CSKA defeated Astana at home – 118:77 (37:11, 27:18, 28:20, 26:28).
Game progress
From the first possession, the hosts began to justify the leader status and took a double-digit lead – 17:3. Gleb Plotnikov timeout couldn’t slow down the Moscow team momentum. CSKA pushed the lead to 26 points by the end of the opening quarter. The break helped the guests recover from such poor start and revitalize the offense after 9 straight points by Danila Pokhodiaev. But Astana still couldn’t stop the opponent. Andreas Pistiolis team moved the ball a lot, got open shots and had a comfortable lead by halftime – 64:29.
In the second half, CSKA coaching staff got rotation players on the floor, who also showed good efficiency. Mikhail Karpenko and Ruslan Abdulbasirov helped the Moscow team build the lead. Astana managed to get a a 12:3 run in the final quarter, but the the guests didn’t have enough energy for a comeback. The hosts pick-and-rolls and field-goal attempts allowed to score 100 points midway through the fourth quarter and take the win.
X-factor
Offensive variety became the key of CSKA win. The Moscow team’s 8 players ended the game with 10 or more points.
Facts
Andreas Pistiolis team scored season-high 118 points.
CSKA has the best point differential after tonight’s game (+652).
Mikhail Karpenko (12 points), Nikita Mikhailovskii (11 points) and Yury Umrikhin (11 points) set their new season-high performance.
Leaders
CSKA: Melo Trimble (17), Anton Astapkovich (13 + 5 rebounds), Casper Ware (13), Vladimir Karpenko (12), Ivan Ukhov (11 + 6 rebounds), Yury Umrikhin (11), Nikita Mikhailovskii (11), Ruslan Abudlbasirov (11).
Astana: Daniel Utomi (21), Grigory Motovilov (13 + 9 assists), Danila Pokhodiaev (11 + 5 rebounds).
What’s next
CSKA: March 1 at home against UNICS
Astana: March 1 on the road versus Zenit.
