Week Nine Recap

VTB-League.com recaps the action in Week Nine, including Keith Langford's big game against Khimki and a buzzer-beater for Bisons at home.

Spotlight
Two of Russia's top teams over the past decade, UNICS and Khimki have built an established rivalry. UNICS guard Keith Langford is another connection, having suited up for Khimki from 2009-2011.

Khimki traveled to the Tatar capital after knocking off Euroleague champs Real Madrid on the road. The visitors started strong, holding Langford to six points in the first half and grabbing a four-point lead at halftime.

But Langford would not be denied in the second half. The American sniper exploded for 28 points in the final 20 minutes, leading UNICS to an 82-78 win. With the victory, Kazan passes Khimki in the standings and now sits 3rd in the league.

Focus
Half a game separated CSKA and Nymburk entering Sunday's game, but this was a lopsided affiar from the opening tip. Nymburk was forced to play without three starters and never really challenged the Army Men. CSKA led by 33 at halftime and finished the game with 119 points, matching the league record set by Avtodor last season (119-68).

Thriller
Bisons overcame a 21-point deficit to trail by one point, 82-81, with three seconds left. Tuukka Kotti decided the outcome, catching the ball at the free-throw line and spinning to knock down a game-winning fadeaway jumper. The Finns enjoy their second victory of the season (83-82) and catch VEF in the standings.

Road Trip
Kalev traveled to Volgograd with a 2-4 record with all four losses coming on the road. If the Estonians wanted to match last season's playoff push, the team needed to start winning away from home. On Saturday, Kalev took a step in the right direction, burying Oktyabr under an avalanche of 3-pointers to secure a 95-83 win.

Stat of the Week
51 - Zenit's margin of victory against Vita.

Zenit won 101-50, the second biggest margin of victory in VTB United League history. Lokomotiv-Kuban holds the record, defeating Kalev by 63 last season.

Fan of the Week

MVP of the Week
Keith Langford (UNICS). The American sniper led UNICS to victory over Khimki in the Game of the Week. Langford scored 34 points (11-17 from the field, 10-12 from the line) to go with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and an efficiency rating of 29. 

Quotable
Khimki head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
- I give Langford credit. 34 points! 28 points in the 3rd and 4th quarter! He played his best game in 10 years! He played smart. At times, he's gets carried away, but today everthing came together...

Legends like Oscar Schmidt, Nikos Galis, and Sasha Djordjevic used to take over games in this fashion, but you don't see it as much anymore. Vyaltsev played solid defense on Langford, but his teammates were not as successful.

Snapshot