By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
As the regular season is coming to an end this week, five teams are competing for two playoff spots: Nizhny Novgorod (8-14), Tsmoki-Minsk (8-15), VEF (8-16), Astana (7-16) and Parma (7-16) will chase their chances to make it to the postseason.
MVP
Coty Clarke
Once again, Coty Clarke stood out in Avtodor’s win over Khimki with a 30-point performance and seven rebounds. The April MVP led his team all the way to the fifth place, at least for the moment.
Enjoy his highlights:
CSKA one win away from finishing first
The Army team took its revenge from Zenit and prevailed at home 100-84 on Saturday, paced by Sergio Rodriguez’s 19 points. For the moment, CSKA has an equal record with Unics and both enjoy the top of the standings, though the first will have the chance to finish first with one more win in the regular season.
Unics avoids upset in Perm
Parma exceeded its limits against Unics, though it wasn’t enough to seal a crucial victory to bring them to the frontline of the playoffs. After its 88-81 loss to the visiting team, the hosts’ chances to make it to the postseason are relatively slim, as they now stand at the 11th position of the standings.
Enisey out of the playoffs race
This past week saved a bitter taste for Enisey. Not only did Lokomotiv sweep them in Krasnodar with a strong 106-57 win (the league’s biggest win for this season), but the team was also eliminated from the playoffs for good, along with Kalev.
Avtodor kicks Khimki off the fifth place
While the battle for the fifth spot is still on, Avtodor’s upset to Khimki was enough to place the Saratov side in the lead. In order for Khimki to overtake them, they will have to beat Lokomotiv and Enisey in the next two games.
Photo credit: VTB League on Flickr