ВЭФ Рига, Латвия vs. «Енисей» Красноярск, Россия

In the VTB United League Regular Season game Russian Enisey defeated VEF from Latvia – 73:71. The game was even until the very end of the regulation, when the visiting team managed to hold on to the slender lead, perhaps not without the help from the lady luck.

The Plot.
Enisey had never defeated VEF on their home floor in Riga, but this time they arrived to Latvia’s capital as the favorites to win.
Soon it became clear that both VEF and Enisey were going to play conservatively, relying mostly on their defense. Neither team could open up the scoring for almost three full minutes, until Ludwig Hakanson and David Kennedy exchanges threes. Kennedy stood out as he hit on a good percentage from the floor and was an overall stat sheet stuffer. It was his absurd shot at the buzzer that put Enisey up one at the half — 33:34.

As the third quarter got under way, the visiting team extended their lead to seven. After that the teams traded baskets and started the key stretch of the fourth almost even — 71:73.

The Key Moment.
The last two minutes of the game became a miniature version of the previous 38, with both teams missing a total of eight shots. VEF missed five of those after getting a few second chance opportunities, which they also weren’t able to take advantage of. The two-point Enisey’s lead remained on the scoreboard after the sound of the final buzzer, giving them a long-awaited reason to celebrate in Riga.

The Hero.
David Kennedy. An excellent all-around game for an American, who scored the basketball, got rebounds, was moving his feet on defense and even led his team in assists during the third quarter.

The Number.
9/48 – Number of combined total shots and makes for both clubs from the 3-point line (VEF — 16%, Enisey - 20%).

The Quotes.
Carlos Frade. VEF’s head coach.
Tonight our team committed a lot of errors, but I’m glad that my players have shown character and fought till the end. It is in and after the games like this one that a team gets the necessary experience to grow and get better in the future. We didn’t get lucky, so we have to work hard, so that our luck is better next time.
Oleg Okulov. Enisey’s head coach.
It’s hard for me to give an objective opinion of what happened right now, but I think we won the game with our defense. It was a difficult win, but a win nonetheless!