By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The first days of February action in VTB League saved lots of surprises to the viewers, though one thing is for sure. Unics taking over the top spot in the standings didn’t come in a heartbeat.
MVP
Nando De Colo
The Frenchman was in incredible shape against fellow EuroLeague competitor, Khimki. CSKA enjoyed an easy victory, as De Colo paced the team with 24 points and six assists, as he completed the game with an index rating of 29 points, the highest of any other player this past gaming week. One thing is for sure, with De Colo igniting the fire, CSKA can’t lose.
Unics Kazan climbs on top of the standings
The pinnacle of VTB standings is a week-to-week fight and so it was proven once again, as Unics claimed the top spot with a win over Tsmoki-Minsk on Sunday. The Kazan side faced no trouble seizing first place – at least for the time being – after a completely dominant first quarter (25-4) which led to an easy victory. Still, the team has to keep up its momentum, as lots of teams are on the same chase.
Avtodor upsets Lokomotiv’s winning streak
Last week, we focused on Lokomotiv’s superb streak, yet who’d have known that Avtodor saved an upset this weekend! The incredible part of Avtodor’s win in Krasnodar was of course that the team was basically playing with a six-man rotation, since the visiting side played without Shaq McKissic and Branden Frazier, while Artem Klimenko had to leave the court early on with an injury. With the game hanging on a thread, Maxim Sheleketo hit the game-winning three for his team!
No Hunter, no problem for CSKA
CSKA Moscow was able to beat Khimki at home rather easily, yet in the first minutes of the game, Othello Hunter went down with an injury. Adding up to Kyle Hines and Pavel Korobkov’s absences, the team had to get over some trouble on Monday, yet it made it seem like another day at work. As coach Dimitris Itoudis said post game, “We felt comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.”
Evgeny Voronov’s career night pushes Zenit past Nizhny
Zenit prevailed over Nizhny Novgorod in a tight game and the win was marked by Voronov’s career-high of 23 points (along with five rebounds and three assists). The 31-year-old guard made things easy for the hosts, sealing off their 11th win in 13 games. Enjoy some of his highlights: