A 12-0 surge in the second sent Khimki clear and it was never close again as the host dominated throughout. Alexey Shved was the star performer with a double-double of 24 points and 13 assists. Jonas Jerebko added 18 points and 7 rebounds, and Devin Booker scored 17. Janis Timma made 4-of-6 three-pointers in his total of 14 points, while Chris Kramer and Dairis Bertans both netted 11. Adreian Payne paced ASVEL with 14 points and 6 rebounds. David Lighty (12), Tonye Jekiri and Amine Noua (10 apiece) also reached double figures in defeat. Khimki stays in the playoffs places with a 12-14 record, while ASVEL drops three wins off the top eight pace at 9-17.

Timma opened the scoring from deep, before Stefan Jovic added a transition layup and one and Jerebko dunked for an early 8-0 lead. Noua’s triple got ASVEL on the board, but Booker also nailed a three-pointer and a spectacular alley-oop before Timma netted another pair of triples. Jerebko scored again for 23-7, before Lighty and Payne narrowed the gap from close range. Shved and Booker combined for another alley-oop but a four-point play from Lighty made it 29-21. Jerebko’s layup was bettered by debutant Davion Berry from deep, and Lighty’s floater helped make it 35-28 after a breathless ten minutes. Bertans and Berry started the second quarter with threeballs, and Jerebko and Timma did the same as Khimki continued to pile on the points. Booker made it 53-33 from the foul line while ASVEL went more than six minutes without a field goal until Lighty finally broke a 12-0 run. Booker and Shved penetrated to score and Kramer added a triple as the first half ended 65-42. Khimki didn’t score for the first three minutes of the second half, before Shved netted from deep and Booker added a put-back. Antoine Diot netted outside and inside for ASVEL, but Shved and Booker kept on scoring regularly enough to keep the margin above 20. A three-point play from Kramer made it 85-61 after three quarters. The final stanza was slow to get started, but then Khimki continued to dominate as Bertans and Kramer scored inside. The home team moved into triple figures with consecutive triples from Shved and Anthony Gill, and Gill added two more inside baskets to complete the scoring.

Khimki sets first half scoring record
Khimki smashed its first-half scoring record by netting 65 points in the opening two quarters. The home side made 9 of its first 10 field goals, finishing the half with 12-of-19 two-pointers and 11-of-17 triples, also distributing 18 assists. The club’s previous first half high in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was 59 points, achieved against Zalgiris Kaunas in January 2016.

Shved turns provider…and then scorer
Alexey Shved is best known as one of the continent’s sharpest shooters, but he showcased his creative talents as Khimki raced to 35 points in the first quarter. Shved dished 6 assists before he had even attempted a shot, and reached 8 assists after 10 minutes without committing any turnovers. He then returned to his usual scoring ways and finished with a pair of joint career-highs with 13 assists and a PIR of 37.




Khimki shoots sharp from deep
Khimki came close to another club record as it finished with 16 three-point attempts, just one shy of the team’s best in the competition. Shved and Janis Timma led the way with 4 apiece, followed by Dairis Bertans with 3 and Jonas Jerebko with 2.

ASVEL starts cold and hot
ASVEL suffered a horrific start by committing three turnovers inside the opening 90 seconds. Then Theo Maledon missed two free throws, followed by three more turnovers before the midway point of the first quarter, by which stage the French team had a cumulative PIR of minus 1. But ASVEL then scored 20 points in four minutes to briefly get back into the game.

Next round
Round 27 will see Khimki travel to Zalgiris Kaunas next Tuesday, on the same night ASVEL welcomes Valencia Basket.