Week Four Recap

CSKA's statement win against rivals Khimki, Langford's big night in Kazakhstan, a wild finish in Tallinn and more as VTB-League.com recaps Week Four of the regular season.

Spotlight
CSKA defeated Khimki at home, 100-93.

Featuring bitter rivals CSKA and Khimki, Monday's game drew a big crowd in Moscow. The two European powers did not disappoint, combining for 193 points and 52% shooting from the field.

CSKA took control early from beyond the arc, leading by as much as 16 points in the 3rd quarter. But Khimki didn't fold. Thanks to balanced scoring and improved defense, the visitors tied the game at 84-84 with 4:44 to play in the 4th quarter.

The final minutes came down to execution. Trailing by two with just over a minute left in the game, Khimki couldn't stop CSKA on an important possession. Andrey Vorontsevich rebounded Cory Higgins's miss from the perimeter and Milos Teodosic converted twice at the free-throw line to make it a two-possession game.

Nando De Colo capped the CSKA win, hitting a jumper at the buzzer to give the Army Men 100 points and a perfect 3-0 start to the season.

Transformation
Lokomotiv-Kuban defeated Avtodor in Saratov, 79-70.

The first half was all offense as Lokomotiv-Kuban jumped in front 51-44 thanks to its three-point shooting.

Avtodor took a different approach in the second half, using pressure defense to slow the tempo. The home team led briefly in the 3rd quarter, but Lokomotiv proved it could adapt to a slower pace, regaining the lead and the momentum.

Despite scoring just 28 points in the second half, Krasnodar held on for a 79-70 victory, its second of the season.

Fresh Start
VEF defeated Krasny Oktyabr on the road, 94-88.

Carlos Frade's VEF started 0-3, but showed promise each time out. The breakthrough came over the weekend in Volgograd.

At the other end, Krasny Oktyabr was coming off an exhausting Eurocup game and didn't appear to be at 100%.

Nursing a slim lead late, VEF managed to keep Krasny Oktyabr from scoring in the final minute, taking advantage of several turnovers. Despite excellent production from its starting five, Volgograd drops it third straight.

Fan of the Week

Streak
Zenit defeated Tsmoki-Minsk on the road, 79-71.

Both teams came in with perfect records (Tsmoki 2-0, Zenit 3-0). The Belarusians were in control during the first half, but Zenit's 20-8 advantage in the 3rd quarter gave the visitors the lead and ultimately the win. The Russian club improved to a league-best 4-0 with the victory, while Tsmoki suffered its first defeat.

Offense
UNICS outgunned Astana in Kazakhstan, 103-98.

Kazan guard Keith Langford dominated this game from start to finish, scoring and distributing to tally 29 points and 12 assists. Despite a gutsy performance from the home team, Langford and UNICS's depth were too much for Astana to covercome. The visitors ended the game with 103 points, their third-best night of offense in the VTB United League.

Playing in Bursts
Nymburk defeated Enisey at home, 91-81.

Nymburk was missing Petr Benda and Jiri Welsch to injuries, but two bursts of offense--one to start the game and one to finish--helped the home team secure a victory. Three-point shooting and a big night from the starters (Nymburk's starting five outscored Enisey's 72-32) were the key for the Czechs. Enisey dropped to 1-3, while Nymburk improved to 3-1.

Stat of the Week
14. Bisons hit three 3's in 14 seconds to force a wild finish in Tallinn.

...Kalev escaped with an 83-78 win over Bisons.

Both teams were in search of their first win entering the Northern Derby. With less than a minute to play, Kalev appeared to have the game sewn up, but the Finns managed to hit three 3-pointers in 14 seconds to erase an eight-point deficit and very nearly steal the win. Bisons forward Martin Zeno, however, missed the potential game-winner and Kalev went on to enjoy its first victory.

Quotable
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Ainars Bagatskis:
- I never once doubted the outcome of today's game. Vita is getting better each game and has had to play several of the league's best teams. Don't judge the Georgians based on these games. I wish them luck.

...Nizhny Novgorod defeated Vita in Georgia, 100-78. The Russian visitors controlled the tempo throughout the contest and earned a comfortable 22-point win. Despite the loss, Vita gained more valuable experience and did not embarrass itself against one of the league's top teams.

MVP
Keith Langford (UNICS). Kazan scored 103 points with Langford deserving much of the credit. The American guard scored 29 points (12-20 from the field) to go with 12 assists, four rebounds, four steals and an efficiency rating of 39.

That's the best efficiency rating yet this season (Langford holds the all-time record of 49, set in 2009 with Khimki).

Play of the Week

Snapshot