«Astana» played its final home match in 2023, beating «Pari Nizhny Novgorod» for the second time this season.
The guest team kicked off the game with great energy, but by the first quarter, our players were already actively racking up points. Nonetheless, the first period remained in favor of «Pari NN,» and at one point, Zoran Lukic's team had a double-digit advantage.
However, by the half-time break, «Astana» managed to reduce the deficit to three points, with the last two-pointer scored by Markell Johnson right at the end of the first half.
The second half turned out to be extremely successful for Oleg Kiselev's team, and «Astana» even won the final quarter with a +24 advantage. The match's final score was 92:61, making it the biggest victory of the Kazakhstani club in the season.
It’s worth noting that Markell Johnson tied Thomas Heurtel's record for the number of assists in a game this season (15 assists), and Karvel Anderson equaled Xavier Rathan-Mayes's record for the number of three-pointers made in a game, hitting 8 successful shots from beyond the arc.
«It's hard to comment on a game when you finish the first half with a plus but the second with a huge minus. 'Astana,' like all other opponents, waited for this moment. I am very pleased with how Baburin controlled the game in the first half, organizing, scoring points, and being the best in defense. Unfortunately, the rotation let us down. I congratulate 'Astana' on their well-deserved victory. It has long been clear what our problem is, but unfortunately, we still haven't fixed it», — said Nizhny's head coach, Zoran Lukic, after the game.
Now, our guys are looking forward to an away series, during which the team will play against «Zenit» (December 21) and «Avtodor» (December 24).
