Yekaterinburg and Saratov will host 2 Play-In games on Wednesday.
Uralmash (Yekaterinburg) vs Samara (Samara)
Time: 19:00 (17:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Yekaterinburg, DIVS
Broadcast: League website
Uralmash: Rostislav Vergun was able to build an effective offense around individually strong performers – his team had only 1 loss in the entire second stage. But to make the Playoffs, the team will have to deal with a serious opponent. The season series with Samara ended 2-2 with the same number of points in 4 games. The Yekaterinburg team leaders will be facing similar skill sets – Stanley Whittaker will be facing the same athletic guard Justin Roberson, while Octavius Ellis will have to contend James Thompson. Under these circumstances, the Yekaterinburg team coaching staff key factor could be offensive variation. The regular season showed that the starting five is capable being a key scorer.
Samara: The Volga team had less stable second stage (8 wins and 6 losses), but this does not reduce the chances of making the Playoffs. The team is healthy, which means Drazen Anzulovic will once again be able to use the depth of the rotation. The team starting five and bench contribute equally to the team overall performance, making it difficult for defense. Samara also outperform the future opponent in long-range shots – 37% vs. 33%. Shot efficiency helped the team to beat Uralmash twice at the first stage of the season. To make the Playoffs, the Volga team shooters will need to handle the pressure of Yekaterinburg fans.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs MBA (Moscow)
Time: 20:00 (19:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: League website
Avtodor: After a 7-game winning streak, the Saratov team still retained home court advantage ahead of their matchup with MBA, even with some problems. Avtodor will have an advantage in the paint. Rayshawn Hammonds and Brandon Garrett form an athletic duo that can win the in rebounds and scoring points. In addition, Avtodor has several shooters on the roster. Dusan Beslac, Dominic Mavra and Malik Newman have organized key runs with only long-range shots. Milenko Bogicevic team has a good chance to please the fans with a win
MBA: Vasily Karasev team is the hottest team in the League with 10 straight wins. The Moscow team has finally managed to add a missing element to the game – consistent long-range shooting. MBA has been on a winning streak, outperforming their opponents in three-point percentage and moving the ball much better. Vladislav Trushkin averages 19.5 points off the bench and plays an important role in offense. It won’t be easy to beat the more experienced Avtodor, but MBA already did it in late March – then the team didn’t allow any of the opponents’ backcourt to score more than 10 points. If the team can once again play the same aggressive defense and continue to score long-range shots, MBA will be able to extending the season.
