UNICS Kazan, Russia vs. «Khimki» Khimki, Russia

UNICS Kazan defeated Khimki Moscow Region at home, 82-78. Khimki played hard and led by as much as 10 in the first half, but the game ultimately belonged to Keith Langford and the home team.

Intro
Two title contenders met in Kazan on Sunday afternoon with identical 5-2 records. There were several injuries: UNICS was missing Petr Gubanov and Arturas Milaknis, while Khimki played without center Paul Davis.

Khimki and UNICS combined for only 29 points in the opening period and the visitors enjoyed a 15-14 advantage. Khimki put constant pressure on Langford, subbing frequently to keep defenders fresh.

The strategy worked early on. Moscow Region kept UNICS off the 3-point line and began to pull away, leading 36-26 with 1:52 to play in the first half. Balanced offense and five offensive rebounds set the tone for the visitors. Though UNICS closed the 2nd quarter on a 6-0 run, Khimki remained up by four and limited Langford to only six points in the first half.

The momentum shifted in the second half. Evgeny Pashutin went small, shutting down Khimki's perimeter attack, allowing the home team to dictate the tempo. Langford, meanwhile, erupted for 14 points in the 3rd quarter, giving UNICS a 55-53 advantage entering the 4th quarter.

Turning Point
Khimki led by three, 68-65, with just under four minutes to play. On the following possession, Langford converted a three-point play, drawing a foul on Khimki guard Tyrese Rice. The next time down the court, Langford drilled a contested '3', putting UNICS in front, 71-68. A Khimki turnover and two points from Quino Colom made it 73-68, giving the home team firm control.

Tyrese Rice and Egor Vyaltsev kept it close, cutting the deficit to two several times in the final minute, but UNICS was clutch at the line, closing out the 82-78 win.

Star of the Game
Keith Langford. Every basket counted in this physical, defensive matchup. Not surprisingly, Langford's 28-point explosion in the second half proved decisive, helping UNICS win and move ahead of the visitors in the standings.

Stat of the Game
28 - Langford bounced back from a quiet first half (six points), scoring 28 in the final 20 minutes to lead UNICS to victory.

Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
- We have a lot of history with Khimki and they have a terrific roster this season. It's gratifying that our guys showed their toughness and played the way we want them to. It may not have been a perfect game, but they wanted it. They fought for every ball and gave up very few open looks. It's games like these that help teams develop a winning attitude.

Khimki head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
- UNICS is a good team. Kazan prepared carefully for this game, which was not true of us. We'd played three straight on the road and only had one day between our return from Madrid and the trip to Kazan. We didn't have enough time to prepare. During the first half, our defense was okay, but it got worse later on. We were missing Davis and Pateev recently had an operation. We lost to a strong team. Now we need to prepare for our next games.

Stats