We couldn't make revenge

“Spartak” lost on the home court to “Khimki” of the Moscow region in a BEKO Professional Basketball League Russian Championship game in a dramatic struggle — 53-56.

The sign “Spartak vs. Khimki” became as bright as, for example, “Spartak vs. CSKA”. If before it was almost as bright, now this confrontation guarantees a top-class basketball show. For this reason “Yubileiny” Sports Complex sold out, a group of the “Khimki” fans having come from near Moscow as well. So the atmosphere of a big sports festival should have pleased the eyes of players, coaches and experts alike.

After a number of unnerving moments in the beginning of the match the opponents started to steadily gain points. Dragicevic looked superb under the guest board, beating Loncar two times. But not all was well in the defense, the Croatian player of the guest team scored five easy points. But then a stunning block shot executed by the same Dragicevic captivated the fans. It became evident that the outcome of the match will be decided to a large extent by the face-off of the “bigs”.

A small lead of 4 points, as a consequence of a skillful defense, was secured by the host team before the second half of the encounter.

Before the determining quarter the host team were in the lead by 7 points — 48-41.

For several minutes of the fourth quarter the score stayed the same, 48-46. The guest team rejected Mavrokefalidis and Zupan, while Zdovc got a technical for excessively emotional debates with a referee.

Fridzon equalized the score, and Vyaltsev took the lead for “Khimki” — 51-48. Zdovc called for a time-out. “Spartak” hadn't scored a single point by that moment, while the guests dashed forward by 10 points. Zozulin reduced the margin from middle range. Planinic shot accurately from behind the arc, Likhodey did the same — 53-54. Zdovc's pause. Dragicevic missed a half-hook, while the guests gained two points. Strelnieks, throwing the ball in, aimed it beyond the bounds of the court. This mistake together with only five points in the “Spartak” offense during the fourth quarter predetermined the victory of the guests. 53-56.