Nizhny Survives Double OT Thriller vs. PARMA

Nizhny Survives Double OT Thriller vs. PARMA

Nizhny Novgorod defeated PARMA Perm at home in double overtime, 100-98 (21-18, 12-20, 22-17, 19-19, 13-13, 13-11)

Top Scorers
Nizhny Novgorod: Chris Czerapowicz (28 + 5 reb), Kendrick Perry (24 + 12 ast), Dmitry Uzinsky (15), Ivan Strebkov (9 + 6 ast)

PARMA: Tyler Larson (23 + 6 ast), Konstantin Bulanov (15), Kodi Justice (14), Michael Humphrey (13 + 6 reb), Rashard Kelly (12 + 8 reb), Eigirdas Zukauskas (9 + 10 reb)

Story
Ivan Strebkov saved his best for last, including the game-winning layup with two seconds on the clock to give Nizhny Novgorod a double-overtime victory over PARMA. 

This game was an instant classic, featuring two teams who were tied in the standings (3-6) and both recorded upset wins the previous week (Nizhny over Khimki and PARMA over UNICS). 

For fifty minutes the two teams exchanged blows: PARMA dominated the glass (46-35), while Nizhny shot a scorching 48% from beyond the arc (16-33). With 14 lead changes and nine ties, this game nearly went to triple overtime, if not for Ivan Strebkov’s heroics in the final seconds of double OT. 

The Russian guard, who finished with a modest nine points and six assists, was clutch down the stretch, draining a go-ahead triple, 98-96. 

The visitors tied the game at the free-throw line, 98-98, but Strebkov answered again, cutting to the basket on a beautiful play drawn up by coach Zoran Lukic. 

PARMA had plenty of chances. The visitors dominated early in both overtime periods, leading by as much as seven, 81-74, to start the first overtime. But Nizhny always found a way to claw back. 

Chris Czerapowicz, who was magnificent with a game-high 28 on 7-11 shooting from downtown, hit two big 3’s to give Nizhny an 83-82 advantage with 1:30 remaining in the first overtime. 

After squandering its lead, PARMA forced double OT with a wild sequence: Kodi Justice missed the second of two free throws, but the visitors grabbed two offensive rebounds in the dying seconds with Michael Humphrey finally tying the game, 87-87, on a lay-in after Kelly missed from beyond the arc. 

In the second overtime, PARMA once again struck first, taking a 91-87 lead on a pair of layups. 

The rest of the period was back and forth, featuring three ties and four lead changes, before Strebkov ensured a dramatic win for the home team. 

Nizhny Novgorod improves to 4-6, tying Avtodor for 8th place and the final playoff spot. PARMA drops to 3-7, 11th place.

Timeout of the Game

Star
Chris Czerapowicz. Despite Strebkov’s game-winner, Czerapowicz’s three-point shooting kept Nizhny alive as he finished with 28 on seven triples! 

Dunk

Stat
100 – Nizhny scored over 100 points for the first time this season.

Quotes
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic: “First of all, I want to congratulate our opponent. Under coach Mazurs, PARMA looks very organized and has taken important steps forward. It should be admitted that they were fresher today. We were playing our fourth game in eight days, unlike Perm, which have enough time to prepare for any opponent. This was a very tough game for us. There was a reason I said PARMA was the favorite beforehand. Now, after the game, I can say why. We are building up exhaustion. You can tell by how we make decisions. It’s not easy in those moments to control the squad. During regulation and overtime, we had an advantage, but didn’t execute as needed and let it slip away. Thank god, we executed in the final five seconds. Strebkov’s basket was no coincidence. Congratulations to the guys. For how they played in the second half, they deserved this win.”

PARMA head coach Nikolajs Mazurs: “Both teams played good basketball today. They competed extremely well and fought hard on defense. I think the fans enjoy games like this. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t seal the deal in the second overtime. It’s too bad, because we led by seven points in the first overtime before making a few stupid mistakes. This isn’t the first game where a few mistakes at the end and failure to take advantage of opportunities have let us down. 

During those moments when we let our lead slip away, passing was the issue 80% of the time. We couldn’t execute on simple things: taking the ball out of bounds, passing the ball to the corner, etc. But I can’t blame the guys. They gave everything they had. We’ll prepare for the next game.”

Photos

23/12/2018 Nizhny Novgorod-PARMA 100:98