Khimki dominates Strasbourg to stay perfect at home

Khimki Moscow Region never trailed and outscored Strasbourg in every quarter en route to a convincing 88-62 victory at Krylatskoye Sports Palace on Thursday. The outcome lifted Khimki to 3-1 to maintain at least a share of first place in Group A. It also saw Coach Rimas Kurtinaitis’s charges remain unbeaten this season at home. The hosts had a different player star in each quarter to blow away Strasbourg. Tyler Honeycutt produced 8 points, 4 rebounds 1 block in the first 10 minutes and Zoran Dragic led a 10-0 run in the second to help establish a 39-26 halftime lead. Tyrese Rice took the difference into the 20s in the third quarter and Alexey Shved hit a pair of threes and threw down an amazing alley-oop slam to put the game to bed in the fourth. Rice finished with 16 points and 6 assists and Shved also scored 16 for Khimki. Dragic added 15 points, Paul Davis scored 11 and Honeycutt totaled 8 points and 8 rebounds. Mardy Collins paced the Strasbourg attack with 14 points and Bangaly Fofana scored 12 in a defeat that saw Strasbourg fall to 1-3.

First quarter: Honeycutt’s outstanding start fuels Khimki

Petteri Koponen drove for a layup and the game’s first basket before Collins matched him at the other end. Sergey Monia’s pull-up jumper and a Koponen three from the corner gave Khimki a 7-2 advantage. Roddy Beaubois kept the visitors close with a triple in transition, but Paul Davis’s assist to a cutting Honeycutt for a slam kept the hosts rolling. Davis scored inside before his counterpart Vladimir Golubovic hit a baseline jumper. But Honeycutt finished inside and Rice connected from downtown to make it 16-7 midway through the quarter. James Augustine came off the bench and scored on his first touch to establish a double-digit advantage. Kyle Weems revived the visitors with a three-pointer and later added free throws as the Strasbourg defense started to deny Khimki, but too many missed shots kept the visitors from getting too close. Fofana ran the pick-and-roll with Louis Campbell and finished with an alley-oop layup to bring Strasbourg within 18-13. After a timeout, Augustine hooked up with Honeycutt to get the latter a layup. Shved drew a foul on a three-point attempt, but made only 1 of the resulting free throws. Jeremy Leloup countered with a jumper from the corner before a pair of Honeycutt free throws left Khimki holding a 23-15 lead after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Dragic stars in 10-0 Khimki charge

Strasbourg went to a smaller lineup after Fofana committed his second foul. The initial result was promising as Strasbourg got transition opportunities, including a layup for Paul Lacombe. However Zoran Dragic came in and buried a three. Shved reestablished a 10-point Khimki lead from the line. Beaubois hit a close jumper and Weems drew a foul on the offensive glass. He split foul shots that drew Strasbourg within 27-20. Augustine fought for an offensive rebound and then from the ground found Shved for a layup. Dragic used the pick-and-roll to get Davis a basket-plus-foul before making free throws of his own as the lead grew to 15 points. Dragic capped a 10-0 run with a fast break layup. Campbell and Romeo Travis each scored to end the Strasbourg drought, but Rice responded with free throws. Campbell shook a defender and created a layup for Collins to bring the visitors within 39-26 with a minute to go in the second quarter, which is where the score would stand at halftime.

Third quarter: Rice takes charge and pushes lead into the 20s

Rice opened the second half with a one-handed floater before Collins’s short jumper rattled in at the other end. Davis’s jumper was answered by Collins with a layup. Lacombe lofted a pass to Fofana for an impressive alley-oop slam. Davis put the hosts up 47-32 with a jumper. Rice netted a high-arcing triple to ass to the lead. Leloup countered with a mid-range jumper, but Monia banked in a shot at the other end. Golubovic saved a basket by tipping Rice’s layup off the rim, but Egor Vyaltsev’s free throws and jumper kept the Khimki machine rolling. Travis used his speed to get to the rim and his athleticism to finish a reverse layup, but Rice drained a three at the other end for a 59-38 advantage. Leloup made a pair of free throws, but Rice connected once more from downtown. Dragic’s tough layup gave the hosts a commanding 64-40 lead through three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Shved stars as hosts wrap up victory

Golubovic put back his own miss, but Marko Todorovic bettered him with an offensive rebound and three-point play. Todorovic stuffed Golubovic on defense, but committed an offensive foul on the ensuing play. Shved made it 69-42 with a steal and a layup. Campbell beat the 24-second clock with a long jumper, but Todorovic scored inside for the hosts. Fofana added another slam thanks to a lob pass from Collins and Campbell drained his first three of the game. Collins brought Strasbourg back within 20 only to see Todorovic’s nifty pass to Augustine make it 73-51 midway through the quarter. Fofana split free throws before Shved connected on his first three-pointer. Fofana dunked, but Shved built on the lead with another triple before throwing down a spectacular alley-oop slam thanks to the assist from Koponen. The lead peaked at 85-57 on a circus shot from Dragic as Khimki cruised to a total victory.