«Lokomotiv-Kuban» Krasnodar, Russia vs. «Khimki» Khimki, Russia

Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar defeated Khimki Moscow Region at home, 94-81. The home team got off to a strong start and maintained control of the game until the final buzzer. Loko's winning streak reaches 12, lifting Krasnodar into 3rd place, while Khimki remains stuck in 5th.

Intro
Lokomotiv-Kuban entered the game with the league's longest active winning streak (11). Khimki, on the other hand, had dropped two in a row. Both teams had a chance to make up some ground on 2nd-place UNICS, who lost on Sunday to CSKA.

Loko came out firing, shredding Khimki's defense to take a 15-5 lead in the first four minutes. Ryan Broekhoff got into the paint, Victor Claver finished an alley-oop and Malcolm Delaney knocked down a '3' as the home team attacked from all angles.

Alexey Shved and Paul Davis helped Khimki stay within striking distance, but the visitors still trailed by eight, 26-18, at the end of the opening period.

Lokomotiv pushed its lead to double digits several times in the 2nd quarter, but Shved and Tyrese Rice kept Moscow Region in the game. The period ended in a tie, 22-22, giving Lokomotiv a 48-40 edge at halftime.

Both teams struggled to score in the 3rd quarter. Twice, Khimki pulled within a single possession, but Anthony Randolph answered both times, knocking down jumpers to keep the home team on top. Entering the 4th quarter, Lokomotiv's lead remained at eight, 65-57.

Turning Point
Khimki started the final period on a 7-2 run, capped by James Augustine's put-back dunk. That cut the deficit to three, 67-64, with 8:09 to play.

The answer this time came from Chris Singleton. His mid-range jumper sent Krasnodar ahead by five, sparking an 11-1 run for the home team that put the game out of reach. Khimki never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way, slumping to a 3rd-consecutive defeat.

Star Player
Victor Claver. The ex-Khimki player did everything he could to make his former team regret its decision to part ways over the summer. The Spaniard shot 9-11 from the field, scoring 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Stat of the Game
14 - number of Khimki turnovers. Krasnodar only gave the ball away six times.