VILNIUS (Interstat) — Vilniaus Stekas will host Zalgiris on Thursday in a basketball game between teams with different early-season records. Zalgiris will be the visiting team, and Vilniaus Stekas will be the home team. Zalgiris is 7-2 this season. Vilniaus Stekas is 0-2.

Zalgiris enters after a 97-68 home win against Panevezys. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes. Marius Grigonis scored 17 points in 19 minutes and added three assists, while Dustin Sleva finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes. Valanciunas is the player to watch for Zalgiris. In recent games, he had 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Lietkabelis; 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists at Neptūnas; and 14 points, one rebound and two assists at Gargzdu Gargzdai. He has scored in double figures in each of his last three games. Valanciunas has scored at least 12 points in each of his last three games, and he has grabbed at least seven rebounds in two of those three games.

Other recent Zalgiris results include a 107-104 home win against Vilkaviskis, an 82-78 loss at Paris, a 93-91 home loss to Olympiacos, a 108-83 win at Alytaus Patriotai, a 101-82 home win against Šiauliai, an 83-77 win at Crvena Zvezda, a 93-69 win at Neptūnas and a 98-77 win at Gargzdu Gargzdai.

Vilniaus Stekas enters after an 80-72 loss at Silute. Edvinas Seskus led Vilniaus Stekas with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Dominykas Bucas added 17 points, eight rebounds and one assist in 35 minutes, and Arnas Adomavicius had 14 points, two rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes. Seskus is the player to watch for Vilniaus Stekas. He also posted 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes against Vytis VDU. He has recorded double-doubles in each of his last two games. Seskus has scored at least 20 points in each of his last two games, and he has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of those games. Vilniaus Stekas also dropped a 90-89 overtime decision to Vytis Zanavykas.

After this game, Zalgiris is scheduled to visit Barcelona, while Vilniaus Stekas will travel to Kretingos Kretinga. Zalgiris then will host Marijampole, Kauno Atletas, Anadolu Efes, Taurages, Jurbarko and ASVEL, and will visit Kedainiai Nevezis, Fenerbache Koleji and Vytis Zanavykas. Vilniaus Stekas will host Kauno, Naglis Palanga, Mazeikiai, Neptunas 2, Alytaus Patriotai and Rytas 2, and will visit Telsiai, Kedainiu and Vilkaviskis.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Zalgiris 102, Vilniaus Stekas 95.