After the jump ball, not only Vince Hunter and Terrell Carter had to jump a bit, but also a couple of other players from both teams. Ultimately, Anton Kvitkovskikh tamed the bouncing ball, and just seconds later, Mike Moore opened the scoring with a long-range shot. Just like two days ago, Lokomotiv started very aggressively on defense, and the visitors struggled to score for a long time. One of their attacks saw two blocks: first by Hunter to Carter, then by Kirill Temirov to Lev Svinin. Only after Kvitkovskikh‘s three-pointer did BETCITY PARMA score their first points – 8:2. Then Lokomotiv gave a bit of showtime: Patrick Miller dunked, Kvitkovskikh scored a 180-degree fadeaway shot. The visitors also started scoring, but were held on a distance by Temirov and Kvitkovskikh who had 11 points by the 7th minute. By the end of the quarter, the hosts’ shooting accuracy had dropped slightly, and although Makar Konovalov scored in the final seconds of the period, Gleb Firsov managed to respond, leading the teams to the first intermission with a score of 23:19 in Krasnodar’s favor.
The start of the 2nd quarter saw another run from Lokomotiv: Vsevolod Ishchenko scored 5 points in a row, and it could have been 7 in a row, but the ball wouldn’t go where it should after his fast break, and Moore secured it in the basket, 30:19. Hunter‘s shot increased the lead to 13, but BETCITY PARMA gradually found their rhythm on offense and brought the game back to a 6-8 point lead. Miller scored his second dunk of the day, Ishchenko had 2+1, Perm’s Alexander Zakharov got on a roll (10 points by the 18th minute), but quickly picked up four fouls and was sent to the bench. Victor Sanders had the final say in the first half; Loko continued to lead, but not so big, 46:42.
In a glue-like start of the 3rd quarter, BETCITY PARMA closed within 2 points. But Jeremiah Martin‘s scoreless streak couldn’t last the whole game, and he finally scored to make it 48:44. It was clear that Perm managed to slow the pace of the game. Although Lokomotiv seemed to be finding good shots, the ball stopped going into the hoop altogether, and by the 26th minute, the visitors was already ahead, 48:50. Miller‘s steal and 2 points on a fast break made things a bit better, but Brendan Adams immediately responded with a long-range shot, and Jalen Adams added another. Alen Hadzibegovic scored twice from close range for Lokomotiv, Martin first put a Miller shot back to net and later tied the game at 58:58. Alexander Shashkov scored 2+1, Moore‘s long-range buzzer missed the target, 58:61.
In the first 2 minutes of the 4th quarter, Lokomotiv made 3 steals and took a 64:63 lead after Kvitkovskikh‘s free throws. Svinin immediately hit a three-pointer, then, returning to defense, blocked Martin, and Firsov scored 2 more points. After Miller‘s turnover, B. Adams‘s basket, and Kvitkovskikh‘s miss, things became dangerous–the visitors had a 64:70 lead with possession at the 35-minute mark. But Hunter blocked B. Adams‘s layup, Miller scored from afar, J. Adams was forced into an awkward position, he missed – and Hunter made it 69:70 from the free throw line.
Kvitkovskikh‘s basket was answered by B. Adams‘s basket; Lokomotiv’s active defense prompted Sanders to make a traveling; but Shashkov made a steal, and soon the ball was in Carter‘s hands, who began backing Miller toward the hoop. The Krasnodar captain, despite looking half his opponent’s size, managed to block the shot—and seconds later, Moore scored from the perimeter, making it 74:72 with 2,5 minutes left to play.
J. Adams missed again, Hunter‘s hook shot was blocked by B. Adams, but the Lokomotiv center quickly made up for it, blocking Carter‘s shot—and Miller needed just 4 seconds to score 2+1 on a counterattack—77:72. Shashkov found himself open under the hoop and scored; Miller took a mid-range jumper, of which he had made many in the previous game—this time it missed, and Firsov reduced the margin to just one point—77:76—with 28 seconds left. Miller fired another shot from about four meters out—the ball starts jumping. Ultimately, Kvitkovskikh (who had his nose broken a couple of minutes earlier)— tames the bouncing ball, and just seconds later and he dunks it to the roar of the crowd, 79:76.
Perm has 4.3 seconds left to save the game. J. Adams and Sanders try to get open on the arc, Sanders gets the ball, but is pressured by Ishchenko and makes an airball. Lokomotiv’s second win of the series!
Game 3 will take place in Perm on Sunday, May 3, at 3:00 PM Moscow time.