Krasnoyarsk, Astana, Moscow and Kazan will host 4 regular season games on Tuesday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk region) vs Lokomoitv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 19:30 (15:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team failed to beat MBA-MAI at home in the fight for the 9th place, but continue to claim a place in the Top-8. Jovica Arsic team will face Loko. This time, the home court factor will help Enisey once again.
Lokomotiv Kuban: After the break, the Krasnodar team couldn’t get back into the game rhythm quickly and lost to Uralmash (81:79). But this is more of a bad sign for Loko future opponents – after a similar loss to PARMA in early January, Andrei Vedischev team had an impressive 4-game stretch with an average of 104 points. Now the motivated team will face Enisey. In addition to the rivalry history, the guests has better team stats.
Astana (Astana) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 20:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Velotrek Saryarka
Broadcast: TV Start, VTB League website
Astana: The return of T.J. Starks after injury had a positive impact on the game – the Kazakh team won the opening quarter against Zenit, and also allowed only 6 turnovers. Now the team will have to hold the first home game after the break. The opponent will be Pari NN, which defeated PARMA despite a roster rebuild last round. In terms of team stats, Gleb Plotnikov team is worse to its future opponent, but has a size advantage with Andrey Desyatnikov. In addition, Starks’ return has added variation to the offense.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod was able to end a 4-game losing streak with Igor Volkhin performance (26 points, 8 of 11 three-pointers). Sergey Kozin team needs to keep the same rhythm to push Avtodor out of the Top 6, which is superior to Pari NN in point differential. The Volga team has 2 games ahead against opponents lower in the standings and the team will have an opportunity to improve the points-per-game ratio and gain confidence after a difficult stretch in February.
CSKA (Moscow) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 19:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport”
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
CSKA: The All-Star break helped the Moscow team, as CSKA confidently defeated UNICS in the Game of the Week and got the lead in the standings. The Moscow team next home game will be against Uralmash. CSKA has outscored Yekaterinburg team three times this season with an average 25-point difference, but the upcoming game is unlikely to be easy for the hosts. Both Jeremiah Martin and Octavius Ellis are back, so the reigning champion will need to maintain the same level of concentration as they did against the Kazan team to win.
Uralmash: Octavius Ellis and Jeremiah Martin duo made the current League debut, helping Uralmash beating Top-4 team for the first time this season. After the home win over Loko, Uralmash will face CSKA. Rostislav Vergun team heads to Moscow in high spirits – the leaders are in the roster, the newcomers have added depth and variation, and the team is 4 wins away from the closest pursuers.
UNICS (Kazan) vs. MBA-MAI (Moscow)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
UNICS: UNICS’ 16-game winning streak was ended in St. Petersburg, followed by the loss to CSKA. Velimir Perasovic team returns to Kazan for 2 games against opponents outside the Top 6. This will be an opportunity for UNICS to get back to winning, as well as help Louis Labeyrie and Mikhail Belenitskii get into shape after injuries. Team stats and season series results allow the Kazan team fans to expect a win in the upcoming clash versus MBA-MAI – all 3 games between the teams have ended in UNICS wins.
MBA-MAI: Vasily Karase team didn’t let Enisey push MBA out of 9th place in the standings and will continue to fight for a direct entry into the Playoffs. A road game against UNICS will be a test of the Moscow team – the Kazan team had the season biggest win of the season exactly versus MBA-MAI (117-71). In order to compete with such an opponent, the guests will need to maintain the level of offensive play they showed in Krasnoyarsk, as well as stop Marcos Knight and Jalen Reynolds.
