By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Milutinov has been huge for CSKA Moscow in the VTB league playoffs and he continued impressing in the Finals as well. He logged a second straight double-double, leading CSKA to an 82-73 home win over Zenit Saint Petersburg and the 2-0 lead.
The Serbian big put up 16 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists for all-around performance. Will Clyburn was the team’s top scorer with 19 points while Alexey Shved scored 17.
Casper Ware didn’t dominate as was the case in Game 1 but still dropped important 14 points for the victors. On the opposing side, Sergey Karasev banked in game-high 20 points as the only double-digit scorer for Zenit. Jordan Loyd dished out ten assists while Alex Poythress grabbed 11 rebounds.
Zenit put up a bigger fight compared to the blowout in Game 2 but it was still far from enough to challenge CSKA. The hosts had an upper hand since the second quarter but it was the 13-0 run to end the third quarter (66-47) that decided the outcome.
The best-of-seven series will now move to Saint Petersburg for the upcoming two clashes as Zenit tries to stay alive in front of the home crowd.