Krasnodar, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod will host 3 regular season games on Wednesday.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) vs MINSK (Minsk)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorny
Broadcast: League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod won the sliver medals of the Russian Cup, where showed good defense once again (67.5 points allowed on average).. Zran Lukic team has more disciplined defensive basketball than the opponent, committing less fouls (13.8 vs.15.5) and turnovers (22.9 vs. 23.3). The Volga team coaching staff will have a lot more available combinations of players: the leaders have recovered from injuries, and the bench has been strengthened by Uladzislau Blizniuk and Kendall Smith, who average 20 points combined. For Blizniuk, this rivalry will have a special significance – the guard played for MINSK in the 2022/23 season and was the team’s leading scorer. All these factors make Pari NN the favorite in the upcoming game.
MINSK: In the game against Samara, MINSK was close to the first win of the season, but in the decisive quarter failed in defense. The Belarussian team managed to score 33 points in the last quarter and impose the fight throughout the game. Zach Smith and Jovan Sljivancanin duo made almost half of the team’s rebounds (15 of 32). MINSK has gotten much better in the paint with them, which will be a critical factor against Volga team frontcourt. Also, long-range shooting could be the key to a win over Nizhny. The Belarusian team has better percentage of three-pointers made – 45%. In addition, Pari NN difficult schedule could have a huge impact – Zoran Lukic team played 2 tough games in the Russian Cup the day before, which can negatively affect the players’ conditioning.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs PARMA (Perm)
Time: 19:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Arena, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The second stage has started tough for the team – after the loss to CSKA, Loko stopped sharing third place with Zenit and dropped to fourth. The Krasnodar team lost a 10-point difference in 3 minutes and failed to win in overtime in the last game. It’s noteworthy that problems with concentration in the endings also led to 2 losses versus PARMA in the first stage. The upcoming game has a huge importance – if Loko lose, the Perm team will move within 2 wins, and Aleksander Sekulic team will have to play against 2 League leaders. To avoid such compcication, the Krasnodar team need to win. An aggressive defense can help, as the Krasdnodar team is in the top-3 in steals. Plus, the game will be in Krasnodar, where Loko has lost only 2 this season.
PARMA: The Perm team also lost to CSKA – Olivier Hanlan showed his skills (22 points) and the Moscow team won in rebounds (41 vs. 29). However, PARMA still has a chance to get Loko. In both games, Evgeny Pashutin team stopped the Krasnodar team offense, preventing the team from scoring average. PARMA is also the only team in the League, who has better rebounding (37.8 vs. 37.0). Otherwise, the teams have been playing at about the same level throughout the season. And the Perm team has been in clutch situations much more often than the opponent this season, which could be a factor in their additional advantage.
CSKA (Moscow) vs Enisey (Krasnoyarsk)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: Match! Arena, League website
CSKA: The Army team has overcome the difficulties with roster rebuilding and already has a two-game winning streak over PARMA and Loko. Olivier Hanlan played an important role versus PARMA with 22 points on 6 of 7 three-pointers made performance. The forward showed that he has adapted to the team’s system and is ready to become a dangerous offensive option. Now the Moscow team will have to find a way to stop Enisey dstar duo Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jeremiah Martin. CSKA showed the capability to defend well against star players – B.J. Johnson could only score 14 points against the Moscow team defense. Emil Rajkovic team outperforms the opponent in all offensive stats, and also has an advantage in size.
Enisey: Unlike CSKA, the Krasnoyarsk team has not yet been able to overcome the crisis and cannot win since February. After 2 overtimes in St. Petersburg, the Siberian team lost to UNICS due to a lack of offenisve teamplay – only Xavier Rathan-Mayes was able to score more than 10 points. It’s noteworthy that both UNICS and CSKA have 2 athletic bigmen. However, this season Jovica Arsic team has twice managed to put up a fight against the Moscow team, losing by 9 and 5 points. Therefore, the Krasnoyarsk team definitely has a chance, but the team role players need to support Martin and Rathan-Mayes in offense to win.
