Week 26 In Review: Kalev Clinches 1st Playoff Berth, PARMA Ends UNICS’s 1st-Place Hopes

Week 26 In Review: Kalev Clinches 1st Playoff Berth, PARMA Ends UNICS’s 1st-Place Hopes

Plus, Janis Timma rescues Khimki in Nizhny Novgorod. 

PARMA foils UNICS again

UNICS had control of its own destiny. Thanks to two victories over CSKA, Kazan simply needed to win out vs. PARMA, Avtodor and Zielona Gora to clinch the regular-season title. 

Instead, the Tatar club went down to a shocking defeat at home vs. PARMA. The visitors pulled away in the 3rd quarter, going up by as much as 15 points. Despite a great game from Raymar Morgan (27 points), Perm was able to hang on to the lead and ultimately win. 

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PARMA was the only team to beat UNICS twice this season. Kazan can now finish no better than 2nd place with Khimki breathing down its neck. At the same time, PARMA virtually guaranteed that it will avoid a last-place finish. 

Loko takes 4th place and home-court advantage

Loko dropped out of the race for the top-three, but could still earn home-court advantage in the first round by finishing in 4th place. Taking on its chief rival Zenit on the road, Krasnodar rolled to a 94-78 victory.

“We didn’t deserve to win today. I could blame the loss on the absence of key players, but I’m not used to complaining. Now we need to regroup and beat Astana to finish in 5th place.” Due to injuries and suspensions, Joan Plaza was short several starters vs. Lokomotiv.

Bob Donewald was probably pleased with his team, which racked up 29 assists, despite entering the game averaging only 20.6 per game!

The win over Zenit clinched 4th place and, with it, home-court advantage in the first round. There’s a very good chance these two teams will meet again in the quarterfinals. Can Kuban win as easily once Joan Plaza has Jalen Reynolds back from suspension?

Astana pulls away from Zenit

Astana took advantage of Zenit’s struggles. The Kazakh club is back in 5th place after a comeback win vs. Enisey.

Despite an impressive three-game winning streak, Krasnoyarsk had been eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the week. But Enisey was determined to keep winning, going up by as much as 15 points thanks to strong performances from Denis Zakharov and Ilya Popov, who combined for 34 points.

Astana fought back with unselfish team basketball. Six players scored in double digits for the Kazakhs, delighting head coach Emil Rajkovic with by roaring back from 15 down: 

Astana leads Zenit by one game, but travels to St. Petersburg on Saturday to decide who will take 5th place. 

Kalev reaches the playoffs

One of the biggest stories of the week occurred in Tallinn. Local Kalev has booked a postseason ticket for the first time in 10 seasons in the League. The Estonians clinched vs. Zenit, taking advantage of the Russian club’s weakened roster. Kalev was very impressive in the victory, leading by as much as 22 points. The victory was also the team’s first-ever vs. Zenit.

Kalev’s due of former Sixers, Tony Wroten and Arnett Moultrie, combined for 53 points and shot the ball at an excellent clip in the win. 

Nizhny Novgorod runs into trouble

Unlike red-hot Kalev, Nizhny Novgorod is stumbling toward the finish line. Injuries, of course, are primarily to blame. And, despite the setbacks, the Volga club continues to fight tooth and nail against any opponent. 

On Wednesday, Nizhny Novgorod was several seconds from beating Khimki. The Black and White led by 16 points in the 4th quarter, but could not protect the lead. In the final seconds of regulation, Janis Timma drained a wide-open 3-pointer to send the game to overtime:

Zoran Lukic’s men had almost nothing left in the tank for the extra period. Khimki takes home a win and continues to chase UNICS for 2nd place. Alexey Shved put up crazy numbers, of course, finishing with 34 points:

Something similar occurred two days later in Tallinn. Georgy Zhbanov became the latest Nizhny player to be bit by the injury bug, but his teammates were determined to win, nonetheless. Kalev trailed for the first 25 minutes, needing heroics from Chavaughn Lewis and Tony Wroten to get back in the game in the 3rd quarter, before surging ahead.

Tallinn’s win could have an impact on the final standings. The Estonians and Nizhny Novgorod are tied for 7th place, but with a win over Loko, Kalev will take over 7th and drop Nizhny into 8th. 

Georgy Zhbanov is a contender for Young Player of the Year

Nizhny has one reason to be happy: 21-year-old Georgy Zhbanov could be named the League’s top young player this season. He put on a show vs. Khimki, missing a triple-double by only two assists (12 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists). Perhaps his absence in the game vs. Kalev was the reason for Nizhny’s defeat.

Avtodor forces UNICS to score a season-high 111

Saratov is out of the playoff race, but wanted to give the home fans a win in the final appearance of the season. Avtodor rolled to 58 first-half points against the League’s best defensive team, working to disrupt Kazan’s standard halfcourt approach. 

But Dimitris Priftis did not want to drop two in a row. UNICS was much better defensively in the second half, while continuing to score at a high rate. The visitors finished with 111 points, their best result of the season. Kazan remains in 2nd place with the win.

Tsmoki completes its biggest comeback of the season

Zielona Gora’s first win in the VTB League came in Minsk. Once again, the Poles looked comfortable vs. Tsmoki, racing to a 14-point lead in the 2nd quarter.

But the Dragons, who can still avoid last place, were determined to get revenge. They quickly erased the deficit in the 3rd quarter. The game could have gone to overtime, but Zeljko Sakic missed a layup on the final possession of the game. 

“We were fortunate at the end, but that luck is the result of the hard work our players have put in.” Minsk head coach Rostislav Vergun couldn’t help but praise his guys after their 4th win of the season.

Team of the week

Tony Wroten scored a League career-high 31 points and helped Kalev defeat Zenit for the first time ever. Teammate Arnett Moultrie was terrific in the win over Nizhny Novgorod (22 points). Tallinn has clinched a playoff spot and could finish as high as 6th.
Jamar Smith was outstanding vs. Avtodor, putting up 27 points and 11 assists.
Mateusz Ponitka is playing his best basketball down the stretch, helping lead Lokomotiv past Zenit.
Tre’ McLean was one of the biggest reasons for PARMA’s upset win vs. UNICS and the resulting shakeup in the standings.

Standings