Krasnoyarsk, Saratov, Astana, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow will host 5 regular season games on Wednesday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Region) vs UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 19:30 (15:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team played the first home game of the season on Sunday and lost it, but gave the fans several reasons for optimism. Jovica Arsic team showed a decent level with the reigning champion for 3 quarters, with Sergey Balashov and Sergey Dolinin leading the offense and career-highs. The upcoming game with UNICS is unlikely to be easy, but Enisey has advantage in long-range shooting: the Siberian team has better percentage than the opponent (37% vs. 26%).
UNICS: 2 losses in 3 games were the consequence of UNICS’ difficult schedule at the start of the season. The Kazan team came close to get the win in the final minutes versus Zenit, but failed to tie in the decisive possession. After a tough game in Krasnoyarsk, Velimir Perasovic team is motivated to restore the balance of wins and losses, as well as take revenge for January loss. The game will be especially important for Tony Taylor, who played 2 seasons for the Krasnoyarsk team and will now face against his former team for the first time in 7 years.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 19:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, League website
Avtodor: The Saratov team returned from their road trip without a win. But the team showed character in both games, and in Nizhny Novgorod lost only in the final minutes. Avtodor had good three-point shots percentage (11 shots made), so this became the team’s aadvantage. Caleb Agada (13 points + 6 rebounds) also made a successful debut. Milenko Bogicevic team approaches the game with Loko with a full roster and confidence, so Avtodor surely be able to give the Top-4 club a fight again. Also the Volga team will have the support of the home crowd.
Lokomotiv Kuban: Loko is going undefeated. The Krasnodar team lead the League in points, assists, blocks, and are also in two-point field goals made (55.4%). Loko future opponent is also superior in most stats, but the upcoming game will be in Saratov, so it won’t be easy to continue the winning streak.
Astana (Astana) vs CSKA (Moscow)
Time: 20:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Jekpe-jek
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Astana: The trip to Perm ended with the loss and T.J. Starks injury. Andrey Desyatnikov and Markell Johnson are also out with injuries, so the coaching staff will have to rebuild the offense before the game against CSKA. In the first games of the season, the Moscow team and Astana have about the same shooting efficiency, ranking 4th and 5th in the League in field goal attempts. Fotis Takianos’ team ranks last in rebounding per game, so Astana will need to be better at this stat to beat CSKA.
CSKA: The Moscow team started the road series with the win in Krasnoyarsk, grabbing 16 more rebounds than their opponent. CSKA will once again have the size advantage provided by Tonye Jekiri and Livio Jean-Charles against Astana without Andrey Desyatnikov. Andreas Pistiolis’ squad is also in the Top 4 in average assists per game (17.7 assists), while Astana is last. These factors definitely inspire optimism for the Moscow team fans before the trip to Kazakhstan.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorny
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: After the first 3 rounds, Nizhny Novgorod remain undefeated. On Saturday, Sergey Kozin team played their first tight game of the season with a tense ending, where was able to show character and handle Avtodor. The upcoming game is also likely to be equal, but the Volga team has advantage in assists and steals, which puts Nizhny among the best teams in the League. The game with Uralmash will be principle – last season all 4 face-to-face were won by the Yekaterinburg team.
Uralmash: Uralmash continue to perform without the bigmen Octavius Ellis is recovering from injury, newcomer Johnny O’Bryant has not yet joined the team. In many ways, the difference in size prevented the team from putting up a fight against the CSKA in Moscow (56:98). After the big loss, Uralmash heads to Nizhny Novgorod with the motivation to rehabilitate in front of their home crows, but it won’t be easy. Nizhny Novgorod outperforms the opponent in most team stats, although Rostislav Vergun team is ready to use individual skill – 3 Uralmash players are in the Top 15 in average scoring (Stanley Whittaker, Jeremiah Martin and Javonte Douglas).
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Samara (Samara Region)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: Match! Strana, TV Start, League website
MBA-MAI: Vasily Karasev team is still looking for the game. The Moscow team was able to put up a fight against Loko, but in the end still lost due to a lack of concentration and fouls (31 fouls). But on the bright side, MBA-MAI frontcourt look more confident with each game. Andrey Zubkov and Danil Pevnev duo scored 31 points and played good defense. With Nysier Brooks and Aleksandr Gudumak absence, the bigmen role could help MBA to get first win in the 2024/25 season.
Samara: Samara, like their future opponent, has nit get their first win of the season yet. The reason of the loss versus UNICS was rebounds (30 vs. 40 by the Kazan team), which was largely due to the absence of Nysier Brooks and Aleksandr Gudumak. Drazen Anzulovic team has also failed to make long-range shots, scoring only 21.4% in the first 2 games. But in the upcoming game Samara will be playing against the opponent that makes mistakes much more often – MBA-MAI has the most turnovers in the League, and the Volga team is in the bottom three.
