EuroBasket: Serbia loses to Russia

Serbia lost to Russia 65-73 at the opening night of European Basketball Championships EuroBasket on Monday in Spain. Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko led his team to a key win in the tournament's opener against Serbia in EuroBasket's Group A game. EuroBasket: Serbia loses to Russia Kirilenko finished the game with 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and drew seven fouls, but every play he made was in the best timing to keep his team on the winning side. Serbia had a bad shooting night. Darko Milicic was shutdown by a great defensive team effort by Russia, and was representative of Serbia's poor shooting, connecting on just two of his 13 shots. His front line teammate Zoran Erceg converted only a single free throw shot of his six attempts to symbolize Serbia's poor form from the line (58 percent). Russia stormed the court from the first moment to take a 9-0 lead after three minutes, before Marko Jaric scored the first points for Serbia. Russia's team play was on display from the very beginning as four players shared the first 11 points of the team. Kirilenko collected seven points by the end of the first quarter when his team took a 21-13 lead, but didn't think about stopping. Serbia couldn't find any answer for the aggressive Russian defense and by the 13th minute David Blatt's guys were already doubling Serbia's points, 31-15 after J.R. Holden connected a mid range shot. That was when the Russian machine took a rest. For the next 5:20 Russia added only three points, all from the charity stripe, but Serbia was still struggling and used that to reduce the game to only 10 points, 34-24. Another small push by Serbia made it just a six point game, before Nikita Morgunov sealed the half with a key mid-range shot, not his last in the game, to make it 38-30 after two quarters. After shooting only 37% from two-point range and a miserable 43% from the line in the first half, Serbia was still down by only eight, and had a reason to be optimistic but the first minutes of the second half changed that feeling. Milos Teodosic hit three points from the line to make it just a five point game, and then Kirilenko stepped up. He accounted for four points in a row, drew the third foul from Zoran Erceg and with a downtown arrow capped a 10-0 run to make it 48-33 after 25 minutes, only to see his team fall asleep again. Teodosic hit another three pointer to start a Serbian 13-0 run, and make it just a two point game, but now it was time for Kirilenko to step up again. With two minutes to go in the third Milan Gurovic missed a three pointer that could have give Serbia the first lead of the night, and saw Kirilenko show how to do it with an and-1 play, and the gap was back to five, 51-46, on the way to a 54-48 Russian lead with 10 minutes to play. With the game slowly running away Serbia made one last effort. Russia held a 70-63 lead with 1:38 to play when Milicic posted up, but once again Kirilenko came for the help and blocked his shot away. Morgunov, once again, was there to hit the clutch shot, this time from long range, to make it a ten point game and decide the game. "If we don't win tomorrow then today's win means nothing," said Russian's coach, David Blatt referring to the game against Israel that can secure Russia a spot in the next round. Serbia will face the champs from Greece in the second game. Serbian team's coach Moka Slavnic (FoNet)

EuroBasket: Serbia loses to Russia

Kirilenko finished the game with 24 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and drew seven fouls, but every play he made was in the best timing to keep his team on the winning side.

Serbia had a bad shooting night.

Darko Miličić was shutdown by a great defensive team effort by Russia, and was representative of Serbia's poor shooting, connecting on just two of his 13 shots.

His front line teammate Zoran Erceg converted only a single free throw shot of his six attempts to symbolize Serbia's poor form from the line (58 percent).

Russia stormed the court from the first moment to take a 9-0 lead after three minutes, before Marko Jarić scored the first points for Serbia.

Russia's team play was on display from the very beginning as four players shared the first 11 points of the team.

Kirilenko collected seven points by the end of the first quarter when his team took a 21-13 lead, but didn't think about stopping.

Serbia couldn't find any answer for the aggressive Russian defense and by the 13th minute David Blatt's guys were already doubling Serbia's points, 31-15 after J.R. Holden connected a mid range shot.

That was when the Russian machine took a rest.

For the next 5:20 Russia added only three points, all from the charity stripe, but Serbia was still struggling and used that to reduce the game to only 10 points, 34-24.

Another small push by Serbia made it just a six point game, before Nikita Morgunov sealed the half with a key mid-range shot, not his last in the game, to make it 38-30 after two quarters.

After shooting only 37% from two-point range and a miserable 43% from the line in the first half, Serbia was still down by only eight, and had a reason to be optimistic but the first minutes of the second half changed that feeling.

Milos Teodosić hit three points from the line to make it just a five point game, and then Kirilenko stepped up.

He accounted for four points in a row, drew the third foul from Zoran Erceg and with a downtown arrow capped a 10-0 run to make it 48-33 after 25 minutes, only to see his team fall asleep again.

Teodosić hit another three pointer to start a Serbian 13-0 run, and make it just a two point game, but now it was time for Kirilenko to step up again.

With two minutes to go in the third Milan Gurović missed a three pointer that could have give Serbia the first lead of the night, and saw Kirilenko show how to do it with an and-1 play, and the gap was back to five, 51-46, on the way to a 54-48 Russian lead with 10 minutes to play.

With the game slowly running away Serbia made one last effort.

Russia held a 70-63 lead with 1:38 to play when Miličić posted up, but once again Kirilenko came for the help and blocked his shot away.

Morgunov, once again, was there to hit the clutch shot, this time from long range, to make it a ten point game and decide the game.

"If we don't win tomorrow then today's win means nothing," said Russian's coach, David Blatt referring to the game against Israel that can secure Russia a spot in the next round.

Serbia will face the champs from Greece in the second game.