Krasnoyarsk and Perm will host 2 games of Group B on Wednesday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) – Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 19:30 (15:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: As Drazen Anzulovic said, the Krasnoyarsk team had one of the best games against MINSK – and at the same time managed to take the win with a 27-point lead. And if Gerasimov-Warner duo really did not show their maximum, making 10 trunovers for two, then James Thompson had his brightest game of the season: 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. But now Enisey will face a much more serious rival, which, moreover, is a direct competitor at the second stage. The Siberian team are in 4th place in Group B with 8-16, Avtodor is in third with 8-15, and a win in this game will seriously increase the chances of the playoffs of one team. Enisey needs to show the same tight defense as a few days earlier in Minsk. In addition, the Krasnoyarsk team guards need to be prepared for aggressive defensel, which Avtodor has demonstrated a lot.
Avtodor: Unlike their opponent, the Saratov team had more time to prepare – their last game was more than a week ago. Although in this case, Avtodor has played only 1 game since January 20 and it may negatively affect the team. On the other hand, Branislav Vicentic had enough time to make adjustments to the game and get to know his players better. Like Enisey, Avtodor is vitally important to win in Krasnoyarsk – in this case, the Volga team will get as close as possible to PARMA-PARI and Samara. Before the start of the second stage, Ryan Boatwright left the team and this had a positive impact on Nikita Mikhailovskii: the 23-year-old guard scored 12 points against Samara and made a significant contribution to Avtodor win.
PARMA-PARI (Perm) – MINSK (Minsk)
Time: 19:30 (17:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
PARMA-PARI: The Perm team worked hard in the pause between the first and second stages, which resulted in a difficult win in Samara. Now PARMA-PARI is the Group B leader with very good chances for the playoffs. Evgeny Pashutin team has not lost for almost a month and is ready to extend the winning streak to 3 games. The reasons for this are understandable: PARMA-PARI beat MINSK very confidently twice, letting rivals score 48 and 62 points. In addition, PARMA play much better at home and the recent win over Samara should only improve the mood of the team.
MINSK: In their first home game of the second stage, the Belarusian team played equally with Enisey for the most of the game, but in the fourth quarter they still allowed the opponent to break away. MINSK is gradually improving the game. And one of the main tasks of Rostislav Vergun team in Perm is to play all 40 minutes with physical basketball and forcing the opponent to make turnovers as much as possible. MINSK will lose chances of reaching the playoffs in case of losing.
