UNICS defeated Avtodor at home – 84:58 (19:16, 25:20, 24:15, 16:7)
Game progress
Although UNICS was the obvious favorite, the Saratov team had an aggressive attitude. The first quarter was equal. Jamal Jones put the guests ahead – 36:33, but Dmitry Kulagin immediately tied the score and started an 11-0 run, which helped the hosts to led by halftime – 44:36.
Key moment
At the start of the third quarter, Avtodor managed to cut the deficit a bit, but then Artem Komolov stepped up with 8 points in 2 minutes. Avtodor offense fell off, and attempts to fix the situation with long-range shots only resulted in misses, so UNICS lead began to widen rapidly. By the middle of the third quarter, Jalen Reynolds brought the Kazan teas lead to 21 points, after which the end of the game became a formality. The win returned UNICS to the top spot in the standings, which CSKA had briefly got.
X-factor
UNICS offense was the reason to the hosts win. By the end of the game, the Kazan team outscored Avtodor in assists – 27 – 9.
Facts
UNICS coach Velimir Perasovic turned 60 on the day of the game.
The score of today’s game repeated the first teams’ clash of the season result – 84:54.
Avtodor has never won in Kazan in the VTB League.
Leaders
UNICS: DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (18 + 5 rebounds + 5 assists), Jalen Reynolds (15), Artem Komolov (12 + 6 rebounds), Marcos Knight (12 + 5 rebounds), Ismael Bako (11 + 10 rebounds), Dmitry Kulagin (9 + 6 rebounds + 8 assists).
Avtodor: Bryant Crawford (19), Dusan Beslac (10), Jamal Jones (8 + 7 rebounds).
What’s next
UNICS: February 13 on the road against Zenit.
Avtodor: February 12 at home versus Enisey.
