CSKA wins despite valiant Loko effort

CSKA Moscow defeated Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar at home, 72-65, in Game 1 of the VTB United League Finals. Despite pulling to within one possession in the fourth quarter, the Railwaymen missed an opportunity to win thanks to numerous mistakes in the final minutes.

Intro
Krasnodar’s nerves showed early in the game. The reigning champions stormed to a 13-4 lead, as Lokomotiv leaders Nick Calathes, Derrick Brown and Aleks Maric failed to make an impact. Russian teammates Valery Likhodei, Sergey Bykov and Maxim Grigoriev took the initiative for the visitors, but met with little success. A timeout and multiple substitutions helped jumpstart Krasnodar’s offense, but CSKA retained a healthy lead after one quarter of play, 21-14.

Neither team could find an edge in the second quarter. Kuban stayed alive from the perimeter, thanks to its Lithuanian snipers, while Ettore Messina’s men continued to pound the ball in the paint and force Lokomotiv into disadvantageous matchups. Andrey Vorontsevich and Victory Khryapa also chipped in with timely 3-pointers. The end of the half, however, belonged to the visitors, who
shrunk CSKA’s lead from 13 to six points in the final minute-plus. Army Men 39 – Loko 33.

Early in the third quarter, CSKA looked ready to run away with the game. They controlled the momentum and restored a double-digit lead, but once again defensive lapses at the end of the quarter allowed Lokomotiv to make a late run. Valery Likhodei, Andrey Zubkov and Alexey Savrasenko knocked down key shots and CSKA’s advantage wilted to just four points, 56-52, with one quarter to play.

Turning Point
The visitors nearly completed their comeback, but ran out of steam in the end, despite trailing by just 2-3 points late in the final period. The moment of truth came with about a minute to play. Down by four points, Kuban came up short on a drawn-out possession. Then, after the Army Men failed to score at the other end, Derrick Brown wasted an excellent fast-break opportunity by throwing the ball out of bounds. Andrey Zubkov followed up with another turnover and Aaron Jackson was able to ice CSKA’s win with three free throws.

CSKA takes an early 1-0 lead in the series, but it’s far too early to talk about a decisive advantage yet. Kuban played with heart and will almost certainly continue to make life difficult for the reigning champion in the coming games.

Star of the Game
Victor Khryapa. The forward didn’t play a starring role, but he was incredibly effective. In Teodosic’s absence, Khryapa took on the role of playmaker and collected nine assists, in addition to eight points and seven rebounds.

Stat of the Game
4 – Lokomotiv-Kuban’s final four possessions ended in turnovers. The visitors were just one step from tying the game or taking the lead, but couldn’t put it together on offense when they needed to most.

To Be Continued…
Game 2 in the CSKA – Lokomotiv-Kuban series will be held on Tuesday, June 4 in Moscow, tipping off at 7:00 pm local time. Watch live on Rossiya 2 and VTB-League.com.

Top Performers
CSKA: Andrey Vorontsevich – 15 points; Aaron Jackson – 15 points, five rebounds; Nenad Krstic – 14 points, five rebounds; Victor Khryapa – eight points, seven rebounds, nine assists.

Lokomotiv-Kuban: Mantas Kalnietis – 13 points, seven assists; Nicholas Calathes – nine points, six assists; Derrick Brown – nine points, five steals.