Lokomotiv-Kuban defeated Astana at home, 67-59 (20-18, 12-17, 17-15, 18-9).
Top Scorers
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Kevin Jones (22+5 reb), Taylor Rochestie (9+6 ast)
Astana: Ian Miller (16), Ousman Krubally (9+6 reb)
Intro
A few hours after Khimki and Avtodor set a new League record for points scored in a game (227), Lokomotiv and Astana combined for a measly 126 with only two players finishing in double digits.
Not that anyone should have been surprised. Astana was last in the League in points scored on the road (70 per game), while Krasnodar boasts the stingiest defense (67.7 per game).
Mired in a four-game skid, Astana jumped out to an 11-2 lead in Krasnodar. Loko responded, going up 20-18 to end the 1st quarter, but Astana hung around, even leading at halftime, 35-32.
Trailing by as much as eight points late in the 3rd quarter (50-42), Lokomotiv was able to rally once again, closing the period with a Evgeny Baburin 3-pointer that made it a one-point game (50-49).
Turning Point
The 4th quarter belonged to Loko’s defense. The home team lived up to its reputation, holding Astana scoreless for the first five minutes, while building a seven-point advantage.
Mardy Collins and Ryan Broekhoff took care of the offense, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to start the quarter. Loko was ultimately able to hold the visitors to nine points in the 4th, securing the eight-point victory.
Loko improves to 13-2, one game behind CSKA for 1st place. Astana drops to 6-10, only half a game ahead of Nizhny Novgorod for the final playoff spot.
Stat
13 – After losing the first two games of the season, Lokomotiv has won 13 in a row, setting a new club record in VTB United League competition. That streak will be put to the test on Sunday when Kuban travels to Moscow to face 1st-place CSKA.
Quotes
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Sasa Obradovic:
– This was a tough game for us. Astana battled for three quarters, just like it did against CSKA and Khimki on the road. They also gave us problems. We didn’t start with as much energy as we would have liked. But once we got more aggressive, it became a lot easier to make shots. I don’t know why we weren’t totally ready, but I’ve even started preparing a little for CSKA and Khimki. I don’t usually do that, but if that’s a justification for some shortcomings, then I’m willing to own up to it. Maybe the players were also starting to think about future opponents.
Astana head coach Ilias Papatheodorou:
-Congratulations to Loko on the win! We expected it would be a tough game because Lokomotiv has one of the best teams in Europe, not just the VTB League. They have been outstanding over the past three months. It was a big honor for us to play in this arena against this team. We controlled the game for much of the contest and played excellent defense, but luck was not on our side for the final five minutes. We were playing against a team on a different level and they were better than us in the decisive moments. We gave up a few 3-pointers in a row and weren’t able to hit our own shots. But I’m still proud of my players. We need to keep going; we’ve got a game on Sunday against Tsmoki.
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Up Next
Lokomotiv-Kuban: February 19 at CSKA
Astana: February 19 at Tsmoki-Minsk
