CSKA Moscow used dominant defense and a resurgent Nikola Milutinov to down host Zalgiris Kaunas 51-73 on Friday night at the Zalgirio Arena. CSKA won its fourth straight game, improving to a 9-5 record and a share of third place.
CSKA dominates Zalgiris for fourth straight win, 51-73



Zalgiris had its three-game home winning streak snapped, dropping to 3-11. After a tight first half, CSKA opened the third quarter with a 0-7 run and added a 2-13 spurt to take an 18-point margin and maintain control of the game on the way to victory. Nikola Milutinov paced CSKA with a double-double of 19 points plus 12 rebounds, while Alexey Shved scored 17 points in the winning effort. For Zalgiris, which was held to a club-record low of 51 points in a EuroLeague home game, Josh Nebo was the only double-digit scorer, with 11 points, and added 7 rebounds.
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Arturas Milaknis downed a triple and Nebo skied for a dunk for Zalgiris while Milutinov score twice inside to help CSKA take a 7-8 lead. Iffe Lundberg and Milaknis traded three-pointers while Shved scored 6 points, including a triple, to push the difference to 14-19. Regimantas Miniotas helped the hosts get within 18-19 after 10 minutes and Tyler Cavanaugh hit a jumper at the start of the second quarter, but a baseline jumper and a triple from Will Clyburn opened a new 20-29 margin for CSKA. Zalgiris responded after a timeout with a dunk from Nebo and triples by Lukas Lekavicius and Milaknis to get within 28-29 with 2:25 left in the first half. CSKA stopped the bleeding with a timeout, but the only point for the remainder of the quarter was a Marius Grigonis free throw that set a halftime score at 28-30.
CSKA scored the first 7 points after the break with Shved sinking a triple and racing for a fastbreak dunk. Mantas Kalnietis and Nikita Kurbanov traded triples before Daniel Hackett's runner for CSKA made it 33-44 midway through the third quarter. A long-range dagger from Lundberg pushed the lead to 35-49. Lekavicius hit a tough basket, but Milutinov's dunk and Clyburn's driving layup through a crowd left the visitors up 39-57 after 30 minutes. CSKA went scoreless for more than 4 minutes to open the fourth quarter, but all Zalgiris managed during that time was baskets from Nebo and Edgaras Ulanovas that cut the difference to 45-57. CSKA could not score a field goal, but got to the free throw line for the game's next 5 points. Shved's long jumper with 3:40 to go was his team's first field goal in the final quarter, but enough to open a 48-64 lead and ice the game before Milutinov's baskets in the final minutes broke the 20-point margin.