12january
Week Sixteen Recap
CSKA wins its 12th straight, Krasny Oktyabr ends a five-game skid, Michael Dixon erupts for 35 and more in our VTB United League Week Sixteen recap.
Showdown
The 2014-15 season marked the return of Avtodor vs. CSKA, Russian basketball's premier rivalry during the late 1990's. The two teams traded road wins last season and Avtodor hoped to reward the fans with a win at home against CSKA on Sunday.
Since giving Alexey Vasilyev the head coaching position, Avtodor had won six in a row, averaging 88.3 points per game. But CSKA managed to keep Saratov's offense in check, giving up just 72 points to secure a comfortable 19-point victory. CSKA also extends its winning streak to a league-best 12 games.
Turnaround
Enisey and Krasny Oktyabr are trying to catch Nizhny Novgorod for 8th place in the standings and needed a win this weekend to stay in the hunt. The two teams have also seen a lot of intermingling in recent years, giving the game a personal edge. Viacheslav Zaitcev spent several seasons with Enisey and teammates Vasily Zavoruev and Jerry Jefferson each spent one year at the Siberian club. Meanwhile, Vladimir Pichkurov and D.J. Kennedy both played a handful of games for Volgograd.
Enisey dominated the opening half to secure a 19-point lead at halftime. In the midst of a five-game skid, little was expected of the visitors, but Oktyabr could not be stopped in the second half, outscoring Enisey by 27 points to grab the win. The Steelmen pass up Enisey in the standings and improve to 5-9, two games back of 8th-place Nizhny.
Superior Performance
Zenit played three games on the road last week, finishing in Kazan against high-flying UNICS. Perhaps worn out by the travel, Zenit got off to a sluggish start, giving up a 20-3 run to open the game. Kazan ended the first half on top, 55-33, and went on to win comfortably, 101-66, extending its winning streak to seven. Zenit remains in 4th place with the loss, half a game up on Lokomotiv-Kuban.
High Stakes
Half a game separated these two teams entering Sunday's contest. The winner would get 7th place, while the losing team would drop to 8th, where it risked dropping out of the playoff zone.
Not surprisingly, both teams were desperate to avoid a loss and played hard from the opening tip. The game was decided in the final minutes. After Nizhny briefly took the lead late in the 4th quarter, Nymburk guard Michael Dixon caught fire, helping his team emerge with a 76-70 win.
Return
Five straight losses had dropped Tsmoki-Minsk out of the playoff zone, despite the team's solid start to the season. Needing to turn things around, Tsmoki picked up an important win at home over Kalev. Following a competitive first half, the Belarusians pulled away in the 3rd quarter, outscoring Kalev 30-15, and went on to win, 100-77.
Fans of the Week
Resistance
Coming off a huge Euroleague win vs. Anadolu Efes, Lokomotiv-Kuban was heavily favored in Riga. Kuban coach Georgios Bartzokas warned his team not to take VEF lightly, especially on the road, but the Railwaymen still struggled much of the game.
Trailing by three, with just over three minutes to go, Malcolm Delaney stepped up to rescue Lokomotiv, knocking down a big three and dishing out an assist that helped the visitors take control. Despite playing Lokomotiv-Kuban tough for over 35 minutes, Riga ran out of steam, turning the ball over twice in the closing minutes to suffer a heart-breaking defeat, 89-84.
Kuban is now 9-5 in the league and has won four straight, trailing 4th-place Zenit by half a game.
Duet
Khimki stars Alexey Shved and Tyrese Rice combined for 56 points in the win over Astana. The duo accounted for more than 50% of Khimki's offense, without even including Rice's 12 assists. Astana never had a chance against Moscow Region, dropping a 108-74 decision. 3rd in the standings, Khimki sits half a game back of UNICS.
Stat of the Week
22 - Vita dominated the glass against Bisons, pulling down 22 offensive boards, one of the best results ever recorded in the league.
Amazingly, Vita played the game with only six men, keeping the score close against Bisons for two and a half quarters before running out of steam and losing by 16, 89-73. Vita has shown considerable progress in recent weeks and may be on the verge of finally earning a win. As for Bisons, Greg Gibson's men have won two straight to improve to 6-10 and 10th in the standings.
MVP of the Week
Michael Dixon (Nymburk). Despite starting the game on the bench, Dixon scored nearly half of his team's points, including several huge baskets down the stretch vs. Nizhny Novgorod. Dixon finished with 35 points (12-16 from the field, 4-6 from beyond the arc) to go with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a 42 efficiency rating.
Quotable
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Georgios Bartzokas:
- We didn't expect an easy win in Riga. VEF plays team basketball and moves the ball well. Newcomer Josh Harrellson is a very strong addition. I'm shocked that Riga has only won four games thus far. The team has a promising future. Everyone tries to move the ball and they play tough.
Play of the Week
Photo of the Week
.jpg)
Standings
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
.png){kind=small} |
 |
||
