Zenit will fight for a spot in the final in the decisive match in Kazan
The Blue-White-Sky Blues lost at home to UNICS in the sixth game of the VTB United League semifinals. Today's match ended 73:78 in favor of the Kazan team, who have now tied the series at 3-3.
Before the start of the game, VTB United League CEO Ilona Korstin honored Zenit forward Georgy Zhbanov — he was named the league's best defensive player of the 2025/26 season.
Zenit's starting five: Andre Roberson, Trent Frazier, Georgy Zhbanov, Andrey Martiuk, and Sergey Karasev. Pavel Zemskiy, Igor Volkhin, and Johnny Juzang, who missed the game due to a right calf muscle injury, were not included in the game roster. Meanwhile, Vladislav Emchenko, who recovered from a similar injury, returned to the Blue-White-Sky Blues' roster.
The sixth game of the semifinal series began with a knockdown for Zenit. With the score 0:10 on the board, Dejan Radonjić called a timeout — urgent adjustments were needed. After the minute-long pause, the Blue-White-Sky Blues managed to get back into the game: Martiuk scored from the paint, Zhbanov made his free throws, Moon actively drove to the basket — the score 8:12 by the middle of the quarter forced UNICS to take a timeout. Having overcome the crisis, Zenit continued their chase. At one point, the Kazan team put together another successful stretch, but then the initiative shifted to the home team. The quarter ended with the visitors leading, but the gap that existed at the start of the game was no longer felt either on the scoreboard or in the flow of play — 15:20.
Zenit confirmed this at the start of the next ten-minute period. Three-pointers from Zhbanov and Vorontsevich, along with a driving layup from Martiuk, gave the home team their first lead of the game — 23:20. However, they couldn't build on this momentum. UNICS adapted in time, adjusted, and managed to respond. Overall, the game before the big break was characterized by runs. When UNICS increased their lead to 7 points, the Zenit players rallied and answered back: a drive by Roberson and long-range shots from Šamanić and Moon cut the deficit to one possession by halftime — 35:37.
Despite a two-point basket from Luka, the second half started disastrously for Zenit. Several costly turnovers and missed shots allowed UNICS to go back up by 10. Gradually, the Blue-White-Sky Blues regained their composure, but with such a lead, the opponent felt quite comfortable, carefully guarding their hard-earned advantage. Dejan Radonjić's team was not willing to accept this. The final minutes of the quarter were intense: full of battles, clashes, and, importantly, points for Zenit — 51:57 heading into the final ten-minute period.
A bit of turbulence in the form of a turnover by Moon followed by a three-pointer from Kazan's Andrey Lopatin was answered by Zenit with tough defense and accurate shooting. Shots by Zhora, X, and Tseva helped the Petersburg team cut the deficit to one possession — 58:60. Perasovic's timeout slightly cooled that surge, and UNICS managed to restore a 7-point lead. With 4:45 left on the clock, Zenit's head coach called his penultimate timeout. The decision had to be made now. And they made it! Moon threw the ball down on a fast break, Vorontsevich knocked down his third three-pointer of the game. The stands were roaring, the arena was thundering, and the scoreboard showed a stubborn 2-point deficit. After a minute-long timeout by the green team, Petersburg's defense worked brilliantly, and on the next possession, Roberson slammed the ball home, tying the game at 67:67. Now, for sure, a clutch, one-possession game awaited us. The teams traded baskets and traded the lead, but ultimately, UNICS emerged victorious from this battle — 73:78.
The seventh game of the VTB United League semifinals will take place on May 28 in Kazan. The match will start at 19:00 Saint Petersburg time.
