UNICS defeated Pari Nizhny Novgorod at home – 91:61 (22:7, 25:9, 18:22, 26:23).
Game progress
UNICS justified the favorite status from the start, as Nenad Dimitrijevic and Marcos Knight made a 16-4 run in the first 6 minutes of the game. Nizhny had major problems in offense with only 7 points in a quarter. The hosts lead grew rapidly – the Kazan team took a 20-point lead after several guests’ turnovers and at the end of the first half the lead was 31 points – 47:16.
After the halftime, Nizhny Novgorod failed to organize a comeback. Aleksa Novakovic scored 20 points, but his efforts weren’t enough. UNICS continued to maintain a comfortable lead, showing a wide offensive variation. 5 UNICS players got 10 points or more. Jalen Reynolds dominated the paint, while Zaitsev and Dimitrovic regularly made fastbreaks. As a result, Velimir Perasovic team maintained the lead through the second half and got the win – 91:61.
X-factor
Defense played a key role in such a confident win for UNICS. In the first half, the Kazan team allowed their opponents to score only 2 points from the paint and was able to create a big lead. The hosts also allowed Nizhny Novgorod to make only 30% of their two-pointers.
Fact
The leaders absence affected Nizhny Novgorod offense – in today’s game Zoran Lukic’s team scored only 16 points in the first 2 quarters.
Leaders
UNICS: Jalen Reynolds (17 + 9 rebounds), Nenad Dimitrijevic (16 + 5 assists), Eric Green (16), Viacheslav Zaitsev (12), Marcos Knight (11).
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Aleksa Novakovic (20 + 6 rebounds), Filipp Gafurov (10).
What’s next
UNICS (10-4): December 11 on the road against Astana
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (4-10): December 10 at home versus PARMA.
