CSKA Moscow secured a valuable 85–75 road victory over Lokomotiv Kuban, taking a 3–1 lead in the VTB League playoff series and moving within one win of the final.
The hosts started better and finished the first quarter with an eight-point advantage, led by a strong offensive stretch from Patrick Miller, who set the early tempo for Lokomotiv Kuban.
However, CSKA Moscow responded strongly in the second quarter, completely taking control of the period with a 22–11 run that flipped the momentum and gave them a slim lead at halftime.
The third quarter was evenly matched, with both teams trading runs and the game remaining tight heading into the final ten minutes. But CSKA shifted gears early in the fourth quarter, opening with a decisive burst that pushed the lead into double digits (+11), a margin Lokomotiv could not recover from.
The Moscow side managed the closing stages comfortably and sealed a crucial away win, putting themselves in position to finish the series on home court in Game 5. Meanwhile, Zenit also leads its series 3–1 against UNICS, setting up a potentially decisive stretch across the VTB playoff bracket.
CSKA’s scoring was led by Melo Trimble and Antonius Cleveland, who each finished with 13 points, while Patrick Miller stood out for Lokomotiv with 22 points on efficient shooting from two-point range (8/12). A former Crvena zvezda center added 7 points and 7 rebounds in a solid individual performance despite the defeat.
