MBA defeated Astana on the road – 76:54 (23:14, 18:14, 14:16, 21:10).
Game progress
The guests started the game with 3 turnovers and had searched their offense for 3 minutes, which was taken as advantage by Astana. But Aleksandr Khomenko and Evgeny Minchenko helped MBA offense to transform with pick-and-rolls and a series of fast breaks, which helped the Moscow team to make a 13:0 run and take the lead. Timeout by Fotis Takianos couldn’t refresh the Kazkh team and MBA continues to score. Astana also had trouble in offense – only Karvel Anderson had a good stretch with 11 points. Vasily Karasev team continued to find open shots and increased score difference to 13 point by the halftime – 41:28.
At the beginning of the second half, the Kazakh team started with a full-court press, which helped to slow down the Moscow team offense. In the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, MBA players scored only 2 points. But Karasev was able to reorganize the team’s play during a timeout, after which the guests managed to make an 8:2 run that made the difference comfortable again. Astana continued to chase the opponent. Markell Johnson made difficult shots and eventually scored 21 points, but didn’t get much support from his teammates. MBA offense worked well – Khomenko found his partners with assists, while Evgeny Voronov and Vladislav Trushkin made long-range shots and drive into the paint. The Moscow team systematically built up the lead and confidently got the win.
X-factor
MBA players moved the ball actively throughout the game, which helped to make open shots. As a result, the guests made 18 assists, exactly 3 times surpassing Astana.
Fact
The win over Astana was the fourth in a row for MBA. The current winning streak is the team season-high this season and a repeat of MBA all-time winning streak in the VTB United League. Last season, the Moscow team also managed to win 4 games in a row in 2022.
Leaders
Astana: Karvel Anderson (21 + 5 rebounds), Devin Davis (10 + 8 rebounds), Markell Johnson (10).
MBA: Evgeny Voronov (17), Aleksandr Khomenko (13 + 6 rebounds + 5 assists), Evgeny Minchenko (10 + 7 rebounds).
What’s next
Astana (12-22): March 27 on the road versus MINSK
MBA (13-21): March 28 on the road against Avtodor
