CSKA defeated Lokomotiv Kuban on the road in the Semifinals Game 6 – 98:75 (27-15, 25-14, 23-22, 23-24).
Game progress
The Krasnodar team led 3-2 in the Series and hoped to get a decisive win in front of their fans. The Army team, however, didn’t want to finish in the Playoffs either – their attitude was confirmed by Nikola Milutinov appearence, who missed 3 last games due of injury.
The game was equal at the start, but then the hosts had problems with scoring and made only 4 points in 5 minutes. The Army team took a double-digit lead already in the first quarter – 27:15. The second quarter began with another guests run. Loko continued to have serious offensive problems, scoring 14 points in one quarter. CSKA had a 23-point lead by the halftime – 52:29.
Key moment
The game was the same in the second half. Though Loko had frequently surprised their opponents with comebacks, this time the Krasnodar team could not accomplish the task. CSKA increased pace and began to score a lot in the fastbreaks. The Moscow team shut down Loko leaders DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Jalen Barford.
The guests controlled the game all the way to the end and didn’t allow Loko to make a run. The Series moves to Moscow, where the key game for the place in the Finals will happen.
Key factor
Alexey Shved focused on his play in today’s game and almost got a unique record – just 1 rebound away of his first-ever Playoffs triple-double.
Leaders
Lokomotiv Kuban: Anton Kvitkovskikh (13 + 10 rebounds), DeVon Acun Purcell (13), Alexander Scherbenev (9 + 7 assists)
CSKA: Samson Ruzhentsev (14 + 5 rebounds), Devonte Cacock (13 + 8 rebounds), Nikita Kurbanov (12 + 3 steals), Livio Jean-Charles (12), Dallas Moore (12), Casper Ware (11), Alexey Shved (10 + 9 rebounds + 14 assists).
Game 7: May 1 in Moscow
