UNICS will face Lokomotiv Kuban in 3rd Place Series to 3 wins.
Time and Place
Game 1. May 26, 19:30 (Moscow time), Kazan, Basket Hall
Game 2. May 28, 19:30 (Moscow time), Kazan, Basket Hall
Game 3. May 31, 15:00 (Moscow time), Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Game 4. June 2, 19:30 (Moscow time), Krasnodar, Basket Hall*
Game 5. June 5, 19:30 (Moscow time), Kazan, Basket Hall*
* – if neccesary.
Regular season
UNICS: 3rd place (36 wins and 8 losses)
Lokomotiv Kuban»: 4th place(32 wins and 12 losses)
Season rivalry
The first 2 games of the season between the opponents ended with Loko wins: 78:71 in Krasnodar on October 20 and 87:75 in Kazan on December 1. The third game was on March 22 in Kazan, and ended with UNICS first win in head-to-head (103:95).
In 2025, 2 last games were separated by only 2 weeks. On April 5, the Krasnodar team got win at home 94:82, ending the season series 3-1.
Why can UNICS win?
The Kazan team is ready to counter Lokomotiv Kuban speedy and point-oriented offense with its trademark defense, as UNICS was the best defensive team of the regular season. The Kazan team allowed opponent to score 72.4 points per game during the regular season, and even in 2 of the 4 losses in the Semifinals against CSKA was able to limit the opponent to 67 and 76 points.
The combination of the League’s most efficient defense, an experienced and balanced roster led by Velimir Perasovic, who is in his fourth season in Kazan, and 2 Top-5 scorers in the League Marcos Knight (16.8 points) and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (16.3) as the main offensive force make the Kazan team an extremely dangerous opponent.
UNICS has the home court advantage, which largely determined Zenit vs Loko Semifinal outcome, where the home team won in each of 7 games. An important situation with energy and motivation can also help the League vice-champion.
The coaching factor can’t be underestimated. Andrei Vedischev made a worthy debut as Loko head coach and got a good feel for the Playoffs atmosphere in the Semifinal thrilling series. Zenit looked more organized and controlled, while the Krasnodar team was able to win more on emotion and desire. Velimir Perasovic has a lot of experience not just in postseason games, but also in winning titles, including VTB League. The Croatian specialist is known for his ability to set up and control the game, and he’ll try to outplay his less-experienced opponent in the series.
Why can Lokomotiv Kuban win?
Lokomotiv Kuban is really uncomfortable opponent for UNICS, as was proved in the regular season (3-1). The Kazan team positional basketball has serious problems in case of collision with aggressive and athletic Krasnodar style. Speed and emotion, relentless pressure and quick transitions from defense to offense look like a winning formula for Loko in making in to the Top 3 of the season.
The Kazan team has looked extremely unconvincing this season against Top 4 rivals. The 4-12 record raises big questions. Will Perasovic manage to eliminate this problems at the very end of the season?
X-factor
Loko fatigue and motivation level
The Kazan team was unable to mount a worthy resistance in the Semifinal series versus CSKA, 0-4. UNICS played its last game on May 14 and rested for nearly 2 weeks before the 3rd place Series. Lokomotiv Kuban battled Zenit on May 22 in Game 7 until the end. Adding to logistics problems, this super-tense series could exhaust the Krasnodar team.
The team’s mood for the new series may also cause concern among fans. The Krasnodar team was very close to reaching Finals. Will the team be able to recover from the upset loss and will have enough energy for winning the series? Loko fans are unlikely to have any complaints about players after such a series, so it won’t be easy for the team to get back in shape for the games against UNICS. The Kazan team failed to live up to expectations in the Playoffs and now will likely do the best to rehabilitate for Semifinals loss.
Facts
So far, the Kazan team has won more games in rivalry history – 31 of 60 head-to-head games.
The teams have played most often in the VTB League, including 8 Playoff series.
UNICS had only 4 wins and 8 losses against Top-4 teams in the regular season, including 1-3 against Krasnodar team. Including the Playoffs the record is 4-12.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell played for Loko from December 2022 to May 2024 and was one of the team’s leaders.
