UNICS defeated Avtodor at home – 89:71 (16:20, 28:21, 22:9, 23:21).

Game progress
Despite their underdog status, the Saratov team started confidently with a 6:0 run. Only by the middle of the opening quarter the hosts managed to take the lead for the first time. Almost the entire first half was dominated by Avtodor and Dusan Beslac three-pointers. Shortly before the halftime, UNICS managed to take the lead, but the lead was minimal – 44:41.

In the third quarter, the Kazan team slowly began to build advantage. The situation for Avtodor was complicated by fouls, which forced  to play very cautious in defence. A 9:2 run by the hosts after the break made the difference double-digit – 53:43.

Key moment
Velimir Perasovic team won the third quarter 22:9. A fantastic stretch by Nenad Dimitrijevic, which started at the end of the third quarter, continued into the fourth quarter and gave UNICS a big win. The Kazan team secured second place in the standings at the end of the first stage of the 2023/24 regular season.

X-factor
The teams made the same number of free throws (29 attempts each), but the difference between the teams was huge. While UNICS missed only 3, Avtodor missed 16, which could have had a significant impact on the game.

Fact
Nenad Dimitrijevic set a new career-high in the United League with 35 points. His 48 eff. points is the season-high of this season in the entire League (Astana center Royce Hamm led with 44 eff. points).

Dusan Beslac also set a career-high, scoring over 20 points for the first time and made his first double-double in the League.

Leaders
UNICS: Nenad Dimitrijevic (35 + 6 rebounds + 6 assists + 4 steals), Ismael Bako (17 + 6 rebounds), Jalen Reynolds (10), Marcos Knight (10 + 5 assists), Louis Labeyrie (6 + 9 rebounds).
Avtodor: Dusan Beslac (23 + 11 rebounds), Dominic Mavra (13), Dmitriy Khaldeev (8 + 5 rebounds), Sindarius Thornwell (3 + 5 points + 6 rebounds).

What’s next
UNICS (19-6): February 4 on the road against CSKA
Avtodor (9-16): February 3 at home versus MINSK.