CSKA vs. AX Olimpia Milan: 78-75 (+3)
CSKA: James (17 + 6 rb + 11 as + 3 to), Voigtmann (14 + 8 rb), Hackett (28 + 4 as + 4 st), Kurbanov (2 + 5 rb), Hines (3 + 6 rb + 2 as) – start; Bolomboy (4), Antonov (0), Strelnieks (2), Vorontsevich (0), Koufos (5 rb), Hilliard (8 + 4 rb), Baker (0)…
AX Olimpia Milan: Micov (5 + 3 rb + 3 as + 2 st), Rodriguez (13 + 2 as + 4 pf), Tarczewski (11 + 10 rb + 3 as + 3 bs), Brooks (0), Scola (7 + 4 pf) – start; Della Valle (3), Biligha (DNP), Gudaitis (13 + 3 rb + 2 as), Moraschini (6), Roll (10 + 5 rb + 2 as), Nedovic (7), White (5 rb + 2 as)…
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates now. Second, congratulations to my team. We had a good opening, we read the mismatches and zone defense, we punished for everything that was given to us. We kept Milan low-scoring during the first quarter when they had just 13 points. Still, it was obvious that some players were hesitant in several moments. And that gave an effect in the second quarter, when we scored only 13 points, though credit should be also given to Olimpia’s defense. We changed our mindset in halftime. The defense of Milan was adjusted to Mike’s skills, they were constantly sending a second defender to guard him, so we had to find open looks. Dani had a great night, shooting, creating, defending. Johannes supported him, Mike still had a double-double. Even though we gave up 5 quick points at the end of the quarter, we continued to execute our plan and we kept the lead. We had just 3 turnovers in the second half, which was important. It was not our best game, but you need to win those games. It was full of strategy and composure from our side. It was a full gym here, the support from Kaliningrad fans was on the highest level. I thank them from my heart.
