Lokomotiv had to impose on Khimki its rhythm of the game from the very beginning to prevent their snipers from being on a roll. The goal was achieved halfway.
Loko started with a series burst – 10:0 and made Barzokas take a timeout the second minute of the game. Alexey Shved shot 4/6 3-pointers and set an advantage for his team. The first quarter was won by Khimki (25:23) due to Monia who blocked Collins’ shot in the last possession.
Monia tried to bowl down Loko’s rhythm by another block but Frank Elegar made put-back and alley oop over Zubkov. Lokomotiv put pressure on the opponent across the whole court and it worked – a new burst 11:0. Loko maintained the lead ahead of the second half – 44:39.
In the mid of the third quarter, Khimki managed to take the lead (52:51). Loko got 5 team fouls already which was in favor of the opponent – they shot 14/16 free throws. Krasnodar shot only 6 free throws but didn’t let Khimki make their advantage double-digit – 69:61.
In the fourth period, Khimki quickly moved the ball on the 3-point line and shot from a corner. Lokomotiv failed to defend from the tactic and the gap grew to 14 points. Loko continued fighting till the end of the game but was unable to return the series to Krasnodar – 73:86.
Sasa Obradovic used all 12 listed players in the game. The top scorer of Loko was Brian Qvale who got 13 points and 4 rebounds.
