By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Alexey Shved scored a season-high 27 points to lead CSKA Moscow to a 86 – 75 road win over Unics Kazan. CSKA returned to victories in its lowest-scoring EuroLeague game in almost eight years and a home loss to Olimpia Milano.
It was also a bounce-back performance for Shved himself. The Russian star was coming off four points and 2-11 shots vs. Milano but now delivered his top display this season with his first 20+ game.
“We are just happy to win, because we lost (against UNICS) two times this season,” Shved said. “They are playing really great this season. They play fast, shoot a lot of threes and actually, I like their Basketball. But we came here to win and we are happy to beat them tonight.”
Shved made some key plays down the stretch as well, including the 3-pointer for the 66 – 72 and then the bucket for the 68 – 77 with 1:59 minutes to play. Unics, that had come from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to approach 64 – 65 halfway through the fourth period, didn’t manage to get at a shooting distance in crunch time.
Nikola Milutinov had 17 points and seven rebounds for CSKA while Will Clyburn scored 16 points in his return to action after a month. He also produced important baskets, scoring for the 66 – 69 and 68 – 75.
Lorenzo Brown posted 21 points plus nine assists and Mario Hezonja also scored 21 while grabbing nine rebounds for Unics that missed prominent scorer Isaiah Canaan (injury). The hosts had a 22 – 18 lead at the beginning of the second period but fell behind for good after CSKA responded with a 0 – 10 run and trailed for the rest of the game.
“First of all, congratulations to CSKA,” Unics coach Velimir Perasovic said. “They deserved the victory because they played smarter in the most important moments. They always found the way to attack us very well, and they deserved the victory. I think it was clear that we had a problem with our energy because it is the first time that we lose the battle of the steals and turnovers. We are always good at this and, tonight, CSKA was better. ”
Defending and making few mistakes
CSKA coach Dimitris Itoudis saw his team controlling nearly all parts of the game after the first quarter and putting Unics into uncomfortable situations.
“Obviously, we came short-handed but the players that were over here, that matter, they were very decisive,” Itoudis said. His team was without Tornike Shengelia and Marius Grigonis. “They stayed together and set the tone from the very beginning. Even when we lost the first quarter, from there and on, setting the tone defensively and keeping on a low 12 points in the second quarter, it was the key for us to feel the game and the things we can do, offensively and defensively. The third quarter, I would say both teams exchanged shots with a very good shooting percentage, and really making shots from the perimeters or making plays around the paint.
“Overall, though, the fact that we pushed them, we created turnovers, we generated from there – 13 turnovers to 8, we took the care of the ball,” Itoudis added. “Eight (turnovers), four in the first half and four in the second half, if I am not mistaken, shooting the good-spot shots they are creating, punishing their mismatches and the switch defense that they had chosen. Actually, this is the main defense that UNICS is playing this year.