Week 14 in review: Khimki knock out CSKA, UNICS come back from -20, Zenit shows tight D

Years pass, but the surprises stay!

Khimki write history with a win over CSKA

The Leningradka derby was the game of the week. Khimki hosted CSKA at Mytishchi arena. Alexey Shved recovered from flu and was ready for the game thus both teams had their prime rosters (excluding Will Clyburn).

The Army club started well, but lost control in the 2nd quarter, allowed 13-0 run and started a chase:

After the halftime one could not recognize the reigning champions as they were trailing by 20. Khimki were one step away from resetting CSKA’s biggest loss in VTB League record (-19 from Nymburk). Dimitris Itoudis’ side managed to decrease the gap, but couldn’t turn things around.

This is Khimki’s biggest win over CSKA (96:80). Previously, they won only with 5-points differential.

Janis Timma was the hero of the night as the Latvian showed 26 points and fabulous 11/15 field goals

The atmosphere was amazing: 6 877 fans at Mytishchi arena set new season attendance record.

It’s curious that the top scorers of the night were Janis Timma (26) and Darrun Hilliard (24). The shootout of elite scorers (Alexey Shved vs Mike James) didn’t happen as Shved scored only 18, and James 20.

Injuries came into the picture. Daniel Hackett sufferred hand injury at crucial moment of the game. Fortunately for CSKA, hand’s not broken as the doctors found only pinkie dislocation.

Meanwhile, Khimki forward Anthony Gill is not as lucky: upon preliminary information, he broke his nose and will undergo medical examination.

UNICS makes season high comeback

2020 started in a special way. Avtodor made a 19:0 run from the very beginning and reached 20-points lead during the first half!

There were only 4 United League games where teams came back from -20 or more. UNICS is one of those now as the team woke up after the halftime and started chasing Avtodor. As a result, Kazan took the lead in the third quarter to knock out the guests who probably started celebrating too early.

It felt like this game is meant to have an OT. Jamar Smith, however, didn’t think so. He sank crucial three-pointer 90 seconds to the buzzer…

… and then showed perfect defense against Markel Starks who couldn’t even find a moment to shoot. This 20-point comeback is the largest among UNICS records in VTB League.

Astana back to playoff zone

It’s hard not to admit that Astana’s offseason was not ideal. Kazakh club continued transfer work during the season: re-signed Stephen Holt and parted ways with Coty Clarke.

But things get better. After 4-game losing streak, Astana won 2 in a row and climbed to the 8th place.

Even Enisey (ranked 4th at that time) couldn’t hold them. Krasnoyarsk controlled big part of the game, but stil couldn’t find a way to stop Malcolm Hill (29 points) and Dusan Ristic (26 points and 17 rebounds). Astana’s offensive duo demonstrated stunning stability:

By the way, Enisey have been experiencing troubles at trips to Kazakhstan. Last time they won there was in 2015/16 season. This time, Nur-Sultan again was not that welcoming for Drazen Anzulovic and the guys.

Zenit restore neutral record

Zenit come back to the standings top part after a bad start. Joan Plaza’s side won 4 of the last 6 and finally got to neutral record (6-6). This happened thanks to double-digit win over Tsmoki in Minsk (80:60).

This was a special night for Petersburg for several reasons. First, Andrey Zubkov came back after injuty. The forward – who missed 3 months – played his 200th game in the United League.

Second, Zenit showed their best defense of the season allowing 60 points only. Joan Plaza noted after the game, “The hosts couldn’t score more than 16 points in any quarter. It means our defense was not bad.”

Third, Alex Renfroe set steals record of the season (7) which is also the second best in United League history:

Zielona Gora’s biggest win of the season

Kalev started the season with sensational victories over UNICS and Zenit getting to Top 3 in standings. But currently Tallinn is in recession: being downed by Zielona Gora they fell from the playoff zone.

And this loss was still a surprise as Kalev is known to be the “home team” performing best at their own arena. Zielona Gora head coach Zan Tabak recalled the fact after the match. “I’m happy to win here in Tallinn, it’s not easy, many strong teams lost here.”

This victory in Tallinn (92:70) is Gora’s biggest this season and second best in their United League records. The guests smashed their rivals in the paint: Gordon – Radic duo scored 40 points and made 15 rebounds.

Team of the week

Standings

Regular season is halfway through. Who can guess the playoff teams?