CSKA switches places with Loko
CSKA had a good week. The Army Men took care of business against Tsmoki-Minsk, a team that hasn’t won yet in 2018. Then they faced a much tougher trip to Krasnodar. CSKA hadn’t won at the Basket Hall since November 9, 2015, plus injuries had left the team without any centers.
The showdown lived up to expectations as the outcome was decided by a single possession. Will Clyburn ended up being the star of CSKA’s small-ball lineup, scoring a career-high 26 points. The Army Men took revenge on Loko for the loss in Moscow and moved past them in the standings.
Jelovac’s records
Stevan Jelovac bullied his way into the League record books with a magnificent performance in Nizhny’s overtime road win over Kalev. The basket looked as big as the ocean for the Serbian forward as he scored 49 points to crush the previous League record of 42 set by Keith Langford. He also set the new standard for efficiency rating thanks to his crisp shooting and 15 rebounds. Wilt Chamberlain approves.
Zenit and Khimki’s stars have arrived at the Yubileyny
Zenit had its worst week of the season, opening with a 23-point setback in Kazakhstan to Astana. The home team turned in an impressive performance, giving their young Russian coach Mikhail Karpenko his first big win in the League.
But that was only the beginning for St. Petersburg. Khimki put on a three-point shooting clinic in the Yubileyny ahead of Saturday’s All-Star Game. The visitors took control of the game in the first half before squashing Zenit’s 3rd-quarter comeback with a deadly series of triples down the stretch. Khimki wins by 18.
Even with the win, Khimki is still 6th in the standings. After losing three of four entering Thursday’s game, Moscow Region needs a miracle to rejoin the top four. For now, Khimki is focused on catching 5th-place Avtodor. Falling apart in the 4th quarter at home vs. VEF earlier in the week largely ended Moscow Region’s chances of securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
VEF takes flight
Only a few weeks ago, VEF was in last place in the standings with only one win. Now Riga is one of the hottest teams in the League and half a game out of the playoffs. The Latvians secured their most impressive win yet on Monday, defeated Khimki on the road for a third consecutive victory. Paul Carter and especially Ken Brown have been outstanding additions in Riga.
The news gets even better for VEF. They play their next six games at home.
It’s time to party
The long-awaited All-Star Game is up next.
While Jelovac crushed records and CSKA and Khimki enjoyed statement wins, fans also enjoyed an All-Star Game teaser from the League.
The official All-Star uniforms were released.
Official 2018 #VTBLeagueAllStarGame Uniforms Unveiled 👕
VTB United League and Under Armour revealed official images of the uniforms that players on Team Russian Stars and Team World Stars will play in Saint Petersburg on February 17.
RT if you like it 😏 pic.twitter.com/4MY3lyul8R
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) February 14, 2018
Who said there wouldn’t be any Russian players in the contests? Anton Ponkrashov replaced Kyle Kuric in the Three-Point Contest.
Finally, we got to see the full schedule for All-Star Saturday in St. Petersburg.
This was a big week for the League on the court and it’s about to get even bigger at the Yubileyny.
