Lokomotiv Kuban don defeat CSKA for Game 1 of VTB League semifinals, winning 97-88 for overtime for Moscow road game.
Di game start with both teams struggling to score from three-point range, making control of di paint very important. CSKA initially deny Loko access to basket and secure advantage in rebounds and offensive efficiency.
But Krasnodar team recover quick quick, equalise di game and take lead for di first time midway through di second quarter. For less dan 5 minutes, di lead change 10 times, and CSKA go into halftime with small advantage.
Second half continue with same pattern. From di end of di third quarter, di hosts hold di lead for long time but no fit build any big advantage. Di guests keep di opponent within one or two possessions and take di lead again.
Mike Moore hit a game-tying three-pointer for di final minute to send di game to overtime at 83-83. For overtime, Loko dominate completely, with CSKA scoring only 5 points.
Alen Hadzibegovic lead Loko with 20 points and 12 rebounds, wey be im 8th double-double of di season and first for Loko. Vsevolod Ischenko add 19 points, Patrick Miller contribute 17 points, 8 assists and 5 turnovers.
For CSKA side, Livio Jean-Charles score 15 points plus 6 rebounds, Antonius Cleveland add 14, Samson Ruzhentsev get 13 points plus 5 rebounds, and Nikita Kurbanov record 12 points and 11 rebounds for im first double-double of di season.
Both teams shoot three-pointers with less dan 30% accuracy, but Loko attempt half as many three-pointers as CSKA.
Dis win be Loko first victory over CSKA dis season. Di previous 4 regular-season games end with CSKA winning. CSKA don win all 6 meetings dis season before dis game, including 4 league games and 2 cup games, with some big margins like 40, 29, and 30 points.
History show say three years ago, Loko defeat CSKA for Game 7 of semifinals for overtime, 103-100, to advance to finals. Eight players from dat series dey play for dis year semifinals, including Anton Kvitkovskikh and Zakhar Vedishchev for Loko, and Casper Ware, Samson Ruzhentsev, Ivan Ukhov, Anton Astapkovich, Livio Jean-Charles, and Nikita Kurbanov for CSKA.
Game 2 go hold on May 14 for Moscow. Di best-of-seven series go move to Krasnodar for May 18 and 20.
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