No Toko, no problem: injury-riddled CSKA edge out Crvena Zvezda / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Mikhail Serbin/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Image Credit Mikhail Serbin/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Image

CSKA Moscow (3-1) didn’t have Tornike Shengelia, Nikola Milutinov, and Marius Grigonis, but that wasn’t a problem for the Russian club.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Alexey Shved Points 16 Accuracy 6-9 Rebounds 4 Assists 5

In the home game, CSKA 78-76 (17-21, 25-21, 15-15, 21-19) beat Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2-2) and closed the double week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with a second consecutive victory.

First three quarters didn’t give any answers, as both teams were fighting neck and neck, and the outcome was decided at the very end.

With 3 minutes left, the game was tied at 71, but Iffe Lundberg made a jumper, Alexey Shved added a three, while Lundberg scored another basket, and with 1:31 left, the hosts built a 7-point lead (78-71).

Crvena Zvezda managed to finish the game strongly, but CSKA’s lead was safe, and the Russian club secured a victory.

Shved was the CSKA’s leader, as he finished the game with 16 points (4/6 2PT, 2/3 3PT, 2/2 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 25 PIR.

“We improved the defense, as I said at halftime, we had sucked on defense, Itoudis said after the game. “With the last three pointer that counted, we gave up 33 points, but still we were much better, you could see we hustled, we were in a different defensive mode.”

“Although in the third quarter we were sloppy again, the players realized we got to play much better defense, play physical, we got to put our bodies and jeopardize and sacrifice something. It’s not easy to make a turn, but what always matters is who is healthy, and the players that are healthy kept it living, so I congratulate them with my heart,” CSKA’s head coach concluded.

Johannes Voigtmann sank a 3-pointer, Alexey Shved added a mid-range jumper, while Will Clyburn added lay-up as CSKA made a 10-2 run to build an 8-point lead (67-59) with 6 minutes left to play.

Despite that, Zvezda answered with a run of their own. Nikola Kalinic made a three, Nate Wolters scored four points in a row, Ognjen Kuzmic scored a basket from near the rim, and after a 9-0 run, the visitors gained a two-point lead (71-69) with 4:20 on the clock left.

For the visitors, Kuzmic accumulated 14 points (7/7 2PT), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 block, 22 PIR.

“They were more aggressive at the end of a tight game, said Dejan Radonjic. “In the last few minutes, they played much better both on offense and defense, and they made an advantage from it, so congratulations to them for the win and to my players for their performance tonight.”

CSKA: Will Clyburn 18 (3/10 2PT, 3/7 3PT), Alexey Shved 16 (4/6 2PT, 25 PIR), Johannes Voigtmann 12 (2/7 3PT), Joel Bolomboy 11 (5/7 2PT).

Crvena Zvezda: Nate Wolters 16 (5/6 2PT), Ognjen Kuzmic 14 (7/7 2PT, 7 REB, 22 PIR), Nikola Kalinic 11, Nikola Ivanovic 10, Ognjen Dobric 10 (4/4 2PT).

Highlights

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