«CSKA» Moscow on its home court won «Astana» — 79:63 (21:16, 19:14, 17:18, 22:15).
«Astana», led by Justin Carter, opposed «CSKA» with decent defense in the first half. At the same time, «CSKA» seized the initiative and surpassed the opponent in the main factors, such as rebounds (22-12) and points in the paint (18-8). Winning for 5 points in each of two first quarters, Moscow team went on a break with a double-digit advantage (40:30).
The trademark of «CSKA» is the strengthening of the grip in the second half — a few teams can cope with this pressure. «Astana» remained in the game after the acceleration of red and blue in the third quarter, but in the fourth period, Kazakh team was played out. «CSKA», who previously threatened mainly from the «paint», added a threat from the distance (two hits by Vitaliy Fridzon) and tightly seized the enemy on its half of the court. In the middle of the fourth quarter, the hosts' advantage reached «+ 20» , and it became absolutely clear that CSKA tips the balance.
This victory became 10th in the regular championship out of 10 possible. The Moscow club showed 100% result and confidently leads in the standings.
The most effective:
- CSKA: Corey Higgins (14), Othello Hunter (13 + 7 rebounds), Mikhail Kulagin (12).
- «Astana»: Justin Carter (14 + 5 rebounds), Leonidas Kaselakis (12 + 7 rebounds), Malcolm Grant (11).
Head coach of CSKA Dimitris Itudis:
- I congratulate all those who celebrate Christmas today. Today we have focused on our professional duties and defeated a competitive team. We tried to distribute the playing time, give rest to those who received a lot of work in previous games — first of all, to Chacho and Kaylu. And we coped with the task, did everything right and won, and I would like to congratulate the team on this. «Astana» now looks good, they have fortified with a new foreign player and shows good basketball, I wish them good luck in the future.
Head coach of «Astana» Konstantinos Flevarakis:
- Today we came to play against the leader of the Euroleague and tried to act energetically and wisely. CSKA is perfectly staffed in all positions, and it should be a very strong team to confront «CSKA.» We missed many chances, allowed to take many rebounds on our field. Nevertheless, I appreciate the efforts of the team. As well as the efforts of CSKA, who thus demonstrated that it treats us with great respect. We need to try our best to reach a higher level. Congratulate everyone on the upcoming New Year!
The next match «Astana» will be held after the New Year holidays, on January 6, «Astana» will host «Nizhny Novgorod» on a home court in the framework of the VTB United League.
