By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Alexey Shved and Jonas Jerebko helped Khimki Moscow Region bounce back and get past Crvena Zvezda with a 78-72 victory in Round 24 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Despite a late surge by Zvezda’s Kevin Punter that made it a four-point game with 19 seconds remaining, Shved had the final say with two points coming from the free-throw line, handing Khimki the victory.
Shved tapped 22 points and 9 assists for Rimas Kurtinaitis’ squad, while Jerebko exited the court with 19 points on 9-16 FG, along with seven rebounds and two steals.
“It was a double-week, plus our local league, and it’s difficult to play three games in a row, but it’s the same for Crvena Zvezda. Today’s game maybe was not nice, basketball-wise, but it was about who was tough and who played with heart. Today we were a little bit better, and I am happy for the victory”, commented Kurtinaitis after the game.
Khimki resists Zvezda’s late run
The hosts came from a tough defeat against Maccabi on Wednesday, though headed to the lockers with a 48-36 advantage and managed to remain in charge throughout the second half, although Zvezda starting trimming the deficit early in the fourth period.
The Jerebko-Shved duo made sure to keep their visitors at bay, expanding the lead to 75-63 with three minutes remaining in the game. Kevin Punter paced the visiting team with 20 points, two rebounds, with 3-5 from the three-point line and pushed Zvezda in the final period.
Khimki snapped back from a three-game losing streak to push its chances in the battle for the playoffs, ending this week with a 10-14 record, a tie with Zvezda (the Serbian team had won 90-78 earlier this season).
Photo: EuroLeague