By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Sold-out games, overtime, turmoil in Krasnodar and more took place this past week in VTB League. Lokomotiv Kuban is currently the leader of the standings, Unics follows closely behind, while CSKA is back on the winning path and at the third place.
Need a reminder of the game action? Here is our weekend recap!
MVP
Kyle Kuric
No other player had such an impact on his team this past week! Kuric came to the rescue for Zenit in a tough game against Parma on the road. The 28-year old player scored 33 points (a career high of his in the VTB League) in his team’s 99-94 victory, to go along with four rebounds and an efficiency rating of 33 points. He perfectly executed his opponents with 5 (out of 9) three-pointers and proved that Zenit is a powerhouse in the making, even if Sergey Karasev is missing.
Full house for Lokomotiv and post game turmoil
7,400 fans joined Lokomotiv in Basket Hall for the big battle against Khimki and were rewarded, as the hosts grabbed the victory and climbed to the top place of the standings. It was coach Bartzokas’ return to Krasnodar after leading Loko to the 2015 Final Four. However, Lokomotiv’s full house didn’t save the warmest of welcomes to the Greek coach, holding mocking signs that read “how’s the weather in Barcelona?”, while “Goodbye Mr. Bartzokas” was heard through the megaphones. The coach himself addressed the issue post-game, in the lockers.
CSKA Moscow victorious again
After recording two consecutive losses in the league, Dimitris Itoudis’ squad is back on track with a victory over Nizhny Novgorod in Moscow. Andrey Vorontsevich led his team with 17 points and 100% FG efficiency. The hosts played without Nando De Colo but were joined by Leo Westermann who was away with an injury for about three months. Despite the win, the Army Team resides at the third place of the standings. The team should fret not, we still have a long way to go into the season.
Avtodor emerges through double overtime
When two teams with nearly the same dynamic face each other, the outcome could always be surprising. And so it was proven in Saratov last Saturday! Avtodor forced Astana to a 92-86 loss, though it took 10 extra minutes for the hosts to seal the win. Thanks to Brander Frazier’s 21-points and their solid defense in the second overtime, the hosts moved up to a 6-5 record and the 6th place of the standings.