«Khimki» Khimki, Russia vs. CSKA Moscow, Russia

Khimki Moscow Region shocked CSKA Moscow, 90-87, in front of a packed house on Sunday afternoon. Though CSKA held the upper hand most of the contest, Khimki caught up in the final minutes, before winning on a buzzer-beater from James Augustine. The victory extends Khimki’s winning streak to 13 games, a new VTB United League record, and gives the home team a two-game lead on CSKA for 1^st place in Group B.

Atmosphere
This was the first true sellout of the season at the Khimki basketball arena. Due to high demand in the days leading up to the game, many fans were unable to get tickets, creating a charged atmosphere for those lucky enough to get in the door. Many were reminded of the excitement of last spring’s semifinal showdown between these two clubs, when Game 5 at Khimki’s home court was accompanied by a fired-up crowd and intense battle on the court. The same was true on Sunday, with the volume of the fans at fever pitch and control of 1^st place in Group B on the line.

Intro
The first five minutes showed that CSKA had worked hard on correcting mistakes from its loss to Khimki earlier this season. The Army Men played suffocating defense early, disrupting the home team’s typically sharp ball movement. December hero Kresimir Loncar faced stiff opposition, in particular, with the visitors often looking to double and triple-team the Croatian center in the post, cutting off both his scoring opportunities and passing lanes. CSKA looked to wear Kreso down on defense, too, sending Nenad Krstic against him in the paint. Ettore Messina’s men also got some good looks from outside to jump out to a 15-4 lead.

After a timeout, Khimki shifted its attention to the perimeter. Petteri Koponen breathed some life into his team’s stagnant offense and got the home team back into the game. Rimas Kurtinaitis’s men even cut the lead to six points, 21-15, with 3:29 to play in the first quarter on a Mickael Gelabale 3-pointer, but CSKA’s Andrey Vorontsevich stopped the comeback short, converting four of four 3-point attempts in the period to restore a nine-point advantage, 32-23, after 10 minutes of play.

Khimki forward Sergey Monia’s 3-pointer with 7:04 to play in the half snapped a scoreless start to the second quarter and pulled his team back within six. Soon after, Kresimir Loncar was whistled for a third infraction, much to the displeasure of the crowd. The play on the court grew chippier, too, and the number of fouls increased. Though Loncar headed to the bench soon after, his team seemed to benefit from the shift in the game. The hosts controlled the second period, led by bench players Marko Popovic and James Augustine.

But the Red and Blue remained solid on defense, and relied on Serbian guard Milos Teodosic for offense, as he picked up 16 points in the half. His 3-pointer with nine seconds before the horn stamped CSKA’s lead at 45-38 entering halftime.

The scoring picked up again after the break. Khimki was aggressive and nearly caught its opponent several times, but CSKA always had an answer, knocking down jumpers from mid-range and beyond the arc to retain an advantage. The third quarter ended in a tie, 23-23, allowing CSKA to keep the seven-point lead, 68-61.

Turning Point
Khimki upped the pressure and forced CSKA to foul four times in the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter. At the same time, Augustine cut the lead to three points… But CSKA didn’t blink, turning to Alexander Kaun in the paint, who scored seven straight for his team to keep Khimki at arm’s length.

Yet the home team would not be denied. Ettore Messina’s men didn’t have an answer for the Popovic – Augustine combo, as their exquisite pick ‘n’ rolls ended in several rim-rattling dunks. With 4:15 to go, Khimki finally tied up the score at 76-all, setting up a thrilling finish to the game.

Down the stretch, both teams were superb in every facet of the game, trading shot for shot and refusing to yield an inch. CSKA was very close to winning after Teodosic hit two free throws with 20 seconds to play, giving the visitors the 87-85 lead. But Loncar tied the game down low on a clever inbounds play with just two seconds left, setting up one final chance for the Army Men to win the ballgame and avoid overtime.

Following a timeout, CSKA had the ball at half-court, with captain Viktor Khryapa inbounding. Unable to find a teammate closer to the sideline, Khryapa threw the ball out to midcourt, where it was intercepted by Augustine at the perimeter. Timing the final two seconds perfectly, the American big man thundered down the court on the breakaway and let the ball go just before the buzzer, a few feet in front of the 3-point line. The shot banged in off the glass, handing Khimki the 90-87 win, and sent Augustine flying back to his bench in celebration, where he was mobbed by ecstatic teammates. The Army Men trudged off the court in a daze amidst the wild celebrations of the home crowd.

That’s Khimki’s 13^th straight win, a new VTB United League record, eclipsing the mark set by CSKA several seasons ago. It also puts Khimki in the driver’s seat for 1^st place in Group B.

Star of the Game
James Augustine. No one knew who would win the game in the final minutes, but it was clear to all that Augustine would earn MVP honors if Khimki pulled out a victory. Before he hit the game-winning buzzer beater, the American big man was already 11-11 from the field with 28 points and undoubtedly responsible for keeping Khimki in the game. He scored in impressive fashion, too, slamming home several contested dunks to energize his teammates and the crowd. Which made it all the more surprising that he will be best remembered in this game for the his last-second 3-pointer that sealed the win. Augustine put on a career performance on Russian basketball’s biggest stage.

Stat of the Game
12 – number of field goal attempts from James Augustine. He made them all.

Quotes
Khimki head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
- As we expected, the game was tough. I think all the fans enjoyed the game. I’m happy for the win. We felt a lot of pressure in the first and second quarters, but I’m happy that our players, not for the first time, showed their character and didn’t fold and stumble when we were trailing. We played as well as we could for 40 minutes. Today everyone played well, and I don’t want to single anyone out, but the star, of course, was James Augustine. He played the best basketball of his life, and brought his team a win with his 30-plus points.

CSKA head coach Ettore Messina:
- We played well for much of the game. In the final quarter, when there were just 5-6 minutes left, we didn’t have enough energy, which we used generously in the meeting with Real on Thursday. The defense in the second half wasn’t on the same level as in the first. And, it’s clear that we made several mistakes in the final seconds – we didn’t get a key rebound, allowed the opposition to shoot from underneath the basket and had a turnover. Nonetheless, I’d like to note that the team bounced back mentally, played with a lot of desire and, overall, played quality basketball.

Top Performers
Khimki: James Augustine – 31 points, seven rebounds; Petteri Koponen – 14 points; Sergey Monia – 12 points, five rebounds; Marko Popovic – 11 points, 11 assists; Kresimir Loncar – 10 points.

CSKA: Milos Teodosic – 29 points, seven assists; Alexander Kaun – 14 points; Vladimir Micov – 14 points; Andrey Vorontsevich – 12 points, five rebounds.

Photo of the Game