Shved, Jerebko lead Khimki past Milan

Khimki Moscow Region remained undefeated at home by ending AX Armani Exchange Milan's six-game winning streak with an 87-79 decision on Thursday. Both teams now have 6-2 records and could share first place or second by the end of Round 8. Alexey Shved led the winners with 24 points and 7 assists. Jonas Jerebko added 19 points, Devin Booker 11 and Stefan Jovic 10 for Khimki. Luis Scola led Milan with 16 points. Michael Roll added 14 points, Nemanja Nedovic and Sergio Rodriguez 13 each, and Vladimir Micov 11 for the guests. Roll and Jeff Brooks shined early, getting help from Nedovic to give Milan a 22-25 lead after 10 minutes. A three-pointer by Nedovic boosted Milan's lead to 24-33 but Shved and Jerebko brought Khimki within 31-33. Micov and Nedovic rescued Milan and an unstoppable Scola gave the visitors a 47-51 edge at halftime. A 16-0 run that Jovic capped with a three-pointer put Khimki back in charge, 60-56, but Scola and Rodriguez helped Milan tie the game, 65-65, after 30 minutes. Shved and Jerebko fueled an 11-0 run that gave Khimki a 80-68 margin with more than 4 minutes left, enough for the hosts to control the game until the final buzzer.

Anthony Gill got Khimki going with an alley-oop dunk, getting help from Booker and Shved to give the hosts a 6-2 lead. Brooks stepped up for Milan with a turnaround jumper that Booker matched with a huge dunk. Scola scored down low, igniting a 0-7 run that Roll capped with a triple to give Milan its first lead, 8-11. Shved answered with a four-point play and soon struck again from beyond the arc for a 15-13 Khimki lead. Kaleb Tarczewski hit a floater and Brooks a layup to force a Khimki call timeout at 15-17. Roll and Nedovic each struck from downtown but Jerebko and Chris Kramer kept Khimki within 22-25 after 10 minutes. Aaron White joined forces with Tarczewski and Nedovic to give Milan its biggest lead at 24-33. Shved rescued Khimki with a three-pointer, Booker dunked and Jerebko hit a layup to trim the difference to 31-33. Micov and Nedovic downed back-to-back triples Rodriguez hit a layup to restore a 33-41 Milan lead. Jerebko scored twice around the basket and Jovic in penetration to get Khimki within 39-46. Shved and Gill each hit a three-pointer and Jerebko added a jump hook but an unstoppable Scola singlehandedly kept Milan ahead, 47-51, at halftime. Rodriguez struck from the arc soon after the break and fed Micov for a layup at 47-56. However, Jovic, Booker and Dairis Bertans soon downed three-pointers as Khimki surged ahead again, 60-56. Jovic capped a 16-0 run with another bomb. Nedovic answered with a driving layup before 5 quick points by Rodriguez tied it at 65-65 after 30 minutes. Gill and Jerebko scored to open the fourth quarter. Roll buried a corner triple but Shved followed a layup with a three-pointer for a 76-68 Khimki lead with less than 6 minutes left. The hosts found another new go-to guy in Jerebko, who boosted his team's lead to 80-68. Roll and Micov nailed back-to-back three-pointers to give Milan hope at 80-74 with under 3 minutes to go. But Kramer followed a jumper with a layup to seal the outcome.

Pivotal performer

Jerebko was the x-factor for Khimki. He finished the game with 19 points on near-perfect shooting: 7 of 8 two-point shots, 1 of 2 from downtown and 2 of 2 from the foul line. He added 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block for a PIR of 22.

Game-changing moment

Khimki improved its defense to limit Milan to just 3 points in over 7 minutes early in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Shved and Jerebko led an 11-0 run that gave Khimki the lead for good, 80-68. Milan tried to come back but never regained momentum after that.

Stellar stat

Both teams had exactly the same three-pointers made and attempted (12-of-27, 44.4%), which meant that two-point shots made the difference in a close game. Milan hit just 16-of-37 shots inside the arc, 43.2%. Khimki took fewer two-point shots, 34, but scored more, 21 (61.8%).

Did you notice?

In 80 EuroLeague career games with Khimki, Shved has averaged 20.2 points and 5.2 assists. In five games against Milan wearing Khimki's jersey, Shved averages 23.8 points and 7.6 assists. Shved has a PIR average of 18.9 with Khimki but averages a PIR of 26.6 against Milan.

Next game:

Both teams play next Tuesday in Round 9, the first of a double-round week. Milan hosts Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv at 20:45 CET in a rematch of the 1987 and 1988 continental title games. A little later, at 21:00 CET, Khimki visits Real Madrid.