Lokomotiv Kuban defeated UNICS in the Semifinals Game 6 at home – 98:68 (21:19, 28:17, 25:13, 24:19).
Game progess
UNICS and Loko had equal first quarter – 21:19. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Patrick Miller put together a 15:6 run in the opening minutes of the second quarter and gave the hosts the first double-digit lead – 38:27. UNICS’ leaders had problems with opponents defense: Nenad Dimitrijevic and Jalen Reynolds combined for only 8 points in the first half. The Kazan team offense was led by Dmitry Kulagin, but the Russian guard efforts were not enough for a comeback. Aleksander Sekulic team had a lead by the halftime – 49:36.
In the second half, the guests continued to make mistakes – the Kazan team commited 3 fouls, and Reynolds got his 4th foul. The absence of UNICS’ key center gave the Krasnodar team an advantage in the paint. Miller and Maurice Ndour brought the score to 20-point difference, and another solo dunk by Akoon-Purcell brought Loko’s lead to 30 points at the start of the fourth quarter. In the remaining time, the Kazan started to play a little better, but couldn’t organize a comeback. The Krasnodar team got tge win and tie the Series score.
X-factor
Throughout the game, Loko players showed aggressive and effective defense, forcing the Kazan team to make 21 turnovers. The Krasnodar team had only 12.
Fact
Lokomotiv Kuban will play in the Semifinals Game 7 for the second year in a row without home court advantage. Last season, the Krasnodar team defeated CSKA in 7 games.
The Krasodar team outperformed UNICS by 30 points, the biggest win in both Semifinals of the current Playoffs. The previous maximum score difference was recorded in the Game 5 between CSKA and Zenit (the Moscow team win by 26).
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (24), Patrick Miller (16), Jaylen Barford (10).
UNICS: Dmitry Kulagin (18), Nenad Dimitrijevic (12 + 7 rebounds + 5 assists), Jalen Reynolds (11 + 5 rebounds).
What’s next
May 22 in Kazan.
