It finally happened – CSKA Moscow have lost a basketball game, with Khimki ending the Armymen’s 17-game unbeaten streak in style in the Moscow Region.
Former NBA star Andrey Kirilenko was ineffective in his brief return to the court, and scored no points in seven minutes of action.
“The coach and I agreed that I’ll see limited action in Russia ahead of the upcoming Euroleague contests, as my shoulder is still not 100 per cent ready,” Kirilenko said. “Tonight, both teams played well defensively, but we just didn’t convert enough offensively. In a game like this, effort also comes into play and you have to give credit to Khimki for out-playing us down the stretch.”
The win came despite a sticky start for Khimki, with big man Nenad Krstic amassing eight of CSKA’s first 16 points.
But CSKA’s domination proved short-lived, with Sergey Monya taking over the scoring load for the home team, notching up 19 points.
Khimki also hit every single one of their 17 free throw efforts to claim a confident 75-65 win.
The Moscow Region side stay top of the Russian Professional Basketball League with five victories in six encounters, while CSKA are second, with one win less, but a game in hand.