Avtodor wins the second victory in a row under Branislav VICENTIC as head coach thanks to another performance by Malik NEWMAN - 27 points and 5 assists by the defender. As a result - 82:86 in the opponent's arena.
VTB United League. Regular Championship. Second phase. Group "B". 24th round.
Yenisei (Krasnoyarsk Territory) - Avtodor (Saratov) - 82:86 (24:19, 19:26, 17:18, 22:23).
Avtodor: Newman (27 + 5 assists + 6 rebounds), Garrett (14 + 5 rebounds), Machado (14 + 7 assists + 5 rebounds), Nikolic (13 + 3 rebounds), Minchenko (9 + 4 rebounds).
Enisey: Gerasimov (24 + 4 assists + 3 rebounds), Warner (20 + 7 assists + 4 rebounds), Trushkin (10 + 3 rebounds).
???? Match Photos
The last match with Enisey was of great importance for the team. As Avtodor captain Yevgeny Kolesnikov said, “now every game is comparable to the final” and it was impossible to stumble in the confrontation with a direct competitor for the playoffs. Before the match, it became known that Rade Zagorac would not play today, complaining of back pain, and this fact added even more heat to the upcoming meeting.
The match started rather chaotically for Avtodor. Despite a well-executed three-point shot by Nikita Mikhailovsky at the beginning of the meeting, Enisey very quickly managed to gain an advantage, which he maintained almost until the end of the first half. In this, the owners were helped by the realization of defender Timofey Gerasimov, who repeated his personal record for the match - 6 "three-pointers". However, the active involvement of Newman and Garrett allowed the Saratov team to go to the break with a slight advantage - 43:45. And this "handicap" "Avtodor" has not given up: Krasnoyarsk did not win a single quarter except the first.
The third ten-minute period continued in a stubborn struggle on the part of both rivals, but the Gerasimov factor stopped working for Yenisei. By the final quarter, the guests continued to lead, and when less than two minutes remained before the final siren, Scott Machado converted a three-pointer and finished off Garrett's failed shot. The final score was set by Danilo Nikolic, who accurately executed two tactical free throws - 82:86.
This victory was the second on the road of the season. Avtodor will play its next match at home at the Kristall Arena on February 14 at 19:00 against Minsk.