Perm, Samara, Moscow and Krasnodar will host 4 regular season games on Wednesday.
PARMA (Perm) vs Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 19:30 (17:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
PARMA: The Perm team has the best current winning streak in the League. Last game, PARMA defeated Enisey at home, which tied the Perm team with Enisey and Samara in the standings. To get into the Top 6, the team needs to win and hope for direct rivals mistakes. B.J. Johnson is averaging 24 points and Richard Solomon is controlling the rebounds with 8.2 rebounds per game. Play in the paint will be a key factor versus Avtodor. The Saratov team leader Rayshawn Hammonds is averaging 17.2 points with 62% of two-point made. If PARMA find a way to stop the American bigman, the team can get the win and increase chances of making the Playoffs.
Avtodor: Milenko Bogicevic team lost to Samara in the Volga derby. The Saratov team suffered the 3rd consecutive loss and missed the chance to move up to 10th place. The team lacks of stability. In all 3 lost games, Avtodor missed opponents double-digit runs in the fourth period. It will be hard to win against PARMA without a steady game. But the Volga team has a chance – in the first round, Avtodor, playing without Malik Newman, lost only in the end. This time, the American guard’s offensive talents could become a key factor.
Samara (Samara) vs Astana (Astana)
Time: 19:30 (18:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Samara, SKK Dvorets Sporta.
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Samara: Together with PARMA, the Volga team has the longest active winning streak in the League. Drazen Anuzlovic team is at the 7th place in the standings, behind the Perm and Enisey teams only by points differential. In the game against Avtodor, Samara showed great perimeter defense, allowing the opponents to make only 19% of three-point shots. It will be important to maintain the defense quality, as Astana had a good long range shooting percentage in the first roud game, which helped Oleg Kiselev team to win. Samara advantage will be offensive variety – 6 players are making over 37% of three-pointers.
Astana: In the previous game, the Kazakh team was able to end a 5-game losing streak. After an unstable stretch, Royce Hamm had one of the best games of his career, setting a season-high in efficiency with 44 points. Hamm and Markell Johnson duo combined for 51 points. The Americans were also capable of creating problems to Samara defense – Johnson made 7 assists in the first rhalf, and Hamm dominated in the paint. But individual actions may not be enough. Oleg Kiselev team will have to find a way to stop the Volga team offense, which ranks in the Top 3 in three-pointers made.
CSKA (Moscow) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 19:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: Match! Igra, League website
CSKA: Emil Rajkovic team defeated Uralmash in their last game. The Moscow team won a final quarter by 10 points, and Casper Ware scored 20+ points for the second straight game. The Army team is gaining shape and topping the standings, and a win over Nizhny will guarantee first place before the second round. Three-point shooting will be a huge factor in the upcoming game – CSKA is the League’s best three-point shooting team (40%), while the Voga team is second (31.7%).
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Last week, Nizhny parted ways with Glenn Causey and Bryon Allen as Dmitry Khvostov and Andrey Vorontsevich returned. Dragan Apic also left the team. With vets in the lineup, Nizhny Novgorod was able to end Loko 7-game winning streak, allowing the Krasnodar team to make only 1 three-pointer. The Volga team has 4 wins and no losses with Khvostov in the roster. And Zoran Lukic team has a chance to extend that streak. In the first round, the team managed to pull CSKA to the end without their leaders and lost by only 2 points. Nizhny will be able to show the Army team the full force of a healthy roster.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs MINSK (Minsk)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: After 7 straight wins, the Krasnodar team lost in the end to Nizhny and missed a chance to move up to second place. The main reason for the loss was 7% of three-pointers made – the team’s season-lowest. In the game with MINSK, the Krasnodar team will have a chance to regain confidence in their shot and rehabilitate in front of fans. In addition, Andrey Martyuk, Okaro White and Kirill Elatontsev will have an opportunity to dominate in paint, so it will also be a big advantage.
MINSK: The team fought with Runa for 30 minutes, but lost in the last quarter. The team once again lacked discipline – 14 turnovers and 22 commited fouls prevented the Belarus team from making a comeback. But MINSK was better in long-range shooting (34% vs 28%), which gives reason for optimism. In the game against Loko, three-pointers could be the key to win, as the Krasnodar team made only 1 shot against Nizhny. In addition, MINSK nearly beat the Kranodar team in the first round with Jackson 38-point performance.
