By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Streaking CSKA Moscow routed Tsmoki-Minsk, 101-54, to clinch the top spot of the VTB United League Regular Season for the first time since 2019 on Saturday.
Allerik Freeman dropped a game-high 18 points behind 7/11 field goals. Will Clyburn combined 14 points with five rebounds helping to hold the Belarus champions winless in 24 encounters between the two teams. Nikola Milutinov ended up with 13 points and eight rebounds. Casper Ware scored 13 points as well. Former NBA player Alexey Shved chipped in 11 points and seven assists in the one-sided affair. Meanwhile, the most recent newcomer Evgeny Kolesnikov was limited to a fruitless brief showing in his debut.
The winning side jumped to 17-3 and forced the visitors down to 3-16 at the end of their own VTB campaign. Vladislav Bliznyuk recorded a team-high 14 points and Yauheni Beliankou added 13 more points on the losing end.
Heading to the Playoffs as the top seed, the Moscow outfit extended its winning streak to nine games. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis has been undefeated from its last Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearance to the conclusion of the VTB Regular Season and will surely be looking for more success in the Playoffs.
All Russian teams, including UNICS Kazan, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, have focused on the VTB since being ruled out for the remainder of the 2021-22 editions of Euroleague Basketball club continental competitions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Eastern Europe.
Photo Credit: EuroLeagueBasketball.net