CSKA Moscow held off a big challenge from LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, earning an entertaining 90-83 win in the Russian capital on Friday night. There was nothing between the teams during the first half, which ended with CSKA leading 40-39. After a similarly close third quarter it was 62-61 heading into the final period, which saw CSKA briefly surge into a double-digit lead before ASVEL fought back to keep it close until the end.
Hackett inspires CSKA against battling ASVEL, 90-83
Daniel Hackett was the chief inspiration for CSKA with 27 points, while Nikola Milutinov provided 12 points and 9 rebounds. Alexey Shved scored 17, and Marius Grigonis added 16. ASVEL was led by a career-high 16 points from Marcos Knight. Elie Okobo added 15, James Gist scored 14 and Chris Jones contributed 12 in defeat. CSKA improves to 12-7, while ASVEL is now 8-10.
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Toko Shengelia opened the scoring inside but Youssoupha Fall sent ASVEL ahead with an alley-oop layup and one. Shved, Hackett and Milutinov scored inside, but Fall and Dylan Osetkowski responded for another ASVEL lead, 8-10. Shved hit the game’s first three-pointer and soon added another for a 19-12 advantage, before Antoine Diot and Grigonis were also on target from deep. Two scores from Knight pulled ASVEL closer, and Okobo beat the first quarter buzzer to tie it, 23-23, after ten minutes. Iffe Lundberg’s transition layup opened the second quarter and Grigonis added a three-pointer, before Gist scored twice to spark ASVEL. Hackett kept CSKA ahead with a deep three, but Gist scored again and Paul Lacombe netted an offensive rebound for a 33-33 tie. Hackett and Gist stayed hot by trading baskets, before two dunks from Milutinov helped make it 40-39 at the break.
Milutinov showed muscle to score the opening basket of the second half, but free throws sent ASVEL ahead, 42-43. Jones, Knight and Okobo kept the French team ahead despite a three-pointer from Ukhov and it was 48-49 midway through the third. Two more baskets from Hackett and a Grigonis triple gave CSKA some breathing room, but two baskets from Charles Kahudi and a threeball by Jones sent ASVEL in front, before Shved’s three-pointer ended the third quarter 62-61. A three-point play from Voigtmann and 5 fast points from Grigonis gave CSKA a fast start to the final period, but a triple from Knight kept ASVEL fighting, 71-66. Hackett nailed his fourth triple and added a driving layup for a double-digit lead, 78-68. Consecutive triples from Knight and Okobo gave ASVEL fresh hope, but Shved hit from deep and it was 83-76 with three minutes left. A three-point play by Jones and two scores from Gist kept ASVEL alive, but the unstoppable Hackett added a layup-and-one to seal the deal.