CSKA Moscow survived Zenit St Petersburg at home (83-81) and earned a commanding 2-0 lead in the VTB League semi-finals.
With 1.8 seconds to go, Zenit attempted to tie the game and force an overtime. But, Gal Mekel was blocked by Kyle Hines. Sergey Karasev missed the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer and the Muscovites sealed the deal.
CSKA led for the majority of the night and stood tall in the end, despite the visitors’ late effort to turn things around.
Will Clyburn led the winners with a game-high 19 points. Three more players scored in double figures for the hosts. On the other hand, Codi Miller-McIntyre had a team-high 14 points for the losing squad.
Game 3 of the best-of-five series will be played in St. Petersburg on Tuesday (28/05). If CSKA Moscow wins, then they will sweep the series and qualify for the VTB League Finals.
