Artem Vikhrov: Zenit's X-factor

Nizhny Novgorod and Zenit took center stage in Week 28. Zenit pulled out a hard-fought win that came down to the final minutes. Much of the credit for the victory should go to Artem Vikhrov, who stepped up at the end of regulation and led his club to the win.

Konstantin Kucher examines Artem Vikhrov's play in the final minutes of the Zenit - Nizhny Novgorod game for Breaking It Down.

The Zenit guard showed off his versatility against Nizhny. He was accurate from long range, distributed the ball, while engineering and finishing fast breaks.

But Vikhrov's aggressive drives to the basket posed the biggest threat to Nizhny's defense. The young Russian guard had little trouble getting into the paint where he either scored or passed the ball to an open teammate.

He wasn't even bothered when Nizhny started packing the paint and introducing new defensive schemes.

Nizhny Novgorod tried to slow Vikhrov down in the final minutes and made several changes on defense.

First, they tried to stop him with double teams.

But that left Kyle Landry open and Vikhrov took advantage, feeding the ball to the Canadian center.

On the first play, Vikhrov got the ball to Landry for an easy layup.

On the second play, Landry had a wide-open midrange jumper.

Nizhny Novgorod eventually resorted to a zone defense. But that didn't phase Vikhrov. His team needed a basket with a minute and a half to play and the 22 year old delivered.

Vikhrov drew two Nizhny defenders near the free throw line.

Then threw the ball to an open Pavel Spiridonov on the baseline.

Spiridonov didn't hesitate, knocking down the jumper.

That shot ended up being decisive. Walter Hodge and Tarence Kinsey traded baskets the rest of the game and Nizhny was never really able to threaten for the lead.

With his unselfish play, Vikhrov laid the foundation for Zenit's win on the road. He wasn't afraid of the spotlight and made several excellent passes to keep Nizhny at a distance. Though he's just starting to get more attention around the league, Vikhrov has played at a high level all season. Zenit fans hope that he continues to develop and plays big minutes in the postseason.