VTB-League.com brings you the weekend’s biggest stories.
Battle in Khimki
Khimki fans probably had higher expectations coming into the season, but Monday’s 5th-place showdown vs. Avtodor was excellent entertainment. The game had a little bit of everything: Shaq McKissic throwing down what might be the Dunk of the Year, Khimki engineering a 4th-quarter comeback to win, Malcolm Thomas and Artem Klimenko getting into it, before Anthony Gill and Alexey Shved took over down the stretch. The two Khimki All-Stars helped the home team finish the game on a 20-2 run and secure sole possession of 5th place.
But no one’s going to forget this dunk from Avtodor forward Shaq McKissic.
Loko on top
Lokomotiv is making it look easy right now in League play. Obradovic’s team deflated Enisey’s offense in chilly Krasnoyarsk, giving up only 49 points in the victory, a new season best in the VTB United League (Loko has also held Astana to 50 points). Krasnodar’s winning streak has now reached 11 games and the Railwaymen are all alone in 1st place.
UNICS keeps the pressure on Krasnodar
Despite Loko’s impressive run, 1st place is far from secure. UNICS is the only team to beat Krasnodar this season and has quietly put together an excellent campaign, sitting a half game back of Sasa Obradovic’s club. Kazan had no trouble on Sunday vs. a dangerous PARMA squad to remain the only other team with one defeat in the League.
VEF turning things around?
VEF’s first win of the season came on November 4 vs. Enisey. The second victory was a long time coming, but better late than never.
Riga defeated Tsmoki-Minsk over the weekend. It’s too early to say if VEF can rejoin the playoff hunt, but the gap between 7th and 13th is razor-thin right now. Only two games separate the pack with two postseason bids up for grabs.
All-Star Game rosters revealed
Following the fan vote, media selections and four VTB United League wild-card picks, the All-Star Game rosters are finally ready for public consumption. With less than three weeks remaining until the big game, now’s the perfect time to break down lineups and salivate over the potential match-ups on the court in St. Petersburg.
🌟 All Star Game 2018 rosters 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ojwzGyjmGi
— VTB United League (@VTBUL) January 26, 2018
The sheer volume of talent on display in both backcourts jumps out immediately: Alexey Shved and Dmitry Kulagin on the Russian Stars and Sergio Rodriguez, Nando De Colo and Quino Colom on the World Stars. Meanwhile, in the frontcourt, it looks like the World Stars have an edge…
Wait, hold on. This is the All-Star Game we’re talking about. Both teams are ready to put on a show and that’s exactly what the fans want to see, nothing more, nothing less.
The architect behind Lokomotiv’s impeccable 2017-2018 campaign, Sasa Obradovic, and the most successful Russian coach in the game, Zenit’s Vasily Karasev, will be on the sidelines in St. Petersburg.
