Khimki stays perfect in VTB League with 8-0 start

Khimki Moscow Region is on roll in the VTB League. On Sunday, they notched their eighth straight victory with a 77-73 win over Tsmoki-Minsk.

Khimki just seems to be picking up steam and is showing no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, for Tsmoki-Minsk, they fall deeper into a 0-7 hole and are at the bottom of the VTB League standings.

What makes this win all the more impressive, even if you discount the fact that it was against a standings cellar-dweller, was the fact that Khimki is still not at 100 percent strength. And yet, they managed to make the most of what they had and turned it into a victory.

As usual, Khimi used a quality performance from long range, making 10-of-23 shots from beyond the arc. Sergey Monia accounted for half of those 3-pointers by himself en route to his joint-team-high 17 points. Anthony Gill joined with 17 points of his own but also recorded a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds on the night.

Tsmoki-Minsk got a great effort from Alexander Gavrilovic, who delivered a game-high 20 points.

As for the story of the game. It’s cut and dry. Khimki took control with a 21-19 narrow lead at the end of the first quarter. Over the course of the second and third quarters, Khimki would slowly establish a more comfortable cushion.

Tsmoki-Minsk would make their move in the fourth quarter, limiting Khimki to scoring only 12 points, but alas, it would prove to not be enough to seize and keep the lead at the final buzzer.

The closest threat to Khimki remains CSKA Moscow, who aren’t too far behind with a 5-2 record. These two could make for an interesting and exciting VTB League Finals matchup, but that’s much further down the road.