BC Khimki upended Partizan Mt:s 92-65

BC Khimki Moscow Region improved to 3-4 in Turkish Airlines Euroleague Group A by downing Partizan mt:s 92-65 in Russia on Wednesday. Khimki kept all of its Top 16 options alive and is one win away from Partizan, that dropped to 4-3. Keith Langford paced the winners with 22 points on 9-of-12 two-pointers. Zoran Planinic added 16, Vitaly Fridzon had 11 while Raul Lopez got 10 for Khimki. James Gist led Partizan with 18 points. Nathan Jawai added 16, Curtis Jerrells had 13 in his Euroleague debut while Dusan Kecman got 10 for the guests. Both teams played really physical in the first quarter, combining for 15 fouls and 23 free throw attempts. Fridzon and Langford helped Khimki to get a 26-13 lead after 10 minutes. Jawai and Gist tried to change things for Partizan but an outstanding Planinic allowed the hosts to keep a 50-37 edge at halftime. Nothing changed after the break, as Khimki kept finding open shots and managed to keep a safe lead all the way until the final buzzer.

Benjamin Eze got Khimki going with a two-handed dunk, as Partizan tried to attack the basket early in the game. Fridzon soon struck from downtown for a 5-0 Khimki lead. Jawai took over with a three-point play and followed that with free throws to tie it at 5-5. Jawai, however, picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench. Fridzon kept pacing Khimki with 4-of-4 free throws but Gist fed Kecman for a triple and added a put-back basket to give Partizan its first lead, 9-10. Kreso Loncar shined with a jump hook, as Partizan had started to miss free throws once the hosts entered the bonus. Meanwhile, Langford and Planinic allowed Khimki to stay ahead, 15-11. Thomas Kelati banked in a mid-range jumper, as Partizan tried newcomer Jerrells at point guard now. He sank free throws that Kelati bettered with a seven-meter bomb. Langford buried his trademark step-back jumper and followed foul shots with a driving layup to boost Khimki's lead to 26-13 after 10 minutes.

Gist buried a five-meter jumper early in the second quarter, as Partizan started to dominate the boards with Jawai back on court. The guests kept committing turnover while free throws by Raul Lopez restored a 28-15 Khimki lead. Jan Vesely took over with an alleyoop layup that Kelati erased with a turnaround jumper. Jawai tried to change things with a wild three-point play and Milosavljevic scored in penetration but Lopez shined with a floating layup over Jawai. He took revenge with another three-point play but a jumper by Planinic and a corner triple by Fedor Dmitriev forced Partizan to call timeout at 38-25. Planinic and Jawai traded baskets and Langford sank a step-back jumper to make it a 15-point game, 42-27. Kecman scored down low and Gist took over with a four-point play to bring Partizan back to life, 44-34. Planinic followed free throws with a floating layup but Jerrells beat the buzzer with a driving basket to get Partizan within 50-37 at halftime.

Partizan was facing severe foul problems, as Jawai and Gist were sitting on the bench with 3 apiece. Lopez downed a three-pointer and Aleksey Savrasenko added a fast break layup that broke the game open, 57-37, early in the third quarter. Partizan kept struggling to score for almost 3 minutes until Jerrells shined with a driving layup that Langford matched in the other end. Another triple by an outstanding Lopez made Partizan stop the game at 60-39. Kecman tried to ignite the guests' comeback with a triple and Jerrells added a layup for a 62-44 score. Khimki kept following its game plan, getting its big men involved and having enough patience to find good shots. Langford provided a highlight with a put-back layup that Jerrells bettered with a triple. Planinic joined the three-point shootout but a put-back layup by Gist and free throws by Jerrells kept Partizan within 67-51. Langford beat the buzzer with a six-meter shot to fix the score at 69-51 after 30 minutes.

Langford had a huge block on Jawai that allowed Eze to score in the other end. Milosavljevic shined with a follow-up layup but Fridzon scored off a steal to seal the outcome, 73-53, with 8 minutes left. Both teams kept fighting for points differential, as Partizan had registered a four-point win in Belgrade. Langford provided a highlight with a long jumper off the dribble, forcing Partizan to call timeout at 75-53. Loncar took over with a fast break layup but Khimki started to use long possessions to run the game clock down. Planinic buried a rainbow jumper and a three-pointer by Loncar boosted his team's lead to 81-55. Gist tried to change things for Partizan but it was already too little, too late for the guests. Khimki rejoined the Top 16 race and faces a critical showdown against Caja Laboral next week. Meanwhile, Partizan will do it sbest to bounce back in its upcoming road game against Maccabi Electra.