By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Casper Ware connected the game-winning buzzer-beater at the end of the second overtime pushing CSKA to a 3-1 lead in the VTB United League Finals. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis edged Zenit, 111-110, in Sibur Arena Friday evening.
Will Clyburn dropped 33 points in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series concluding the VTB Playoffs falling one point shy of his career-best scoring performance. In double-double range, Alexey Shved paired 21 points with ten assists and Nikola Milutinov 20 points with 17 rebounds. Ware got to 18 points.
It was a back-and-forth marathon. CSKA looked in good shape following a 22-8 run covering most of the third quarter but the Saint Petersburg side came back. Apart from forcing the first overtime from way beyond the arc, Billy Baron matched his season-high 28 points. Sergey Karasev fired 25 points and Alex Poythress had 20 points. Jordan Loyd posted a 15-point, 10-assist double-double plus eight rebounds.
Back in Moscow with a championship-clinching opportunity for the Moscow outlet, Game 5 will be held Monday evening.
UNICS won the third-place series opposite Lokomotiv Kuban, 3-1, after securing the 94-73 victory in Game 4 yesterday, Thursday.
Parma, Avtodor, Enisey, and Nizhny Novgorod exited via first-round sweeps. Tsmoki-Minsk and Astana missed the Playoffs cut.
Earlier in the 2021-22 season, Poland’s Zielona Gora and Estonia’s Kalev/Cramo withdrew their participation after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
CSKA, Zenit, UNICS, and Lokomotiv Kuban were all eliminated from the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, as announced by Euroleague Basketball in late March.
Moving to the 2022-23 season, all clubs from Russia and Belarus have been excluded from the process to register for the Basketball Champions League.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net