By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The six-game VTB United League week had its share of big moments, but UNICS Kazan’s win against CSKA Moscow overshadowed the rest of the results. Dimitris Priftis closed the distance from the leaders to three wins behind with two games in hand and left Khimki Moscow Region one “W” behind. Big victories also for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Zenit Saint-Petersburg, but Kalev-Cramo Tallinn produced the MVP of the Week.
MVP
Branko Mirkovic, Kalev-Cramo Tallinn
Branko Mirkovic has been around. The Serbian-Bulgarian point guard is with Kalev-Cramo since 2017 and also has three VTB campaigns with Tsmoki-Minsk under his belt. However, he dished 12 assists in a single game of the League for the first time on Sunday.
The 36-year-old was the main contributor for Kalev that continued its playoffs push by defeating Enisey Krasnoyarsk. He made 5/5 shots inside the rainbow for his 19 points, which combined with his 12 dimes generated his first 2018-19 double-double. Mirkovic also grabbed five rebounds in 30:37.
Second loss for CSKA
A few weeks following its defeat to Zenit Saint-Petersburg, CSKA Moscow suffered a 71-68 away loss to UNICS Kazan, its second in the VTB 2018-19 Regular Season. A big defensive effort allowed Dimitris Priftis’ team to dig its way out of a 15-point hole and take charge during the final period. Pierria Henry sank a clutch bucket and Raymar Morgan finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Loko grabs “W” in thriller
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar got the job done defeating Khimki Moscow Region, 84-82, on the road. The injury-plagued hosts fought their way out of a nine-point halftime hole and escaped a seven-point deficit down the stretch, but didn’t recover after Dorell Wright‘s go-ahead three-pointer. It was certainly an exciting match, but Vladimir Jovanovic’s side was the one that survived.
Jalen Reynolds paces streaking Zenit
Zenit Saint-Petersburg faced difficulties in the first half but cruised in the second en route for its 79-68 victory against Tsmoki-Minsk in Belarus. Red-hot Jalen Reynolds finished with 24 points and eight rebounds leading the way in the visitors’ fifth consecutive VTB win. Joan Plaza’s club remained half a victory away from the fourth place with a bunch of games to go.
Kalev sits in eighth place
Kalev-Cramo Tallinn beat Enisey Krasnoyarsk, 109-91, in a game with massive eighth spot implications. A handful of impressive performances allowed the Estonians to make a step towards their first-ever postseason appearance. Besides the MVP Branko Mirkovic, Arnett Moultrie accompanied his game-high and VTB career-high 23 points with nine rebounds before fouling out, while Chavaughn Lewis scored 21 points.
Sakic sets VTB-highs
Zielona Gora started its two-game VTB week with a 108-100 home win against Avtodor Saratov. The Polish club turned the game around in the second half to get back on the win column. Zeljko Sakic was the player of the match with 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and performance efficiency ranking of 29, all personal records in the VTB United League.
Kenneth Horton keeps Astana safe in the playoff zone
Kenneth Horton registered a 29 efficiency rating in Astana’s 84-70 home win over Stelmet Zielona Gora which played two games in three days. Horton notched a double-double with game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 9-12 from the field. This puts Astana (10-6) at the sixth spot of VTB standings with four wins more than Avtodor (6-10) – the first team below the playoff zone.