UNICS defeated Astana at home, 83-78 (25-18, 23-19, 14-21, 21-20).
Top Scorers
UNICS: Keith Langford (19), Quino Colom (18+6 ast), Latavious Williams (14+6 reb), Pavel Antipov (13)
Astana: Ian Miller (23+5 ast), Rob Lowery (13), Rod Odom (11)
Build-Up
Astana needed this game more than UNICS, knowing that a win would clinch a spot in the postseason. Kazan, on the other hand, had home-court advantage and wanted to finish the regular season on a high note after a disappointing loss to Lokomotiv-Kuban last week.
The home team led by as much as nine in the 1st quarter and really dominated the 2nd quarter, enjoying a double-digit advantage entering halftime.
Trailing by 11 at the break, Astana started strong in the 3rd quarter. Ian Miller drilled a 3-pointer, Rod Odom threw down a dunk and, just like that, the deficit was down to seven.
UNICS briefly rallied, going up 12 again, but not for long, as Miller helped his team get within four, 56-52, late in the 3rd.
Picking up where he left off, Miller drilled another 3-pointer to start the 4th quarter, making it a one-point game. It looked for all the world like the game would go down to the wire as Astana battled to punch a playoff ticket.
Turning Point
But UNICS had no regard for the narrative. Latavious Williams scored his team’s next six points before Langford added a ‘3’ that made it an eight-point game.
Kazan would lead by as much as 14 midway through the period and cruised to victory despite not scoring over the final 2:33.
Stat
17 – Kazan’s bench outscored Astana’s by 17. Only two Astana reserves scored in the game.
Quotes
UNICS head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– We closed the regular season with a win. Astana is a stubborn team and battled to the end. We couldn’t grow our lead. The visitors didn’t let us get out in transition. In the end, we played our best basketball in the last five minutes. We showed our toughness. It’s really important to start the playoffs with a clean slate. We need to be more physical, like we were in the final five minutes against Astana. Then we’ll win.
Astana head coach Ilias Papatheodorou:
– We expected it would be a tough game and knew that UNICS lost three days ago at home to Lokomotiv. But our teams are at different levels. All the same, we should haven’t been so indecisive in the first half. UNICS played, while we just watched. That’s why the home team scored 48 points on us in the first half. We discussed it in the locker room during the break with the players. As a result, we started defending more aggressively after halftime. Yes, we committed plenty of fouls, but that’s the only way to play against players like Quino Colom and Keith Langford. Nonetheless, our opponent only scored 35 points in the second half. We played much better, but it wasn’t enough to beat a team like UNICS. I wish Kazan luck in the playoffs.
Video
UNICS vs Astana one minute highlights 📹 pic.twitter.com/Z0VTfAmSnd
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) April 13, 2017
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Up Next
UNICS: Playoff quarterfinals, TBD
Astana: April 17 vs. Khimki
