«Tsmoki-Minsk» Minsk, Belarus vs. «Nizhny Novgorod» Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Tsmoki-Minsk defeated Nizhny Novgorod at home, 86-81. The game was decided in the final minutes as the Belarusians prevailed, picking up their 9th win of the season.

Recap
Nizhny Novgorod has already clinched a postseason berth, but needed a win to improve its chances of earning the 7th seed and avoiding CSKA in the first round.

Despite missing out on the playoffs, Tsmoki-Minsk hoped to reward the fans in the final home game of the season. After a sluggish start, the home team seized control, led by Ivan Maras's red-hot 3-point shooting. Nizhny Novgorod had success in the paint and dominated the glass, but Tsmoki's accuracy from beyond the arc put the Belarusians on top, 44-42, at halftime.

There were several lead changes in the second half with the momentum swinging back and forth until midway through the 4th quarter. Thanks to brilliant defense, Minsk kept Nizhny scoreless for three minutes to go on top by as much as seven.

Nizhny cut the deficit to one in the final seconds, but Justin Gray made his free throws and Tsmoki escaped with a win, improving to 9-20, while Nizhny drops to 16-13. 

Star Player
Ivan Maras. The Montenegrin center was unstoppable, scoring a game-high 26 points in 40 minutes on the court (78% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc).

Stat of the Game
95 - Tsmoki-Minsk was almost perfect from the line (21-22).

Snapshot