Week 11 In Review: Three Overtimes, Khimki’s 3-Point Barrage And Sneaky Fridzon

Week 11 In Review: Three Overtimes, Khimki’s 3-Point Barrage And Sneaky Fridzon

The pre-New Year’s competition was spectacular.

Nizhny Novgorod hosts double-overtime thriller

Nizhny is used to wild finishes regardless of the status of the opponent. Sunday’s game vs. PARMA was no exception.

Perm was able to build an 11-point lead during the course of the game, leaving Zoran Lukic none too pleased with his team’s performance.

But Nizhny came charging back to force overtime and was seconds from winning at the end of the first overtime, before Michael Humphrey intervened:

 98-98 with two seconds to go in double overtime. Triple OT? No, Ivan Strebkov snuck in the game-winner: 

Chris Czerapowicz and Kendrick Perry were the stars for Nizhny Novgorod, combining for 52 points and eight 3-pointers. 

Perry celebrated his birthday on Sunday and the team got him an excellent present. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvdqYZBr2R/

Astana enjoys another comeback at home

Of Astana’s seven victories, only three have come at home. Two of those victories have featured spectacular comebacks. At the end of October, the Kazakhs overcame a 19-point deficit to Zenit, while on Sunday they erased a 14-point deficit to Avtodor. 

Saratov was much better in the first half. Trae Golden scored 11 points in five minutes and Perrin Buford threw down on Ken Horton in transition:

Avtodor was on pace to score 100 points, but began to sputter in the second half, while Astana found its rhythm on offense. Geoffrey Grosselle was magnificent, scoring 15 points in the 4th quarter and forcing overtime with a pair of free throws.

Astana went on to destroy Avtodor in overtime, scoring 22 points for an emphatic 17-point win. The Kazakh club now has a tight grip on 4th place.

Both coaches were fired up throughout the contest:  

Khimki puts on 3-point show in the Game of the Week

Two days before the game with Khimki, Zenit’s front office took serious measures, firing Vasily Karasev and bringing in Joan Plaza as new head coach. 

The Spaniard’s debut, however, was a dud. Khimki made sure, scorching St. Petersburg’s defense for 30 points on 6-7 shooting from beyond the arc in the 1st quarter. 

Zenit briefly slowed the Yellow and Blue rout in the 2nd quarter, but after halftime Khimki was unstoppable. Even without Alexey Shved. 

Khimki won comfortably, but the biggest play of the game belonged to Jalen Reynolds, who may have thrown down the dunk of the year:

Kalev improves its playoff chances

After a disappointing trip to Astana, Kalev faced another long flight east, this time to Krasnoyarsk. The Estonians were much better in Siberia, securing a valuable road win. 

Despite Enisey’s best efforts, Kalev led throughout the contest and did so in style:

Enisey tried to erase an early 20-point deficit, but ran out of time, 88-80. During the press conference, Oleg Okulov said he had “questions about effort for players with leading roles on the team.” 

Meanwhile, Kalev, which has never reached the postseason, now sits in 7th place and trails Zenit by only one victory. The Estonians host CSKA in the final game of 2018. 

Mutombo-style

Kalev center Reggie Lynch recorded four blocks vs. Enisey, shaking his head every time, “Don’t even try.” 

Fridzon takes advantage of Shved’s injury

Lokomotiv-Kuban needed a lot of time to break Zielona Gora’s resistance on the road. The Poles were solid defensively and enjoyed several big plays on their home court: 

Zielona Gora even had a chance to win, before Dmitry Kulagin seized control to save Lokomotiv from another upset: 

Vitaly Fridzon also used his time wisely. With Alexey Shved missing several games due to a broken finger, the Loko sniper has regained the lead as the League’s all-time scoring leader:

UNICS celebrates president Bogachev’s anniversary with a win over Tsmoki

20 years ago, on December 24, 1998, Evgeny Bogachev became UNICS president. The team gave the executive an excellent gift by defeating Tsmoki-Minsk. 

The Belarusians kept it close for three quarters and even led at halftime. Greek center Zisis Sarikopoulos, for example, recorded his first double-double in the League: 

But the Dragons ran out of steam and UNICS secured its 8th win of the season, 88-69. 

CSKA extends winning streak

CSKA is the only team in the League without a defeat. This weekend was no exception as the Army Men blew out Riga on the road. 

Seeing how other contenders fared in recent games, Dimitris Itoudis decided not to take any chances and brought virtually everyone to Riga. Sergio Rodriguez was the star, recording 21 points and six assists.

Two days before New Year’s Day, December 30, CSKA plays Kalev on the road, before hosting VEF a week later. The January 14 derby vs. Khimki, meanwhile, will be CSKA’s first serious test of the New Year. 

Team of the Week

Kendrick Perry and Chris Czerapowicz were the stars in Nizhny Novgorod’s double-overtime thriller and both made the Team of the Week. 

The thriller in Kazakhstan may not have been quite as exciting, but it does not diminish the importance of Astana’s win over Avtodor. Anthony Clemmons (24 points and nine assists) carried the team throughout the contest, while Geoffrey Grosselle scored a career-high 26 and made the difference down the stretch. 

Kalev is hunting its first-ever playoff berth and Chavaughn Lewis was the primary reason for Tallinn’s win in Krasnoyarsk, recording 25 points, three steals and a 21 efficiency rating. 

Standings