By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 26th week of the VTB United League Regular Season featured eight games, two on Wednesday, one on Thursday, one on Saturday and four on Sunday. One of the main developments came in the first set of matches and was Kalev/Cramo Tallinn completing the postseason field, which brings us to our MVP of the Week.
MVP
Tony Wroten, Kalev/Cramo Tallinn
Washington alumni Tony Wroten has really delivered for Kalev/Cramo Tallinn since he was acquired in December, but kept his best showing for the biggest win of the season. The Estonian side took down Zenit Saint-Petersburg, 96-80, on Wednesday, to clinch a VTB playoffs spot for the first time with Wroten setting multiple personal-bests in the league.
He contributed to the historic win with 31 points, eight rebounds, six drawn fouls and 37 PIR, all VTB career-highs, dished eight helpers as well. His 28:03 on the court were also the most he’s played in the league. That wasn’t it, as the 26-year-old American guard continued with 21 points, seven assists and five boards in the 94-84 victory over Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday.
UNICS drops first place
CSKA Moscow had already finished its regular season campaign and UNICS Kazan just needed to win its three remaining matches to secure first place ahead of the playoffs. However, Parma Perm Region played the spoiler with the 82-76 win versus Dimitris Priftis’ side. The 111-95 road win over Avtodor Saratov behind Jamar Smith’s 27 points, 11-assist double-double only set pace for second place.
Lokomotiv clinches fourth spot
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar crushed Zenit Saint-Petersburg, 94-78, on the road to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs. The visitors were unstoppable inside the paint with 30/43 shots. Jared Uthoff led the way dropping 18 points. The home team played without Jalen Reynolds and fell to sixth place following its fourth consecutive defeat.
Miracle comeback from Khimki
Upsets were coming and going this week, but Khimki Moscow Region avoided a similar situation with the 97-93 overtime win against Nizhny Novgorod on the road. Down 11 with 2:20 to go, the visitors forced extra time with a three-pointer from Janis Timma and ultimately secured at least third place. Alexey Shved scored a game-high 34 points.
Kalev completes playoffs field
Kalev/Cramo Tallinn is in the VTB United League playoffs for the first time. The Estonian side won two home games this week, but the first was enough to clinch. The impressive 96-80 victory against Zenit Saint-Petersburg was followed by the 94-84 win over Nizhny Novgorod with Wroten landing MVP of the Week honors.
Astana takes over in fourth period
Heading for the fifth-seed finish, Astana beat Enisey Krasnoyarsk, 93-85. The Kazakh club struggled for the first thirty minutes, but created separation down the stretch and improved to 15-10. Defensive effort ultimately handed Emil Rajkovikj the win, but J.J. O’Brien’s 20 points and 12 fouls drawn helped out as well.
Tsomki grabs win at Poland
In a match between two clubs that won’t be part of the postseason action, Tsomki Minsk beat Stelmet Enea Zielona Gora, 80-78 at Poland. The hosts went up 14 points during the second quarter, but weren’t able to hold on. Devon Saddler with 23 points and five boards was the man of the match.
Results:
Nizhny Novgorod – Khimki Moscow Region 93-97 (Vladimir Dragicevic 25p – Alexey Shved 34p)
Kalev/Cramo Tallinn – Zenit Saint-Petersburg 96-80 (Tony Wroten 31p – Codi Miller-McIntyre 15p)
UNICS Kazan – Parma Perm Region 76-82 (Raymar Morgan 27p – Tre McLean 22p)
Kalev/Cramo Tallinn – Nizhny Novgorod 94-84 (Arnett Moultrie 22p, Tony Wroten 21p – Ian Hummer 18p)
Astana – Enisey Krasnoyarsk 93-85 (J.J. O’Brien 20p – Denis Zakharov 19p)
Avtodor Saratov – UNICS Kazan 95-111 (Trae Golden 26p – Jamar Smith 27p)
Zenit Saint-Petersburg – Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 78-94 (Jarrod Uthoff 18p – Dmitry Kulagin 17p)
Stelmet Enea Zielona Gora – Tsomki Minsk 78-80 (Quinton Hosley 19p – Devon Saddler 23p)
Standings:
1. CSKA Moscow 22-4
2. UNICS Kazan 20-5
3. Khimki 19-5
4. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar 17-7
5. Astana 15-10
6. Zenit Saint-Petersburg 14-11
7. Kalev/Cramo Tallinn 13-12
8. Nizhny Novgorod 13-12
9. Enisey Krasnoyarsk 9-15
10. VEF Riga 9-16
11. Avtodor Saratov 9-16
12. Stelmet Enea Zielona Gora 5-20
13. Parma Perm Region 5-20
14. Tsmoki Minsk 4-21
Photo Credit: VTB United League