PARMA beat Lokomotiv Kuban in Perm – 73:67 (19:16, 14:16, 21:15, 19:20).

Game progress
Just like in the game against MBA, the Perm team focused on breaking down the opponent offense in the first half. This task was easier to do due to DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell absence. The hosts made the Krasnodar team to stop rushing into fastbreaks. On offense, PARMA relied mainly on B.J. Johnson (10 points per quarter). By the halftime, Evgeny Pashutin team led by 1 point (33:32).

In the second half, PARMA began to gradually build up the lead. Aleksandr Platunov and a dunk by Johnson led to a double-digit lead, which reached 12 points by the start of the final quarter (61:49).

Key moment
However, Loko  confirmed the League’s most emotional team status once again, ready to make a comeback at any moment. The guests made an 18:8 run and reduced PARMA lead to just 1 point (69:67).

Still, the hosts took the lead in the end. On the final possession, Isaiah Reese managed to provoke Martiuk to commit foul and made both free throws. Loko had 13 seconds to save, but made a turnover and Stanislav Ilnitskiy ended the game. The 3-game winning streak allows PARMA to move closer to the Playoff zone.

X-factor
PARMA defense has played a key role in the team’s win for the second time in a row. Last round, the Perm team made MBA to has the least scoring game, while this round Lokomotiv Kuban had the same faith.

Fact
PARMA  wins a game in which B.J. Johnson scored 20 or more points once again. There has been only 1 exception – the forward scored only 15 points in the winning game against MBA. On the other hand, Loko has confirmed the “Akoon-Purcell rule”: when he’s not playing, the Krasnodar team lose much more often (1-5), but with the forward has 8 wins in 9 games.

Leaders
PARMA: B.J. Johnson (21 + 5 rebounds + 4 steals), Richard Solomon (17 + 6 rebounds), Isaiah Reese (13 + 5 assists), Aleksandr Platunov (12), Ruslan Abdulbasirov (7 + 9 rebounds).
Lokomotiv Kuban: Jaylen Barford (25), Andrey Martiuk (15 + 7 rebounds), Okaro White (9 + 6 rebounds), Anton Kvitkovskikh (6 + 5 rebounds).

What’s next
PARMA (7-8): December 10 on the road against Pari Nizhny Novgorod
Lokomotiv Kuban (9-6): December 9 on the road versus MBA.