On the morning of the match day, Lokomotiv Kuban PBC announced that they would donate part of the income from ticket sales to restore the environment damaged by the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait. And a little later it became known of the sold-out.
From the very first seconds, the opponents played as if a clutch had already begun: hard contact, aggressive pressing, long video reviews of controversial episodes. CSKA got used to this mode faster, leading 6:0 by the 3rd minute. An urgent timeout did not help: Casper Ware and Ivan Ukhov scored three-pointers each, doubling the advantage, 12:0.
Miller finally managed to open the score for Loko. Antonius Cleveland made the ball in after a decent breakthrough, then – from about 5 feet to the 3-point line. But it did not help to get closer to the opponent – 13:26 in favor of CSKA at the end of the quarter.
In the 2nd quarter, Loko started to shorten the gap – toughly and slowly, but still the margin melted. A furious dunk by BJ Johnson was a good example of the team’s mood.
Kirill Yelatontsev executed a good mid-range shot; Dmitry Uzinsky did not let Karvel Anderson’s offensive rebound vane; Andrey Martyuk did not stop playing after being blocked by Nikita Kurbanov, and added the ball into the basket; Martyuk and Uzinsky four-handedly blocked Ukhov’s shot… By the end of the half it turned to one possession game, 33:35. CSKA scored only 9 points that quarter – how often are they guarded so firmly?
Shots by Johnson, Isaiah Whaley and Kirill Temirov gave Loko the lead at the start of the 3rd quarter, 39:37. CSKA responded with a 9:0 run. Two Kirills helped the hosts recover from this blow: Temirov bravely worked in defense, Yelatontsev made put-backs in two attacks in a row – 43:46. But the Krasnodar team failed to score more till the end of the quarter. And CSKA scored 4 points.
Loko did not allow their opponents to make any points for next 4 minutes. Meanwhile, Cleveland dunked twice and added 2 points from the mid-range; Uzinsky made it, too; and Yelatontsev put the hosts ahead!
Soon, Yelatontsev scored again – and it was a 3-pointer! It turned out to be only the second successful long-range shot by the Krasnodar team (and Yelatontsev continues to prove that he is the best 3-point shooter in the league – now he has 4 out of 4!). The crucial moment was upcoming, so Cleveland started to cheer up the stands – and 5,900 spectators eagerly responded. Oh, what a great noise!
But CSKA is tough: in just two attacks, they turn the 4-point deficit to the 1-point lead, 57:58. Uzinsky intercepts, Miller scores 2 points – Loko is ahead again with 2 1/2 minutes left. Trimble scores 1 free throw out of 2 and ties the game. Miller finds Yelatontsev with an assist – 61:59. Trimble in a counterattack trows for a lead – wide! But Weir grabs the ball from Miller.
Less than a minute and a half to play. The hosts manage to defend well without a foul, and CSKA violates the 24-second rule. Seconds later, Amate M’Baye is fouled when he grabs a defensive rebound; he ties the score from the free throw line, 61:61 with 45 seconds left.
Cleveland throws a 3-pointer without a doubt – nope! But Krasnodar grabs the rebound, the ball is back to Cleveland who throws almost from the same place without a doubt – this time it’s 64:61!
CSKA has two long-range shots in their next attack – two misses. Johnson, who grabbed the rebound, is immediately fouled, scores one of two; then Anton Astapkovich makes a very hard 3-pointer in – 65:64 in favor of the hosts in 9 seconds, wow!
Two points from the free throw line by Johnson; Loko immediately fouls on Trimble (two shots worth 1 point are less dangerous than a possible long-range one). He scores first, the second one deliberately throws into the rim – but rushes into the paint earlier than it is allowed, and the referees give the ball to Lokomotiv, it’s a victory!
The next home game will be quite soon – on Thursday, December 26, Loko will face Pari NN. See you at Basket Hall!