CSKA defeated Lokomotiv Kuban in the Semifinals Game 1 at home – 87:84 (21-24, 19-22, 18-19, 29-19).
Game progress
For CSKA, the opening game was important not only for the fans. Alexey Shved, the Army team leader who hadn’t played since mid-February and who is determined to be the key factor of the playoffs, returned after a two-month absence.
Loko, however, were determined to ruin the celebration for the favorites. The Krasnodar team started the game with a quick tempo. The guests successfully made threes, and the Army team answered with Alexey Shved and Nikola Milutinov duo actions.
Loko led for the entire first quarter and briefly lost the initiative only at the beginning of the second quarter. During that segment, CSKA made a 9-0 run, the key player was Ivan Ukhov. Emil Rajkovic team, however, could not hold the lead in the first half. The rest of the half, Chris Horton dominated with alley-oops and second chance points. The teams ended the first half with a 6-point lead by the guests – 46:40.
The Army team failed to come back in the third quarter, either. Though CSKA got closer, Loko organised another run, led by Aleksandr Scherbenev. By the beginning of the final quarter, the guests had the lead – 65:58.
Key moment
The final quarter was not ideal for CSKA: Loko took advantage of turnovers, getting the double digit lead (71-61). The guests, however, also had their problems – Andrey Martiuk fouled out, and Akoon-Purcell had to be very careful with with 4 fouls. Just over a minute later, Ware helped the Army team cut the lead to a minimum and the game ending became clutch.
The ending was heated. In the final minute, Akoon-Purcell free-throw put Loko ahead. But here again, Ware factor worked. The guard gave CSKA the lead back, and the Krasnodar team had only 10 seconds to respond. Jalen Barford tried to save the game for Loko, but CSKA’s tough defense forced him to make a bad shot. Free throws by one of the heroes of the game, Ivan Ukhov, sealed the game. CSKA led 1-0.
Key factor
Casper Ware is known for his ability to show himself in at a crucial moment. Though the Krasnodar team was better than the regular season winners in many areas, the guests couldn’t control CSKA guard, who scored 18 of his team’s 29 points during the key moment.
Fact
Tonight was not just another Playoffs game for CSKA. The Army team celebrated the 100th anniversary on this day and had sold-out Megasport : win in the opening game of the Series also was a gift.
Leaders
CSKA: Casper Ware (27), Nikola Milutinov (24 + 9 rebounds), Alexey Shved (12 + 6 assists)
Lokomotiv Kuban: DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (20 + 5 rebounds), Dmitrii Uzinskii(16 + 5 rebounds), Zakhar Vedischev (11), Jaylen Barford (10 + 5 rebounds), Chris Horton (10 + 6 rebounds).
Next game: April 17 in Moscow
