CSKA survives tough battle, beats Budivelnik at home

CSKA Moscow remained undefeated in difficult Group A by downing Budivelnik Kiev 72-67 in the Russian capital on Friday. CSKA improved to 2-0 and shares first place, while Budivelnik dropped to 0-2. Milos Teodosic paced the winners with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Victor Khryapa added 10 points while Kyle Hines had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks for CSKA. Micah Downs led Budivelnik with 23 points. Darjus Lavrinovic added 11 for the visitors, who led 11-18 late in the first quarter. Hines changed the game with outstanding defense and a three-pointer by Vitaly Fridzon gave CSKA a 22-18 lead, after an 11-0 run. Hines and Nenad Krstic fueled CSKA to a 32-27 edge at halftime. Budivelnik was not done, however, as Lavrinovic and Downs put the guests ahead 35-39. Three-pointers by Vlado Micov and Teodosic allowed CSKA to regain the lead, 49-44, after 30 minutes. Downs buried 4 three-pointers in the final five minutes, but Sasha Kaun and an outstanding Khryapa - who had all of his points in crunch time - allowed CSKA to seal the outcome minutes before the final buzzer.

First quarter: Budivelnik starts strong, gets the lead

Teodosic got CSKA going with a three-pointer. Downs quickly answered with a driving layup and free throws by Kaun gave the hosts a 5-2 lead. Lavrinovic scored down low, but Teodosic made the most of a defensive mismatch and hit an open, six-meter shot. Janis Strelnieks struck from downtown and another layup by Lavrinovic gave Budivelnik its first lead, 7-9. DaJuan Summers hit free throws, which Jeremy Pargo erased with a floating layup. CSKA kept missing open shots, however, as Budivelnik locked down the defensive boards. Summers nailed a mid-range jumper and Artur Drozdov bettered Pargo's driving basket with a bomb from downtown, good for an 11-16 Budivelnik lead. Ricky Minard stepped on court off a timeout and immediately delivered with an off-balance basket. Teodosic hit a one-handed jumper in the lane and Pargo solved a broken play with an easy basket.. A buzzer-beating layup by Pargo brought the hosts within 17-18 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: CSKA rolls behind great defense

Hines banked in a close shot early in the second quarter, which put CSKA back ahead, 19-18. Budivelnik kept struggling to score and a three-pointer by Fridzon capped an 11-0 CSKA run. Budivelnik was held scoreless for more than five minutes until Strelnieks found space for a backdoor layup. Downs split free throws to make it 22-21. Aaron Jackson took over with an electric driving layup, as the guests could not get Lavrinovic and Summers involved. Krstic stepped up with a jump hook and a three-pointer by Micov boosted CSKA's lead to 29-21, after a 7-0 run. Summers beat the shot clock with an off-balance turnaround jumper, Krstic split foul shots and a close basket by Drozdov gave Budivelnik hope at 30-25. Hines shined with a big basket and a block on Summers, who quickly answered with a wild two-handed slam that kept Budivelnik within 32-27 as both teams headed back to the locker rooms.

Third quarter: Budivelnik rallies, CSKA does not panic

Lavrinovic scored around the basket immediately after the break and soon buried a three-pointer from the left corner, which tied the game again, 32-32. CSKA kept struggling to score and a put-back slam by Downs completed the guests' comeback, 32-34, after a 0-7 run. Kaun stepped up with an alleyoop slam but he didn't find much help around, as Budivelnik kept controlling the game with physical defense and a really patient offense. Lavrinovic hit a jump hook, Krstic split foul shots and Summers soon gave Budivelnik a 35-37 lead. Downs took over with a coast-to-coast basket that Krstic matched with a five-meter jumper. CSKA regrouped on defense with Hines and Micov back on court. Hines scored around the basket and a layup by Jackson put the hosts back ahead, 41-39. Micov buried his trademark corner three-pointer before Budivelnik called timeout at 44-39. Sergiy Gorbenko answered from downtown. Teodosic buried a wild catch-and-shoot triple and free throws by Minard kept Budivelnik within 47-44. A dunk by Hines gave CSKA a 49-44 lead after 30 minutes.

Fourth quarter: CSKA overcomes Down's shooting exhibition

Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth quarter until Teodosic stepped up with a fast break layup. Downs and Micov traded mid-range jumpers and Jackson dunked off a steal to boost CSKA's lead to 55-46. Strelnieks tried to change things with a layup off a Budivelnik timeout, but a long two-pointer by Teodosic restored a 57-48 CSKA edge with over six minutes left. Downs kept pacing the guests with a layup, but Khryapa did better with back-to-back three-pointers that seemed to break the game open, 63-50. Downs, however, also nailed back-to-back triples keep Budivelnik within 7. A big block by Kaun allowed Khryapa to hit a baseline jumper in transition. An unstoppable Downs improved with yet another three-pointer. A layup-plus-foul by Kaun sealed the outcome, 68-59, in the next-to-last minute, as even though Budivelnik kept trying, CSKA cruised to its first home win in this 2013-14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague season.