UNICS beat Lokomotiv-Kuban in semi-finals game 2 on the road – 79:69 (21:20, 21:24, 23:13, 14:12).
Top scorers
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Mindaugas Kuzminskas (20 + 6 rebounds), Drew Gordon (12), Kevin Hervey (12 + 6 rebounds), Nigel Williams-Goss (12 + 5 assists).
UNICS: Jamar Smith (17 + 7 rebounds), Okaro White (16 + 5 rebounds), John Holland (12), Artem Klimenko (10 + 6 rebounds).
Story
The first semifinal game of the series delighted the spectators with a hard-fought battle and intrigue: Kazan could win only in overtime. In the second meeting, there was no clear favorite either.
The opening minutes confirmed expectations. The teams didn’t force the pace and there was no clear leader for a long time. The visitors were the first to step up. Three-pointers made the difference. Jamar Smith and John Holland made three shots from beyond the arc, giving Kazan a five-point lead, 16-11. UNICS couldn’t take advantage of their momentum, however. After a timeout by Evgeny Pashutin, Loko evened the game, and by second quarter the lead was minimal, 21-20.
The second quarter was also an even fight. The difference between the two teams was never more than three points. For much of the quarter the home team led, with Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Drew Gordon leading the way with a combined 24 points. As a result, by halftime the teams were separated by just one shot, made by Loko guard Nigel Williams-Goss: 44-42.
Guess who's back @NigelWG5 🚨
Halftime:@lokobasket 44@unicsbasket 42
Watch LIVE 2nd half on https://t.co/yV5SuibzOt:https://t.co/nsotLfVOWx pic.twitter.com/BRNuZapdFP
— VTB League (@VTBUL) May 20, 2021
In the third 10 minutes, the visitors came out charging. Thanks to their international players, UNICS seized the initiative and gradually began to pull away. By the end of the quarter, Kazan even had a double-digit lead (62-51). At the end of the quarter, Kuban managed to cut the lead, but a spectacular three-pointer by Jamar Smith gave the visitors a comfortable lead back, 65-57.
🚨 @Jamar_Smith309 closes 3rd Q with 3! pic.twitter.com/e3v30EeGaI
— VTB League (@VTBUL) May 20, 2021
Key moment
From the start of the final quarter, Krasnodar tried to get back into the game. Thanks to the efforts of Williams-Goss and Kuzminskas, Krasnodar cut the lead to one shot, 65-67. But that was the home team’s maximum. UNICS had no intention of giving up the game. The visitors came out on defense, while Jamar Smith and Okaro White scored on offense, making the score 73-65. Loko’s final attempt to save the game was marred by their own mistakes. Kevin Hervey and Mindaugas Kuzminskas committed three straight turnovers in the closing minutes, after which the game was decided.
The series moved to Kazan, 2-0 in favor of UNICS. Kazan needs only one win in their next three games to advance to the final.
Hero
Jamar Smith led the offense for UNICS in this game. The guard made 6 of 12 shots from the field, scored 17 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, had 3 assists and was the game’s most efficient player (21).
Stat
32-11 – UNICS noticeably outscored their opponent in second-chance points (15-2) and points after turnovers (17-9).
Comments
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
– The game was hard, physically tough. We controlled the game in the first half, but in the third quarter UNICS put up a serious fight and we lost our focus on individual actions. UNICS didn’t score many shots, but their offense allowed us to sit on defense for 30 seconds or longer. We needed to analyze the game and be prepared to fight physically. That’s where our tactics fall by the wayside, as UNICS is playing simple twosomes upstairs with Smith and Brown, all wide open. The challenge here is to fight for every possession and take it from the opponent. It’s a playoff game. It’s all about spirit.
UNICS head coach Dimitrios Priftis:
– It was a very hard game, I would say even harder than on Tuesday. Williams-Goss returned to the Loko lineup, adding to the team’s ball movement. Obviously, we played a good second half. We played better defense, looked solid and physical, didn’t allow Loko to score many points, which was the main reason we won. We made another step forward, but in no way should we relax, because Loko is a tough team with a lot of good players. They’re great offensively, so we can’t let them get away with scoring easy points, because then Loko will be very dangerous. We have to stay focused and show our basketball on Sunday.
Next
Game 3 takes place on May 23 in Kazan.
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