Milutinov dominates in CSKA's lockdown victory over Zalgiris / News - Basketnews.com

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CSKA Moscow (9-5) extended their winning streak at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to four by taking down Zalgiris Kaunas (3-11) in Lithuania 73-51 (19-18, 11-10, 27-11, 16-12).

Player of the Game EFF 36 Nikola Milutinov Points 19 Accuracy 8-9 Rebounds 12 Assists 0

CSKA started taking over the game in the third period. They gained a double-digit lead after Daniel Hacket's bucket (44-33). The visitors continued putting on a show and finished the quarter with a 13-4 run to gain a commanding 57-39 advantage going into the fourth.

Zalgiris held CSKA scoreless for more than four minutes in the fourth quarter, scoring six unanswered points at the other end (45-57). CSKA only scored their first field goal in the quarter with 3:39 remaining, but Zalgiris weren't effective on offense either (64-48).

The visitors kept Zalgiris at arm's length for the remainder of the game, securing a 22-point victory. Zalgiris scored their fewest points in the EuroLeague this season.

"We could not find a rhythm on offense," Zalgiris coach Zdovc said after the game. "Defensively, apart from maybe some minutes in the third quarter and the last few minutes of the game, we forced them into tough shots. And also, me personally, I could not find a way how to find a weak spot to attack them."

It was a close contest in the first period, with Alexey Shved and Arturas Milaknis trading blows. CSKA came away with a one-point advantage after one.

Marius Grigonis and Will Clyburn led CSKA to an 8-0 run in the second quarter to give their team a 29-20 lead. However, Zalgiris answered with an 8-1 run of their own, cutting the deficit to two going into halftime (28-30).

Janis Strelnieks went to the locker room in the second quarter. He did not return to the bench in the third period. Coach Zdovc said that Strelnieks is ill.

Nikola Milutinov and Alexey Shved were the leaders for CSKA tonight. Milutinov finished the game with 19 points (8/9 2PT, 3/3 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 36 PIR.

"We built a lead with aggressive defense and we played smart offensively," Milutinov said post-game. "In the first half, we played only defense. In the second half, we really stepped up on the court. That's what gave us a lead. I am feeling good. I am still trying to find myself, after all that happened to me, but I am happy I could help the team."

Shved added 17 points (3/3 2PT, 2/6 3PT, 5/5 FT), 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, and 19 PIR.

CSKA: Nikola Milutinov 19 (12 REB), Alexey Shved 17, Will Clyburn 9, Iffe Lundberg 8, Daniel Hackett 6 (6 STL), Marius Grigonis 6.

Zalgiris: Josh Nebo 11 (7 REB), Arturas Milaknis 9, Tyler Cavanaugh 9, Regimantas Miniotas 6.

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