Samara defeated Avtodor and made it into the Top 8 with 8 wins — 87:82 (28:13, 15:25, 24:23, 20:21).
Game progress
With 7 wins in 19 games, Samara and Avtodor continue to fight for a place in the Top 8. Success in this game allowed the winner to come closer to PARMA-PARI, who lost to UNICS.
The hosts started very actively and tried to remove all questions already in the first quarter, having a 15-point lead: Samara scored different shots, but Avtodor managed to score only 13 points, most of them from the free-throw line. But it was too early for Samara to relax: Malik Newman initiated an 8:0 run. A little later, Aleksandr Petenev helped with his threes. The guests won the second quarter and the score difference did not look so bad — 43:38.
Key moment
Throughout the third quarter and most of the fourth, the guests continued a pursuit. Every time Samara led with a comfortable score, Avtodor saved the situation with three-pointers or Malik Newman drives. The last chance to change the game was when Newman made the 8-point difference 2.5 minutes before the end— 84:76.
However, KC Rivers scored a three-pointer destroyed Avtodor hopes for the clutch ending. And although the Saratov team managed to trail by 5 points in the last seconds, this did not affect the game result. Samara beat rivals and takes the 8th place in the standings.
Key factor
Marcos Knight – Jordan Theodore duo made 19 assists — 8 by Knight and 11 by Theodore. For both guards, this is career high in the United League. At the same time, Knight and Theodore made only 2 turnovers each. Exactly the same number of assists Avtodor players had made combined.
Fact
Malik Newman scored 24 or more points for the 4th game in a row. In total, the American guard has 6 such games this season: he scored 24 points twice and 25 points for 4 times.
Leaders
Samara: Jordan Theodore (17 + 11 assists), Marcos Knight (14 + 5 rebounds + 8 assists), James Ennis (13 + 7 rebounds), KC Rivers (13 + 5 rebounds), Ivan Lazarev (12)
Avtodor: Malik Newman (24 + 5 assists), Danilo Nikolic (17 + 8 rebounds), Rade Zagorac (11)
Next games
Samara: home game against UNICS on January 16
Avtodor: road game versus Enisey on January 15
