Astana will host a regular season game on Friday.
Astana (Astana) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 20:00 (17:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Velotrek Saryarka
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Astana: 3 losses in the last 4 games have forced Astana to settle in the play-in zone edge. These losses were especially sensitive because the Kazakh team had played at home, where they had been nearly unbeatable previously. Astana was able to end such a streak only against MINSK, but it wasn’t easy. The game against struggling Nizhny may be a good opportunity for Astana to pick up at least one win before the 3-game road series, Astana will have to play versus Zenit and Loko. Nizhny Novgorod has lost only 4 times in 22 games against Astana, but right now the Kazakh team look the clear favorite.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny long losing streak started in October with a loss to Astana. Already then the Volga team started to lose key players. Nizhny still continues to struggle in almost every game, not counting games against obviously superior opponents. In such conditions, Zoran Lukic can only wait for the players return and hope for the youth progress. And the young players are trying to justify their mentor’s trust: Filipp Gafurov, who almost never had a chance to prove himself in CSKA, had th League career-high 22 points and 8 rebounds against PARMA. If the Volga team had some luck at the end, the young center could have been a contender for the Team of the Round spot.
