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

UNICS Kazan defeated Khimki Moscow Region on the road, 90-85. Keith Langford's record 23 points in the opening period gave the White-Greens an early lead, which they managed to preserve until the final whistle. Kazan stays in the hunt for the top seed with the win, while Khimki drops its 4th in a row.

Intro
Khimki had lost three straight entering Sunday, the team's longest-ever losing streak during the regular season. Moscow Region also suffered a setback vs. Laboral Kutxa in the Euroleague earlier in the week.

UNICS was in a similar position. The club failed to advance to the Eurocup quarterfinals and lost big to CSKA last weekend. A win over VEF on Wednesday helped a little, but both clubs desperately needed a win in Sunday's showdown.

During the first meeting in Kazan, Keith Langford scored 28 points in the second half to lead UNICS to victory. This time around, Langford did most of his damage in the opening period, lighting up Khimki's defense for a record 23 points (8-11 from the field, 3-3 from the line) in 10 minutes. Khimki, on the other hand, needed five minutes to score its first field goal.

With Langford on the bench in the 2nd quarter, Khimki started to chip away at Kazan's lead. Moscow Region kept UNICS from scoring for one four-minute stretch and cut the deficit to 10 at halftime, 45-35.

Langford and Kostas Kaimakoglou kept Khimki at bay in the 3rd quarter, helping preserve a seven-point advantage entering the 4th quarter.

Early in the final period, Khimki cut the deficit to six. UNICS forward Latavious Williams responded with a huge offensive board and dunk, and Kaimakoglou knocked down a '3' to stretch the lead back to double digits.

Turning Point
Khimki mounted one final comeback in the closing minutes. Trailing by four with seven seconds to play, Alexey Shved drew a foul on a 3-point shot. Unfortunately for the home fans, he only made one, allowing Kazan to close out the win at the free-throw line.

Star Player
Keith Langford. Unbelievably, Langford one-upped his electric performance against Khimki in Kazan. He put his name in the record books with the 1st-quarter outburst and continued to excel over the final three periods, finishing with 38 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Stat of the Game
23 - number of points scored by Langford in the opening period. That's a new record for one quarter, surpassing Randy Culpepper's previous mark of 21.