UNICS defeated PARMA in Perm – 83:74 (26:17, 13:16, 17:20, 27:21).
Game progress
The guests managed to gain a double-digit lead fairly quickly. The Kazan team was led by Louis Labeyrie and Mikhail Belenitskii, but the Russian forward was forced to get on the bench early in the second quarter after a three-pointer. The expected rivalry between Royce Hamm and Jalen Reynolds in the paint was won by UNICS bigman, who was the best scoring player of the first half and had 7 rebounds. PARMA managed to correct the low field-goal percentage, stuck to defense, making 5 steals and 3 blocks, and cut the deficit to 6 points by halftime – 33:39.
The third quarter started with three-point shots by both teams, which didn’t last too long. PARMA had the initiative in a tight game and managed to tie the score 2.5 minutes before the end of the quarter – 51:51.
Key moment
The hosts strength was limited. The teams started the final quarter with the guests’ small lead, and the Kazan team didn’t allow the opponent to get the game into the clutch. UNICS made 15 three-pointers and that was enough for the win.
X-factor
Almost all of PARMA offense came from core players. The bench didn’t score a single point in the first half. Evgeny Pashutin was forced to rely on a limited rotation throughout the game.
UNICS is the 11th team in three-point percentage (32%). The team made 15 of 32 (46.9%) long-range shots in the winning game.
Facts
The rivalry history score becomes 16:5, UNICS leads.
Last year, UNICS also started the season series against PARMA with a win in Perm (87:77), but then lost the next 3 games in the VTB League.
Aleksandr Platunov was the key player in the rivals’ last game with a three-pointer in the final seconds (82:80), now he is at the Kazan team.
Leaders
PARMA: Garrett Nevels (19), Royce Hamm (18 + 6 rebounds), Alex Hamilton (15 + 5 assists), Aleksandr Zakharov (14).
UNICS: Marcos Knight (17), Tony Taylor (15), Louis Labeyrie (14), Mikhail Belenitskii (14 + 6 rebounds), Jalen Reynolds (12 + 7 rebounds).
What’s next
PARMA: October 27 at home versus Samara.
UNICS: October 28 at home against MBA-MAI.
