Highlights and breakdown from the weekend’s games.
Return
News got out a few days before the game that Alexey Shved might make a comeback, adding extra intrigue to the Khimki – Loko showdown with both teams desperate to avoid an 0-2 start.
But even Shved’s most devoted followers couldn’t have imagined that he would play at an MVP level in his first game back. Indeed, Shved played a huge role in the outcome, making several clutch plays down the stretch to give Khimki the win. The guard finished with 21 points, lifting Moscow Region to its first victory in the VTB United League.
Dunk Parade
Finding highlights from Zenit’s win in Saratov was easy. Both teams attacked the rim with ferocity, with a special shout-out to Saratov big man Nick Minnerath. Enjoy.
Record
Sergey Karasev said in a recent interview that he was close to successfully adjusting to his new team. He wasn’t kidding. Playing a tough road game in Saratov, the St. Petersburg star scored 34 points: A personal League record and the best result in the 2016-17 season thus far. Zenit won the game by six and Karasev shut up his critics.
Hope
After leaving Lokomotiv in the summer, Russian national team captain Sergey Bykov couldn’t find a good option for continuing his career. He’s considered retirement, but now there’s a chance we’ll see him back on the court soon. Avtodor president Vladimir Rodionov recently announced that the 33-year-old could join his club in the near future.
Resilience
Enisey had a busy week. After a tough road win over Lokomotiv in Krasnodar, the Siberians traveled to Bulgaria, squeaking out a four-point victory vs. Rilski in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Krasnoyarsk returned home with only a day to spare, but dug deep against Nizhny Novgorod, improving to 2-2 with the win.
Old Friends
Rob Lowery was a key contributor at VEF during the 2014-15 season. Now he plays for Astana, where he’s also a big part of the team. In the meeting with his former club, Lowery played his best basketball yet at Astana, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Vitali Liutych, meanwhile, is a very familiar face for the Tsmoki-Minsk fans. After three seasons in Belarus, he joined Kalev during the offseason and posted a double-double in his return (12 points and 11 rebounds). But the Estonians couldn’t get the win, falling in overtime.
Block
Overtime
Tsmoki and Kalev played first extra period of the season. Thanks to an 8-8 performance from the line in overtime, Minsk was able to finish off Kalev at home.
Injury
Coty Clarke injured his knee in the final seconds of Kazan’s Euroleague game vs. Barcelona and is expected to miss a month and a half. He’s been a double-double machine since joining the club, so this will be a tough blow for UNICS’s frontcourt.
Stat
29 – Astana shot 29% in the game vs. VEF. Despite the paltry percentage, Astana, amazingly, still managed to win.
Quote
Khimki guard Alexey Shved:
– I missed the game. I hardly did anything the last two months. I was practicing on my own and only started using a ball a week ago. That’s why I really wanted to play and had a lot of pent-up emotion.
Stars
Alexey Shved/Nobel Boungou Colo (Khimki).
Shved’s exciting debut overshadowed Boungou Colo’s performance. The French forward had a big day on offense, scoring Khimki’s first eight points of the game. He didn’t slow down, either, finishing with 21 points on 4-6 shooting from outside.
Ousman Krubally (Astana).
As you already know, Astana only shot 29% from the field vs. VEF. Krubally was the only player to buck the trend, knocking down 5-10, including three 3-pointers, and 9-10 from the line. He ended the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and drew six fouls.
Dru Joyce (Tsmoki-Minsk).
Joyce is known best for being “LeBron’s friend.” Against Kalev, he put up LeBron-esque numbers, collecting 27 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Snapshot
