Krasnoyarsk and Krasnodar will host 2 regular season games on Wednesday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk region) vs PARMA (Perm region)
Time: 19:30 (15:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: The home loss to Uralmash (66:101) was the fourth consecutive for the Siberian team and pushed it outside the Top 10. Only Timofei Gerasimov and Victor Sanders are playing consistently on offense, so the Krasnoyarsk team is in penultimate place in efficiency, scoring 66 points per game. To win against the Perm team, it’s important for Jovica Arsic to find players capable of supporting the leaders on offense. Vladislav Perevalov could be one of those players, as the guard will play for the first time this season against his former team.
PARMA: After a difficult season start, the Perm team restored a neutral record with a road triumph over Uralmash. The absence of Aleksandr Shashkov and Samson Ruzentsev is affecting the team’s offense – PARMA is in the bottom in scoring, ahead of Enisey and Astana. Defense will become a key aspect in the game in Krasnoyarsk. Evgeny Pashutin team let opponents score 10 points less than the Siberian team, and also have more steals. The rivalry history in the 2023/24 season also favors the Perm team, who won 3 of 4 games in the last regular season.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs. Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnodar team started the home series with the win over Samara, maintaining the League leader status. In the decisive minutes, the defense once again played an important role, as steals helped Loko create a comfortable score differential. In the clash with Uralmash, one-on-one defense will come to the forefront once again, as 3 guests’ players are in the Top-15 in average scoring. The hosts will be able to rely on the depth of the rotation and the variability of the offense – Andrey Vedischev’s roster features eight players with 5+ points per game, while the guests have only 5 such players. In addition, the Krasnodar team will be motivated to take revenge for their loss to the Yekaterinburg team in Russian Cup.
Uralmash: After disappointing games against UNICS and PARMA, the team was able to solve offense problems in Krasnoyarsk, scoring 100 points for the first time in the season. Another positive moment was the debut of Johnny O’Bryant, who will be extremely useful in the paint against Loko centers. The Yekaterinburg team has worse team stats, but the individual performances of Stanley Whittaker and Tyrell Nelson can make up for that difference. In addition, Uralmash was able to outplay the Krasnodar team in both the VTB League and the Russian Cup playoff last season.
