CSKA Moscow overpower Panathinaikos 91-75; Take the winning streak to 9: Euroleague Recap (Part 2)
CSKA Moscow coach Jonas Kazlauskas was overjoyed with the win. Thanking the home crowd for their wholehearted support, he added
"I am very satisfied with our team and I am thankful to the fans for the tremendous support, which become an important factor for our success. I am happy with the way we fought, we defended. The example of self-dedication was showed
by our veterans – Siskauskas and Khryapa. It was nice to see how our bigs, led by Sasha Kaun and Krstic, fought under the baskets, how small players defended on perimeter, how the reserves helped us”
Viktor Khryapa opened the scoring for CSKA by drilling a mid range jumper and then Nenad Krstic followed him with two free throws to make it 4-0. David Logan answered with a three-pointer from the other end and made a driving layup
later to neutralize the two-pointer from Ramunas Siskauskas and make it 6-5.
Both teams fought hard in the next few minutes and managed to stay nip and tuck. Panathinaikos were behind just by a point, 15-14, when CSKA raced off to an 11-2 run, led by Alexey Shved and Jamont Gordon, to acquire a double digit
lead 26-16. However, Panathinaikos were up to the challenge and finished the quarter with an 8-0 run to get themselves back in the game.
The Second quarter was the most exciting of all.
Both teams displayed excellent offensive skills and did not allow either to dominate. The lead kept on shifting from one side to the other. The Scores were tied on 47 all in the last minute of the frame, but two free throws by
reigning Euroleague MVP Dimitris Diamantidis ensured that the Greens entered the second half with a slight edge.
The best of the Russians was however yet to come. Riding high on confidence, CSKA pulled away with a game turning 14-0 spurt, led by Nenad and Viktor, to make it 61-49 in the opening three minutes. The onslaught knocked the gas
out of the reigning champions.
CSKA dominated the game from there on in and until the very end Panathinaikos never managed to recover.
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