Krasnoyarsk, Moscow and Kazan will host 3 regular season games on Saturday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 17:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website
Enisey: After the loss to PARMA. the Krasnoyarsk team dropped to 6th place. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had another good game in Perm with 29 points, but it wasn’t enough to win. The reason was rebounding – the Perm team made 27 more rebounds than Enisey. Play in the paint will also play an important role versus Uralmash: Octavius Ellis is the League’s best rebounder (8.7 rebounds on average). However, Enisey will have offensive advantage – the team is in the Top 4 in scoring (83.1 points) and Rathan-Mayes remains the best scorer in the League (26.2 points). In case of win, the Krasnoyarsk team will be able to return to 5th place and strengthen chances for a direct entry into the Playoffs.
Uralmash: Rostislav Vergun team couldn’t put up a fight against the Army team in Moscow, which worsened the prospects of getting into the Top 6. Uralmash needs at least 2 wins in the remaining 3 games, and a loss to Enisey would ruin chances of making the Playoffs. In the first round, the Yekaterinburg team found a way to stop Rathan-Mayes, allowing the Krasnoyarsk team leader to score only 16 points. Also Uralmash made 11 more assists than the opponent and got more rebounds (41 against 32). In the upcoming game, Ellis will ben important factor, which can increase chances of staying in the fight for 6th place.
Time: 16:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow.
Broadcast: Match! Igra, League website
MBA: The loss against UNICS was the second straight. After a successful start to 2024, MBA once again faced problems in offence – the team was able to make only 14% of three-pointers with 16 turnovers against the Kazan team. MBA is capable of creating problems for CSKA with their high-speed offence. CSKA has been losing to fast-paced teams this season, such as Loko and PARMA. In their first-round game, MBA managed to make it to the clutch ending with Daniil Kasatkin 21 points.
CSKA: The Army team was able to score 5 points in 6 seconds against Nizhny and win in overtime with Casper Ware help. The American guard has scored 20+ points in the last 3 games and is regaining his offensive leader status. With the win over Nizhny Novgorod, the League leader has guaranteed the first place of the first stage and continues to gain shape before the decisive months. Offense will be the key to win against an unstable MBA. CSKA is better in average scoring (88.5 versus. 76.2) and field goal percentage (51% vs. 42%).
UNICS (Kazan) vs Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 18:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website.
UNICS: Velimir Perasovic team has picked up momentum after a poor stretch in early January. The Kazan team beat Zenit and MBA to maintain 2nd place in the standings. The reigning champion continues to rely on playing in the paint, with Ismael Bako and Jalen Reynolds combining for 21 points and 11 rebounds. UNICS’ athleticbigmen will have to find a way to stop Rayshawn Hammonds, who is having an impressive stretch with 17 points per game. Perimeter defence will also be an important aspect of the Volga derby – UNICS leads the League in steals (7.8), and the Saratov team guards have been extremely unstable in recent games.
Avtodor: Milenko Bogicevic team suffered 4 straight losses and dropped to 11th place in the standings. In the last 3 games, the Saratov team lost in the final quarter with 8 points difference in average. However, during the first 30 minutes of games, the team shows a high level of offense – Dominic Mavra manages the game with 6 assists per game and Hammonds is among the Top 6 scorers in the League (17.2 points). Therefore, Avtodor is capable of putting up a fight against the reigning champion if the team will be able solve the problem of stability in the decisive minutes of games.
