Lokomotiv Kuban beat Pari Nizhny Novgorod in the Game 1 on the road – 93:81 (20:16, 20:23, 22:21, 31:21).
Game progress
Pari Nizhny Novgorod won all 3 games against Lokomotiv Kuban this season. But the Playoffs games are different.
The level of tension between the teams showed from the very first possessions. It took more than 2 minutes to score. Evgenii Baburin scored the first points of the Playoffs 2023. The hosts expertly controlled the pace, shutting down Loko’s star leaders Jalen Barford and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, forced a tough, positional basketball. Only after Aleksander Sekulic timeout hepled guests to get back. The Krasnodar team shooters did a great job late in the first quarter. Jalen Barford, Dmitriy Uzinskiy and Andrey Martiuk helped to get Loko alead – 20:16.
Loko kept pushing their lead in the second quarter. After Vladislav Emchenko three-pointer, the guests led by 14 – 36:22. But the Volga team took the econtrol of the game in the end of the quarter. Evgenii Baburin, Aleksandr Chadov and Nikola Rebic made shots allowed Pari NN to cut the difference to 1 point by the halftime – 39:40.
Key moment
The guests tried to make a run again in the third quarter, but Jermaine Love stopped Loko. In the final quarter, the Krasnodar team managed to get ahead. The quarter began with the guests 10-point run – 72:60. And this time, Nizhny didn’t have the strength for another comeback. Pari NN played well on offense, but could not keep up with the opponents on defense. The guests kept a double-digit lead and got a win.
Key factor
The Playoffs mood motivated the teams to commit 63 fouls combined. Probably, free-throw percentage helped Loko to win. The guests made 31 out of 37 free throws (83.8%), while the hosts got just 22 out of 34 (64.7%).
Fact
Lokomotiv Kuban defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod for the first time this season. This win increases the Krasnodar team chances in the Playoffs.
Leaders
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Jermaine Love (33), Evgenii Baburin (15), Aleksandr Chadov (12 + 5 rebounds)
Lokomotiv Kuban: Okaro White (16 + 6 rebounds), Jaylen Barford (15 + 6 rebounds), Vladislav Emchenko (13), Andrey Martiuk (10 + 5 rebounds).
Next game: April 2 in Nizhny Novgorod
