«Neptunas» Klaipeda, Lithuania vs. «Tsmoki-Minsk» Minsk, Belarus

In week five of the regular season, Lithuanian Neptunas overcame Belorussian Tsmoki-Minsk in Klaipeda in overtime, 110-106. Both clubs played open, high-scoring basketball and set several new VTB United League records.

The story
The visitors, underdogs coming into the contest, knew they had nothing to lose and played up-tempo, wide-open basketball from the opening tip. The tactic surprised Kazys Maksvytis and his men and they fell trailed by 6 at the end of the first quarter, 25-19.
Neptunas accepted Minsk’s challenge to push the pace in the second quarter, however. The Lithuanians consistently fed the ball to Martynas Mazeika, who scored several easy buckets for his team. Aliaksandr Kudrautsau’s shooting, meanwhile, paced the visitors, with the sniper scoring 12 points in the first half.
The two teams scored a combined 55 points in the second quarter and headed to halftime with Neptunas leading by 5 points, 52-47. The second half featured much of the same: both teams traded quick possessions and scored at a high rate.
To the surprise of many, Neptunas failed to increase its advantage after halftime. Quite the opposite occurred, in fact, as Tsmoki-Minsk managed to tie the game in the final seconds and give VTB United League fans overtime!

The conclusion
The home team played much of the 5-minute overtime without its leader Mazeika, who fouled out. Thanks to their effort and incredible support from the stands, however, Neptunas pulled together and stood firm. Marius Runkauskas and Evaldas Dainys took control of the game, driving to the basket and converting free throws. The League debutantes ultimately celebrated their first win in the competition, while Tsmoki-Minsk suffered its fifth loss of the season.

The heroes
Martynas Mazeika and Aliaksandr Kudrautsau – you simply couldn’t mention one and not the other tonight. Neptunas-Tsmoki-Minsk turned into an incredible duel between the two sharpshooters, with each deserving victory. Both guards adjusted well to the fast pace of the game, capably led their teams and surpassed the 30-point barrier, garnering a total of 70 points between them!

Game records
216 total points – highest-scoring game in league history.
First VTB United League game in which both teams scored over 100 points.
36 overtime points – one more all-time record.
First time in league history that two players scored more than 30 points (Mazeika and Kudrautsau).
Aliaksandr Kudrautsau matched Marcus Brown and Keith Langford’s single-game scoring record, set in 2009/2010, with 37 points.

Top performers
Neptunas: Martynas Mazeika – 33 points, 7 rebounds.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Aliaksandr Kudrautsau – 37 points, 5 assists.