By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the “prettiest ugly” game of the EuroBasket so far, the Russian national team defeated the Turkish squad 76 – 73 in “Ulker Arena” thanks to a big-time intervention by Alexey Shved in the last minute.
The 28-year-old guard hit the shot to give a four-point advantage to Russia, 68 – 72 with 25 seconds remaining and then Vitaly Fridzon capped the victory of his team with 2/2 from the line and a 6-point lead 12 seconds before the final buzzer.
The Star: And since we speak about the Khimki Moscow guard: Shved finished with 22 points plus 4 assists, including of course the three-pointer off the dribble that practically handed his team a game-winning advantage. An ideal way to make up for his 7 turnovers.
Timofey Mozgov was a formidable force inside the paint, posting 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Swiss Knife: If Turkey has one specific reason to smile after that game, then that’s Cedi Osman’s “one-man orchestra” display. Take note: 28 points, 7 steals, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Turnover Festival: Sergey Bazarevich might find it difficult to understand how his team won after committing 22 turnovers and giving ample opportunities to its opponents to run the transition. Alas for the Turkish team, the “12 Giant Men” didn’t make the most out of their counterattacks, often losing easy lay-ups or falling victim to bad communication since they turned over the ball 16 times themselves.
Photo Credit: FIBA Europe