Saratov — Samara: 77:69, VTB United League

Saratov beat Samara 77-69 in the United League VTB on Friday evening. The hosts took control early and never let the visitors back into the contest. It was a comfortable win that settled the bottom of the table for another week.

To be fair, the statistics suggest Samara should have won. They pulled down 42 rebounds against 16 for Saratov and had 13 assists to 9. They also took 64 shots to 26. But efficiency matters more than volume when the game is on the line.

Saratov shot 10 of 26 from the field and 6 of 13 from three-point range. Samara managed 21 of 64 from the field and 9 of 36 from deep. The visitors made their living at the free throw line, converting 18 of 23 attempts.

And here's the thing about basketball — you don't need more shots if your shots count. Saratov's 77 points came from precision rather than quantity. They committed 7 turnovers to Samara's 16 and took fewer fouls, 9 to 22.

By then, the prediction had come through. We gave Saratov at 59 per cent confidence and the result matched. It wasn't a blowout, but it was enough to end a run of poor form for the hosts.

Saratov sit 10th with seven wins from 40 games, while Samara remain 11th with just two victories. The gap between them is not vast, but the momentum has shifted.