Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Krasnodar will host regular season games on Sunday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) – Avtodor (Saratov)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team had not bad start of the year . At first, Enisey had a decent game versus CSKA and then completely defeated MBA. Worth noting that in the game against the League newcomer, Angelo Warner again showed as a leader, had a double-double in Krasnoyarsk for the first time – 22 points and 10 assists. The Siberian team continues the race for the playoffs, and it is simply necessary to beat Avtodor. The Saratov team did not win on the road a lot – only 1 out of 10 games. On the other hand, head coach Drazen Anzulovic stressed that his team has injuries, which complicates the situation. In any case, if Enisey continues to demonstrate good offense that it had at the start of the month, the team has chances to win.
Avtodor: The Saratov team really do not play well on the road. And in 2023 there are no wins yet. The situation needs to be corrected, otherwise the Volga team risk falling behind for the Top 8 fight. Forward Chris Jones left Avtodor last week, but Brandon Garrett, who missed more than a month due to injury, returned. In the first game against Enisey, Newman Boatwright duo was heroic – they scored 47 points combined. And if Ryan Boatwright has somewhat gone into the shadows, then Malik Newman is in excellent playing condition and tops the list of the best scorers of the season. Avtodor has finally recovered from all the injuries and is ready to show its best basketball in Krasnoyarsk.
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRC Nagorniy
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: The victory over Loko a week ago allowed NN to get closer to the playoffs. Perhaps this event relaxed Nizhny too much, who soon lost to CSKA at home by 30 points. Zoran Lukic team needs to rehabilitate in front of the fans and the game with PARMA-PARI is a good chance. Moreover, in the November game in Perm, the Volga team led by 19, but they allowed the Perm team to make the biggest comeback of the season. Nizhny Novgorod has probably worked on the mistakes and this time they will not allow to relax until the end. The main goal is to competently guard Justin Roberson and Isaiah Reese, who helped PARMA-PARI the most in recent games.
PARMA-PARI: 2023 for the Perm team so far turns out to be nervous. 2 games – 2 overtimes. And, remembering the November game with Pari NN, it is quite possible that this Sunday will also have the OT. The Volga team look like the favorite, Isaiah Reese arrival noticeably improved the team mood and as a result, Evgeny Pashutin team almost made a sensation against UNICS. But Nizhny Novgorod is also a beatable opponent, who is primarily dangerous with defense. Therefore, players performance will not be enough – PARMA-PARI mustily good team offense, focusing on a quick transition. A win in Nizhny Novgorod will allow the Perm team to surpass Samara and get the 7th place in the standings.
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnodar team has already reached the playoffs. But now Loko, like all the other teams of Group A, is starting to fight for a higher place in the standings. Fortunately, the stats are on Loko side – on average they score 17 points more than MINSK. And the Krasnodar team led by other stats, which makes Alexander Sekulic team the favorite. Andrey Martiuk and Egor Sychkov won’t play due to injuries. For this reason, veteran Grigoriy Shukhovtsov, who plays for Lokomotiv Kuban farm team in the Super League, will play.
MINSK: Last week, the Belarusian team suffered an extremely disappointing defeat from Astana, losing by 29 points. Now it will be extremely difficult for the Minsk team to leave the last place. And then the club office decided to release Supreme Hannah – one of the scoring leaders of the team. On the other hand, loss in Kazakhstan may help MINSK to reboot and become angrier. The Belarusian team has nothing to lose, and this will only make it more dangerous in Krasnodar.
