The match began on a positive note. It was immediately evident that the small break in the VTB United League championship benefited the Astana team. Unlike the previous game with the St. Petersburg team (96:59), where the host’s lead was clear from the start, this time Astana gave Xavi Pascual’s squad all the reasons to be nervous from the first minutes. Most importantly, T.J. Starks finally took to the court after an injury, and it can be confidently said that his debut was successful.
Daniil Utomi opened the scoring with a precise mid-range jumper. Subsequently, Galin Smith’s effective play contributed to a 5-0 run, and Rustam Murzagaliyev’s successful three-pointer extended the lead to 17-12. Astana maintained their competitive momentum, concluding the first quarter ahead at 19-17.
The second ten-minute period was much more challenging (17:12). At the start, Ruslan Aitkali scored; however, the hosts became more confident and made two runs: first 8-2, then 15-5. Nevertheless, Gleb Plotnikov’s squad did not let the opponent go far ahead. Murzagaliyev and Starks set up their teammates with effective passes, while Motovilov impressed with his drives to the basket. Notably, Andrei Desyatnikov dominated the paint, excelling at scoring on offensive rebounds.
After the break, Astana continued to play on equal terms. Danila Pokhodyaev successfully entered the game, scoring two three-pointers. Andrey Desyatnikov marked his fourth dunk. However, the score remained in favor of Zenit.
In all quarters, the team started organized and productive, and the final stretch was no exception. However, against Zenit, this proved insufficient.
Zenit — Astana 86:63 (17:19, 28:15, 21:14, 20:15)
Zenit: Dwayne Bacon (17 points, 6 rebounds), Trent Frazier (14 points, 5 assists), Sergey Karasev (11 points, 4 rebounds).
Astana: Grigory Motovilov (12 points), Galin Smith (12 points), Andrei Desyatnikov (10 points, 8 rebounds).
Gleb Plotnikov, acting head coach of BC Astana:
“Firstly, we are all glad to play after such a long break. Everyone missed basketball very much. Secondly, as a coach, I am pleased that we made only six turnovers. On average, we lost a lot. The percentage of two-pointers also pleases me as a coach, but we must make long-range shots; today, our shooters, all those we rely on, did not score. Overall, we can record this game as a positive. We will take the best from it.”
Andrei Desyatnikov, center of BC Astana:
“We played segments of a very good game but could not maintain the pace that Zenit imposed. Also, the three-point shooting percentage—21%—affected the outcome.”
