VTB League: Khimki and Lokomotiv win
The VTB League enjoyed a rare midweek round as the Euroleague and EuroCup takes a week off. Round 20 of the Regular Season will stretch over Wednesday and Thursday. Tomorrow, five-time reigning champ CSKA Moscow continues its title defence against Zenit St. Petersburg, while Nizhny Novgorod tackles Unics Kazan.
Today was a chance for CSKA’s nearest rivals to keep pace with the Army Men at the top of the standings. Khimki Moscow Region and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar duly obliged.
Avtodor Saratov vs. Khimki Moscow Region, 109-118
Khimki overcame Avtodor in the VTB United League in what was a classic encounter that will live long in the memory. The final score suggests an overtime period was involved, but amazingly, this was a regulation time contest that featured the highest scoring of the season so far. Both clubs topped 25 points in each quarter, but Khimki had more legs at the bucket at broker the thirty-point mark in the second, third, and fourth acts. The win keeps Khimki on CSKA’s tail with a 13-3 record.
E.J. Rowland drained 27 points in the win and dished out 8 assists. An offensive masterclass from Alexy Shved resulted in a double-double of 24 points and 12 scoring passes. Robbie Hummel contributed 21 points, while Marko Todorovic logged the same haul.
Saratov was not short of scoring heroes as Vince Hunter finished on 25 points and Evgeny Kolesnikov added 24 points.
Editor’s Note: If you want more information about the VTB United League, or other international leagues, you can check out Court Side’s Game Center.
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar vs. BC Astana, 67-59
Lokomotiv joined Khimki on 13-3 behind CSKA, but the Krasnodar club had a tougher contest at home against Astana in the VTB League. The hosts led 20-18 at the first rest, but Astana hit back with a 12-17 second quarter that gave the club a handy 32-35 advantage through the long break. Lokomotiv narrowed the gap on the guests in the third act, claiming a 17-15 frame to tie the scoreboard on 49-49 through thirty minutes. In the deciding quarter, the home team just had the momentum and snatched it in the closing minutes.
The hosts may have lost if not for the exploits of Kevin Jones, who finished as Lokomotiv’s only double-digit scorer with 24 points.