Khimki Russia defeated VEF Latvia at home, 75-51 (17-15, 23-12, 22-11, 13-13).
Top Scorers
Khimki: Alexey Shved (16), Jordan Mickey (13 + 17 reb + 3 blk), Anthony Gill (12)
VEF: Andrejs Grazulis (11 + 6 reb), Kristaps Janicenoks (9)
Story
Khimki took care of business at home, limiting visiting VEF to a measly 51 points to improve to 7-0 on the season.
Alexey Shved scored 16, while Jordan Mickey recorded a huge double-double (13 points and 17 rebounds) to go with three blocks.
Moscow Region took control of the game in the 2nd quarter, extending a two-point lead to 13 at halftime.
VEF slowed down Khimki in the second half as the two teams combined for only 59 points, but never had a shot at the upset, due to an anemic performance on offense. Only one player (Andrejs Grazulis, 11 points) scored in double digits for the visitors, who drop to 1-6 with the defeat.
Khimki, on the other hand, moves into a tie for 1st place with CSKA. The two Moscow area clubs are the only remaining undefeated teams in the League.
Stat
51 – VEF set a new season low for points. The next-lowest total this season is a whopping 10 points higher (61).
Star
Jordan Mickey. The big man was a big part of Khimki’s 2nd-quarter run and completely dominated the glass throughout the contest. Mickey finished with 17 rebounds, a new season high in the League.
MVP
The Moscow Region star received his October MVP award prior to the game from VTB United League general director Ilona Korstin.
Quotes
Khimki head coach Georgios Bartzokas: “We played a focused game on defense and had the right mental approach to this game. We tried to spread out the playing time evenly and give everyone a chance to play. We knew that VEF was a very dangerous and motivated team, which has beat Khimki in Moscow Region over the past two seasons. Given those circumstances, it was very important for us to win. Congratulations to the players and fans. Thank you for the support.”
VEF head coach Janis Gailitis: “Congratulations to Khimki on the win. They played a very good game on defense, but didn’t show much talent on offense. We lacked the confidence to take advantage of our opportunities. We made the wrong decisions at the end of possessions and lost the game. We missed a lot of shots, but the guys tried and played with as much energy as possible. We lacked bodies. We were down four players today. We’ll change the roster a bit and get better. It’s too bad we’ve already played Khimki twice and didn’t play well in either the first game or the second.”
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