||
Winning streak | 20 games Žalgiris | ||||||||||||
Losing streak | 9 games Nevėžis-OPTIBET Pieno žvaigždės | ||||||||||||
All statistics correct as of 11 July 2021. |
Competition format
editDuring the regular season, all teams play 36 games. The top eight teams in the regular season standings, after playing their entire 36 game schedule, qualified for the playoffs in the quarterfinals, that was played in a best-of-three games format. The semifinals were played in best-of-three format.
The final round was played between the two winners of the semifinals. The finals series, for first place, as also games for third place were played in a best-of-five format.
Notable events
edit- On 30 September 2020, the LKL has reached a historic agreement - LKL will be broadcast in foreign countries for the first time since its establishment.[2]
- On 9 October 2020, the LKL decided that the match between Žalgiris and Nevėžis-Optibet on 11 October 2020 and the match between Juventus and Alytus Dzūkija on 10 October 2020 are postponed.[3]
- On 27 October 2020, the LKL Board has decided how to deal with the spread of COVID-19 infection and how the LKL championship matches will take place. The minimum number of players in a team in order to play a match is 8 players, if there is no such number of players in the team, the match will be suspended and postponed to the next date.[4]
- On 27 April 2021, the LKL board decided that 11 teams will participate in the tournament for the next 2021-22 LKL season. Next season, a team from NKL Cbet Jonava, which won the NKL title this year, will join LKL. The team that will take last place this season will not relegate to NKL.[5]
- On 7 June 2021, the last match of the Betsafe-LKL final series took place. Žalgiris won the Betsafe-LKL title, it is already the 23rd Žalgiris title and the 11th consecutive title.[6]
Teams
editLocation and arenas
editTen teams were granted licences for the 2020–21 LKL season.[7]
Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Cbet Prienai | Prienai | Prienai Arena | 1,500 |
Dzūkija | Alytus | Alytus Arena | 5,500 |
Juventus | Utena | Utena Arena | 2,000 |
Lietkabelis | Panevėžys | Cido Arena | 5,950 |
Neptūnas | Klaipėda | Švyturys Arena | 6,200 |
Nevėžis-OPTIBET | Kėdainiai | Kėdainiai Arena | 2,200 |
Pieno žvaigždės | Pasvalys | Pieno žvaigždės Arena | 1,500 |
Rytas | Vilnius | Jeep Arena | 2,500 |
Avia Solutions Group Arena | 10,000 | ||
Šiauliai | Šiauliai | Šiauliai Arena | 5,700 |
Žalgiris | Kaunas | Žalgiris Arena | 15,708 |
Managerial changes
editTeam | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced with | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nevėžis-OPTIBET | Marius Kiltinavičius | Mutual consent | 29 November 2020[8] | 6th (5–5) | David Gale | 7 December 2020[9] |
Rytas | Donaldas Kairys | Sacked | 16 January 2021[10] | 3rd (9–5) | Giedrius Žibėnas | 1 February 2021[11] |
Regular season
editLeague table
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Žalgiris | 36 | 33 | 3 | 3277 | 2569 | +708 | Advance to playoffs |
2 | Rytas | 36 | 27 | 9 | 3185 | 2858 | +327 | |
3 | Lietkabelis | 36 | 23 | 13 | 3052 | 2883 | +169 | |
4 | Juventus | 36 | 23 | 13 | 3202 | 3102 | +100 | |
5 | Cbet Prienai | 36 | 14 | 22 | 3020 | 3210 | −190 | |
6 | Neptūnas | 36 | 14 | 22 | 2841 | 3061 | −220 | |
7 | Šiauliai | 36 | 13 | 23 | 3066 | 3290 | −224 | |
8 | Pieno žvaigždės | 36 | 12 | 24 | 2864 | 3043 | −179 | |
9 | Dzūkija | 36 | 11 | 25 | 2909 | 3067 | −158 | |
10 | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 36 | 10 | 26 | 2735 | 3068 | −333 |
Results
editPlay–offs
editQuarterfinals will be played in a best–of–three games format, while semifinals and the finals in a best–of–five format.
Bracket
editQuarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
Žalgiris | 2 | |||||||||
Pieno žvaigždės | 0 | |||||||||
Žalgiris | 3 | |||||||||
Juventus | 0 | |||||||||
Juventus | 2 | |||||||||
Cbet Prienai | 0 | |||||||||
Žalgiris | 3 | |||||||||
Rytas | 0 | |||||||||
Rytas | 2 | |||||||||
Šiauliai | 0 | |||||||||
Rytas | 3 | |||||||||
Lietkabelis | 0 | Third place | ||||||||
Lietkabelis | 2 | |||||||||
Neptūnas | 0 | |||||||||
Lietkabelis | 3 | |||||||||
Juventus | 2 | |||||||||
Lithuanian clubs in European competitions
editTeam | Competition | Progress |
---|---|---|
Žalgiris | EuroLeague | 11th |
Lietkabelis | EuroCup | Regular season |
Rytas | Champions League | Regular season |
Awards
editAll official awards of the 2020–21 LKL season.
Pos. | Player | Team | Source |
---|---|---|---|
PG | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | [12] |
Pos. | Player | Team | Source |
---|---|---|---|
PG | Thomas Walkup | Žalgiris | [13] |
Other awards
editAward | Player | Team | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Gentleman of the year | Arnas Butkevičius | Rytas | [14] |
Breakthrough of the year | Margiris Normantas | Lietkabelis | [15] |
The best defensive player | Thomas Walkup | Žalgiris | [16] |
The best young player | Rokas Jokubaitis | Žalgiris | [17] |
Best coach of the season
editCoach | Team | Source |
---|---|---|
Mantas Šernius | Cbet Prienai | [18] |
All-LKL Teams
editFirst Team | |
---|---|
Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai |
Vaidas Kariniauskas | Juventus |
Mindaugas Sušinskas | Cbet Prienai |
Gytis Masiulis | Lietkabelis |
Joffrey Lauvergne | Žalgiris |
Source:[19]
Player of the month
editMonth | Player | Team | PIR | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | ||||
September | Demetrius Jackson | Rytas | 22 | [20] |
October | Regimantas Miniotas | Cbet Prienai | 30.5 | [21] |
November | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 27 | [22] |
December | Edgaras Želionis | Pieno žvaigždės | 26 | [23] |
2021 | ||||
January | Žygimantas Skučas | Juventus | 22.7 | [24] |
February | Vaidas Kariniauskas | Juventus | 26.5 | [25] |
March | Tomas Lekūnas | Pieno žvaigždės | 23.2 | [26] |
April | Mindaugas Kupšas | Juventus | 25.6 | [27] |
Statistics
editIndividual statistics
editRating
editRank | Name | Team | Games | Rating | PIR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 36 | 700 | 19.44 |
2. | Julius Kazakauskas | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 32 | 592 | 18.50 |
3. | Mindaugas Kupšas | Juventus | 46 | 841 | 18.28 |
Source: LKL.LT
Points
editRank | Name | Team | Games | Points | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Vaidas Kariniauskas | Juventus | 28 | 465 | 16.61 |
2. | Kyle Vinales | Lietkabelis | 36 | 578 | 16.06 |
3. | Sedrick Barefield | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 28 | 434 | 15.50 |
Source: LKL.LT
Rebounds
editRank | Name | Team | Games | Rebounds | RPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Julius Kazakauskas | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 32 | 297 | 9.28 |
2. | Giedrius Staniulis | Dzūkija | 25 | 191 | 7.64 |
3. | Ariel Hukporti | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 21 | 155 | 7.38 |
Source: LKL.LT
Assists
editRank | Name | Team | Games | Assists | APG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 36 | 271 | 7.63 |
2. | Žygimantas Janavičius | Neptūnas | 31 | 202 | 6.52 |
3. | Vaidas Kariniauskas | Juventus | 28 | 173 | 6.18 |
Source: LKL.LT
Other statistics
editCategory | Player | Team | Games | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steals | Margiris Normantas | Lietkabelis | 37 | 1.86 |
Blocks | Ariel Hukporti | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 21 | 1.24 |
Turnovers | Vaidas Kariniauskas | Juventus | 28 | 3.82 |
Fouls drawn | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 36 | 5.11 |
Minutes | Mindaugas Sušinskas | Cbet Prienai | 36 | 32:21 |
FT % | Andrew Goudelock | Rytas | 36 | 92.73% |
2-Point % | Kaspars Bērziņš | Šiauliai | 23 | 73.40% |
3-Point % | Gytis Radzevičius | Rytas | 43 | 51.69% |
Source: LKL.LT
Individual game highs
editCategory | Player | Team | Statistic | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rating | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 51 | Pieno žvaigždės (Apr 21, 2021) |
Points | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 33 | Pieno žvaigždės (Apr 21, 2021) |
Rebounds | Julius Kazakauskas | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 18 | Rytas (May 8, 2021) |
Assists | Elvar Már Friðriksson | Šiauliai | 17 | Neptūnas (May 7, 2021) |
Steals | Margiris Normantas | Lietkabelis | 7 | Juventus (Jan 13, 2021) |
Blocks | Ariel Hukporti | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 4 | Rytas (May 8, 2021) |
Source: LKL.LT
Team statistics
editCategory | Team | Average |
---|---|---|
Rating | Žalgiris | 112.89 |
Points | Žalgiris | 91.66 |
Rebounds | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 37.22 |
Assists | Žalgiris | 23.23 |
Steals | Lietkabelis | 8.43 |
Blocks | Juventus | 3.22 |
Turnovers | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 17.00 |
FT % | Žalgiris | 81.09% |
2-Point % | Juventus | 60.89% |
3-Point % | Žalgiris | 42.27% |
Source: LKL.LT
References
edit- ^ "11-ąjį kartą iš eilės: "Žalgiris" – "Betsafe-LKL" čempionas". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Historic TV rights agreement: Lithuanian Basketball League will be broadcast abroad". en.lkl.lt. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Betsafe-LKL tvarkaraštyje – pokyčiai dėl COVID-19 atvejo Žalgiryje". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 9 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "LKL valdyboje priimti sprendimai dėl čempionato vykdymo tvarkos didėjant COVID-19 infekcija užsikrėtusių žmonių skaičiui". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "LKL valdyba nubalsavo – kitą sezoną čempionate rungtyniaus 11 komandų". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "11-ąjį kartą iš eilės: "Žalgiris" – "Betsafe-LKL" čempionas". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "2020–21 LKL sezonui licencijos suteiktos 10 klubu". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ ""Nevėžį-Optibet" ir toliau krečia permainos – klubą palieka Kiltinavičius". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 29 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Su Valančiūnu konsultavęsis "Nevėžis" išsirinko naują vyr. trenerį". basketnews.lt. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Permainos sostinėje: skiriasi "Ryto" ir D.Kairio keliai". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ ""Rytas" apsisprendė dėl vyr. trenerio". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ ""Šiaulių" atradimu tapęs Fridrikssonas – LKL sezono MVP". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ ""Betsafe-LKL" finalo serijos MVP – Th. Walkupas". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 7 June 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Metų džentelmenu išrinktas A. Butkevičius prieš antrąją finalo akistatą Vilniuje: "Tai bus žūtbūtinės rungtynės"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Metų proveržiu tapęs M. Normantas: "Neseniai supratau, kad galiu kažką nuveikti krepšinyje"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 3 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Geriausiai besiginančiu pripažintas Th. Walkupas: tai visos komandos, kurią esu įsimylėjęs, nuopelnas". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 2 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Geriausias "Betsafe-LKL" jaunasis žaidėjas – R. Jokubaitis". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Geriausias sezono treneris M. Šernius: "Kelios klaidos ir niekas nebūtų manęs prisiminęs"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 28 May 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "Išrinktas "Betsafe-LKL" pirmasis simbolinis penketas". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Mėnesio MVP tapęs D. Jacksonas – "Mano galvoje žodžiui pralaimėjimas vietos nėra"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Spalio mėnesio MVP tapęs R.Miniotas: "Galvoti apie karjeros šuolį dar nesinori"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Lapkričio mėnesio MVP tapęs E. M. Fridrikssonas: "Jaučiu, kad mūsų žaidimas gerėja"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Gruodžio mėnesio MVP E.Želionis "Esame ne ką prastesni už pirmaujančias komandas"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "Sausio MVP tapęs Ž. Skučas: "Geras žaidimas prasidėjo tada, kai nustojau galvoti apie krepšinį"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Vasario mėnesio MVP tapęs V. Kariniauskas: "Skaičiai dabar tikrai neeiliniai"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 2 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "Kovo MVP laurus susižėręs T. Lekūnas: "Apdovanojimas būtų malonesnis prie dešimties pergalių iš eilės"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Mėnesio MVP tapęs M. Kupšas: "Atrodo, kad vis dar turiu papildomų rezervų"". lkl.lt (in Lithuanian). 4 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.