PARMA beat Astana at home – 95:63 (17:16, 21:18, 31:14, 26:15).
Game progress
Royce Hamm opened the score against his former team with an energetic two-handed dunk, but the teams did not support his offensive impulse. The players showed good individual actions in defense, but the offensive game stalled.
Astana had T.J. Starks and Askar Maydekin as leaders. The Perm team relied on Hamm actions and Garrett Nevels individual skill.
Toward the end of the first half, Starks landed badly after a contact with Stanislav Ilnitsky and went to the locker room holding his hand. He scored 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the game and 2 of 3 three-pointers.
In the first half, Astana had a slightly better organized offense due to Starks, who made 5 of the team’s 6 assists. PARMA was able to turn an advantage in rebounding and shooting percentage into a 4-point lead before halftime.
Key moment
Starks was out of action and Astana game fell apart. PARMA made an 18:5 run, forcing Fotis Takianos to take a timeout twice in 3 minutes. The third quarter ended with the hosts 21-point lead. The final quarter became a formality.
X-factor
Markell Johnson missed his second game. After the last game, Fotis Takianos said that the guard was close to returning to the roster. In his absence, Starks has taken over the leading role. The guard injury was a key factor in the Kazakh team loss.
Facts
The youngest team in the League (24.1 years old) faced the shortest squad (196.4 cm). In addition, Astana newcomer center Andrey Desiatnikov (220 cm), the tallest player in the League, has not played this season yet.
Before the game, the Kazakh team ranked last in average rebounding. The game in Perm was no exception, ending with 38-25.
The teams have played 18 games. The rivalry history score is 11-7, PARMA leads. Astana has not won since October 2022.
Stanislav Ilnitsky had 7 rebounds. The forward needed 4 to move into 12th place in VTB United League all-time rebound leaders. Ilnitsky (773) surpassed Vitaly Fridzon (769). Next up is Frank Elegar (782).
Askar Maydekin finished with 14 points, making 7 of 7 from the game.
Leaders
PARMA: Royce Hamm (21 + 6 rebounds), Garrett Nevels (16 + 9 assists + 2 steals), Alex Hamilton (14 + 6 rebounds), Aleksandr Zakharov (13), Timofey Yakushin (11 + 2 blocks).
Astana: Askar Maydekin (14), James Murray-Boyles (13 + 6 rebounds), T.J. Starks (13 + 5 assists), Daniel Utomi (10 + 5 rebounds + 3 steals).
What’s next
PARMA: October 3 on the road against Zenit
Astana: October 2 at home versus CSKA.
