04january
Week Fifteen Recap
Lokomotiv-Kuban's win over Zenit, a dominant victory for Khimki and more in our Week Fifteen recap.
Spotlight
Lokomotiv-Kuban turned heads around the Euroleague during the fall, but a sluggish start in the VTB United League left the Railwaymen in 7th place in the standings entering Sunday's showdown with Zenit. Head coach Georgios Bartzokas has said that he expects his men to put together a big winning streak and right the ship. After knocking off Enisey and
Tsmoki-Minsk to close out 2015, Krasnodar kept rolling in 2016, defeating 3rd-place Zenit, 78-70. With the victory, Kuban also moves into 6th place, catching Nymburk in the standings. Zenit, meanwhile, drops to 8-2 and 4th place, a game back of surging Khimki.
Derby
Just 300 km separate Riga and Tallinn, making this one of the league's closest geographic rivalries. Favored entering the game, Kalev trailed most of the contest, despite playing at home. VEF led by as much as 21 points in the second half, before the home team mounted a furious comeback, cutting the deficit to three early in the 4th quarter. The Latvians, however, were able to hang on, pulling out an 86-78 win for their 4th win of the season.
Thanks to the victory, VEF catches Kalev in the standings and moves into 12th place, half a game back of 9th-place Enisey.
Accuracy
All 12 players on CSKA's game-day roster made an appearance in the win over Astana, with 11 players scoring in the game. As a team, CSKA shot a terrific percentage from the field, averaging 50% from beyond the arc and 61% overall to blow out Astana, 102-67. Moscow has now won 11 straight in the league and takes a two-game lead on 2nd-place UNICS.
Knockout of the Week
Nizhny Novgorod and Tsmoki-Minsk were 8th and 9th, respectively, entering Sunday's game. Nizhny held a one-and-a-half game lead over Minsk, but a victory for the Belarusians would have allowed them to close the gap on Nizhny to a measly half game.
Instead, Nizhny Novgorod seized control of the game in the 3rd quarter, ripping off a 21-2 run, then cruised to victory down the stretch (100-85). Nizhny solidifies its grip on 8th place and moves back above .500 (7-6).
Comfort Level
"A lot of guys still don't know each other that well." Krasny Oktyabr head coach Kirill Bolshakov's post-game commentary summed up Volgograd's performance on Sunday. The Steelmen signed two big men--Davon Jefferson and Ekene Ibekwe--over the holidays. Taking on a seasoned Bisons squad, Krasny Oktyabr struggled early to match the visitors' poise and smart play. Volgograd had some success in the 4th quarter, but by then it was too late, as the Finns held on for an 83-78 win and caught Krasny Oktyabr in the standings.
Fan of the Week
Streak
Vita introduced a new head coach--former VEF coach Nikolai Mazur--and brought in two American free agents. But Avtodor thoroughly spoiled Mazur's coaching debut, winning big in the Georgian capital over the weekend. Since making its own change at head coach earlier this season, Avtodor has been on a roll. The Russians kept cruising in Tbilisi, knocking off Vita, 111-59, to secure their sixth straight win. Now 5th in the standings, Avtodor trails 4th-place Zenit by half a game.
Blitzkrieg
UNICS put the hammer down in the 1st quarter, blitzing Enisey 30-13 at home. Kazan had little trouble the rest of the way, securing a comfortable 94-75 win. Evgeny Pashutin's men have won seven in a row to stay within striking distance of 1st-place CSKA.
Stat of the Week
123 - number of points scored by Khimki against Nymburk. That's the 2nd-biggest total in league history, trailing only Avtodor's 131-point outburst earlier this season vs. Astana.
The home team led by three points at the end of the 1st quarter, but a 14-0 run to start the 2nd quarter shifted the momentum. Khimki never looked back, scoring 100 points over the final three quarters for a decisive 123-71 victory.
MVP of the Week
Rasid Mahalbasic (Nizhny Novgorod). The Slovenian big man's efficient performance at both ends of the court helped Nizhny Novgorod knock off Tsmoki-Minsk and solidify its spot in the league's top-8. Mahalbasic finished with 20 points (8-11 from the field), five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one block and a 27 efficiency rating.
Quotable
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Ainars Bagatskis:
- First off, I want to congratulate everyone on the New Year and our first win in 2016. We continue to play like we did last year. Sometimes we look like an NBA team, other times we don't look like we belong in the VTB United League. It's encouraging that our good stretches compensate for the disgusting stretches. It's really nice to play in this gym and, believe me, you can hear that people are here to watch basketball, not theater. Thank you to the fans for helping us win today.
Play of the Week
Photo of the Week
Standings
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