Pari Nizhny Novgorod was able to defeat UNICS in the end and won the 16th game of the season — 78:68 (20:18, 19:22, 13:11, 26:17).
Game progress
The previous 3 rivals games this season ended with UNICS wins. On the home court, Nizhny Novgorod wanted to end the losing streak.
The game started very hard. Daryl Macon suffered an injury, but returned during the first quarter. UNICS still could not find their basketball for a very long time. The hosts looked better in tough style of play and in the middle of the second quarter after Dmitriy Khvostov drive, Pari NN led by 12 points – 39:27.
But UNICS class still affected. The Kazan team added some toughness and completely took the lead of the game due to players individual actions. The last 4 minutes of the second quarter passed with the guest total dominance. Daryl Macon, Louis Labeyrie, Nenad Dimitrijevic and Jalen Reynolds made a 13-point run, which allowed the Kazan team to led after the first half – 40:39.
Key moment
In the third quarter, the teams were focused on defense and scored only 24 points combined. But the fourth quarter became the leaders’ time. The Kazan team guard Daryl Macon was the first who turned on. But Jermaine Love became the real hero of the ending. In the last minutes, he made 5 of 6 shots, made 7 free-throws and scored 18 points. But UNICS players had a hard time with a lot of mistakes and fouls. As a result, the Kazan team could not create an intrigue and lost to Pari Nizhny Novgorod for the first time in the season.
Key factor
Jermaine Love had a brilliant game. The guard made 9 of 17 shots, scored 28 points and repeated his career high in the VTB League.
Fact
UNICS got the third lose in a row this season. After this game, the Kazan team lost chances for the first place. Now the team is 3 wins behind CSKA.
After today’s win, Pari Nizhny Novgorod equalises with Lokomotiv Kuban in the fight for the fourth place and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams now have 16 wins in 28 matches.
Leaders
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Jeremaine Love (28), Dmitriy Khvostov (10 + 6 assists), Maksim Salash (9 + 8 rebounds)
UNICS: Daryl Macon (20), Jalen Reynolds (13 + 9 rebounds), Louis Labeyrie (9 + 5 rebounds), Nenad Dimitrijevic (9 + 6 rebounds)
Next games
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: home game against Lokomotiv Kuban on March 12
UNICS: home game versus MBA on March 12
