Olimpia Milan rides defense to overcome CSKA Moscow

AX Armani Exchange Milan started the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season strong at home with a determined 84-74 victory over CSKA Moscow. The visitors raced into a double-digit lead, 19-29, in the first quarter, but Milan battled back with a 15-2 run in the second and kept on improving defensively to claim what became a relatively comfortable victory. Shavon Shields led the way with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Sergio Rodriguez scored 17 and Nicolo Melli impressed on his re-debut with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Kyle Hines (13) and new signing Devon Hall (11) also scored in double-digits for the winning team. Iffe Lundberg led CSKA’s resistance with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, supported by Will Clyburn with 12 points and Nikita Kurbanov with 10.