Dynamo Moscow needed to battle for all 40 minutes and get a extra boost to beat RheinEnergie 75-68

Dynamo Moscow needed to battle for all 40 minutes and get a extra boost from its latest teenage sensation to beat RheinEnergie 75-68 in its brand new Krilatskoe Arena in Group A on Thursday night. Dmitriy Khvostov, a 17-year-old guard, had 11 points and drew 8 fouls off the bench to make Dynamo break open the game in the second quarter. His critical free throws in the final minute also helped hold off a RheinEnergie rally. Travis Hansen led the winners with 18 points while Lazaros Papadopoulos added 14, but went scoreless in the second half. Antonios Fotsis had 12 and Bojan Popovic 11 for Dynamo. Demond Mallet had 16 points for RheinEnergie, Marcus Faison poured in 13 and Marcin Gortat had 12. Dynamo led 41-21 at halftime, but RheinEnergie rallied in the final period to get within 68-65 with a minute to go. Khvostov, Hansen and Yuri Vasilyev combined for 5 free throws in crunch time to give Dynamo its first Euroleague win

Dynamo struck first with Papadopoulos finishing a three-point play inside, his team's first-ever Euroleague points. Mallet answered with a mid-range jumper as RheinEnergie looked to slow down the tempo and use strong defense early. Dynamo missed three times around the basket before Fotsis fed Papadopoulos for a close basket that made it 5-2. Immanuel McElroy drove for a layup and Mallet added a driving basket to give RheinEnergie its first lead, 5-6, and when Fotsis fired in a three-pointer, Martin Gortat answered the same way to keep the guests in front. Dynamo found a go-to guy in Papadopoulos, who scored around the basket and then fed Fotsis for another layup, good for a 12-9 advantage. After a RheinEnergie timeout, Marcus Faison came in to give the guests instant offense, but Hansen slashed for a basket and Papadopoulos added a put-back for a 16-11 Dynamo edge. Mallet scored again and Gortat dunked, but Papadopoulos scored inside and Hansen beat the buzzer from downtown to give Dynamo a 21-15 lead after 10 minutes.

As Papadopoulos rested with 2 fouls to begin the second quarter, RheinEnergie took advantage by looking inside to Guido Grunheid and Alvin Jones inside. Jones scored in the paint and started to dominate on defense, but he did not find much help. Ronald Burrell and McElroy missed consecutive shots, while Hansen stepped up with a score and Bojan Popovic fired in a triple from the top of the key to give his team a 26-19 lead. The visitors entered the foul bonus with six minutes to go in the period, and Dynamo tried to play more aggressive to get to the line often. In the resulting possessions, Popovic made free throws, then found space for a layup and soon Papadopoulos scored off a steal to make it a 13-point game. Gortat continued to pace RheinEnergie with a close basket, but Popovic and Papadopoulos answered with more free throws. RheinEnergie struggled to find the way to the basket and Dynamo's second unit took over. Dmitriy Khvostov followed a layup with free throws while Andrey Trushkin hit two more from the foul line to cap a game-breaking 18-2 run, which give Dynamo its biggest lead yet, 41-21, at halftime.

Mallet tried to ignite a RheinEnergie comeback with a layup after the break, but Dynamo continued to dominate with strong defense.Yuri Vasilyev buried a jumper from the right wing, which Burrell matched on the other end. Dynamo followed its game plan by attacking the basket and getting back to defend. Khvostov shined with a big basket and free throw, but a very active Burrell answered with a dunk-and-free throw to bring RheinEnergie within 46-28. Jones hit free throws and Faison fought his way to a layup, hit free throws and traded baskets with Popovic, but a three-point play by Hansen kept Dynamo up 52-36. Gortat followed a layup with his second dunk, but free throws by Trushkin and a big three-pointer by Fotsis allowed Dynamo to keep a big margin, 57-43, after 30 minutes.

RheinEnergie needed a wild comeback, but Mladjen Sljivancanin and stroke from downtown to give the guests some hope at 59-49. A Dynamo turnover allowed McElroy to score an easy layup, while free throws by Alvin Jones capped a 0-10 run which brought RheinEnergie back into the game, 59-53, with 6 minutes to go. Hansen stepped up with a put-back layup and Khvostov added free throws to give Dynamo Moscow some fresh air at 63-53. Faison provided a highlight with a big dunk but Fotsis bettered him with a put-back basket and another close basket which forced RheinEnergie to call timeout at 67-55. Mallet took over with a triple from the right wing and Faison added a layup-plus-foul which made it a six-point game, 67-61. Papadopoulos could not score against Jones but Faison missed a critical three-point shot in the other end. Hansen made 1 of 2 free throws but Jones dunked it for a 68-63 RheinEnergie deficit already in the final minute. Mallet brought RheinEnerge within striking distance, 68-65, but Khvostov became the game hero with free throws. Popovic collected a critical steal which allowed all Dynamo fans to celebrate a big home win.