Astana» lost to Avtodor at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Palace of Martial Arts Sports with a score of 73:80.
The teams went neck to neck throughout most of the match, but in the fourth quarter, the guests made a breakthrough that allowed them to win.
Valery Likhodey (18 points, 6 rebounds), Markell Johnson (18 points, 5 rebounds), and Kwame Vaughn (11 points) from Astana became the leaders in this game. Malik Newman and Brandon Garrett (18 points each) were the best from Avtodor.
The new arena had a completely different atmosphere: the fans did their best to support the home team, and during the long break, Italian musician Son Pascal sang his hit «Zhanym Sol» along with the audience.
It is worth noting that Avtodor won in Kazakhstan for the first time this season.
«I want to congratulate my team on the victory. We knew that it would take an effort to win in Astana, as they are currently playing good basketball, and in the previous match, they lost to PARMA-PARI by just one point. The game was equal; Astana played slightly better than us, but in the last quarter, we had more control over the game, we had control in defense, and we stopped Astana's fast break, which was a big problem for us.» — said Avtodor head coach Branislav Vicentic after the game.
The next match for Astana will occur on March 13 against Samara. This game will also take place at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Palace of Martial Art Sports and will be the team's final home game in this season's VTB United League.
Tickets can be purchased on the
Zakazbiletov.kz website.
Detailed information about the tournament, standings, schedule, and match results are published in the Tournaments section.
