Khimki defeated Kalev at home, 81-57 (16-8, 22-16, 21-16, 22-17).
Top Scorers
Khimki: Alexey Shved (18+6 ast), Marko Todorovic (13+7 reb), Jacob Pullen (11), Valery Likhodei (10)
Kalev: Mickell Gladness (12+6 reb), Vitali Liutych (11)
Turning Point
Khimki jumped out to a 16-8 lead, holding the visitors to 31% shooting in the opening period.
The home team continued to pull away in the second period, scoring the final five points of the half to take a 38-24 lead.
Kalev never threatened in the second half, stymied by Khimki’s stingy defense. The visitors ended up shooting 37% from the field, including 4-19 from beyond the arc.
Despite struggling at times inside the arc, Moscow Region shot a blistering 45% from downtown (11-24) to pick up a comfortable 24-point victory.
Quotes
Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic:
– We played good, at times great, defense all game. It was important to win today and we did that.
Kalev head coach Alar Varrak:
– Minute by minute, quarter by quarter, our opponent pulled away by five-six points. Journalists often ask about a key moment in a game. There wasn’t one in this game. Khimki controlled the contest for the entire 40 minutes and I think the final 24-point margin tells the story.
Up Next
Khimki: January 29 at VEF
Kalev: January 26 vs. Parma
