Krasnoyarsk and Krasnodar will host regular season games on Saturday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) vs. Samara (Samara)
Time: 16:00 (12:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: After the loss to Uralmash, the Siberian team fell out of the Top 4, but has a good chance to get back. First of all, Enisey has been losing only on the road this season. Second, Loko, their nearest rival, will face UNICS, which is unlikely to be easy. Another factor that could help the hosts that leader Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored only 16 points (the second worst this season). The guard will probably want to rehabilitate for such a game. Previous games show that after losses, Rathan-Mayes comes out with double the motivation – after scoring 19 points against Zenit, he scored 42 points in the next game versus PARMA.
Samara: The Volga team 3-game winning streak was ended against Astana. The game was very unusual for Drazen Anzulovic team and probably the worst in offense this season. Samara had less points scored in a game (66), and the team sharpshooters made only 8 of 32 three-pointers. Samara is still has the best shooting percentage in the League – even after the performance against Astana. It is impornant to show that the game against Astana was just an unfortunate exception, although the Volga team is still in 7th place, Uralmash and Astana are already too close.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs. UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall.
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: A 4-game winning streak, which began against CSKA, allowed the Krasnodar team to finally put the poor start behind. Last year’s finalist has taken its usual place in the Top 4 and has a chance to reduce the distance between Zenit to 1 win. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was recognized the MVP of November and this once again showed that most of Loko problems at the start of the season were due to the lack of a leader – since Akoon-Purcell return, Loko have won 7 out of 8 games, losing only to Astana. Lokomotiv last home game with UNICS was in Game 4 of the 2023 Finals: Loko lost in overtime, but the most best scoring player of that game Chris Horton is no longer with the team.
UNICS: The Kazan team and Loko played in the opening game of this season last time. UNICS had no trouble dealing with thei opponents then with an 18-point lead by the end. Now, however, Velimir Perasovic team is unlikely to have the same easy game. First, Loko is a home team: the team lost only once in Krasnodar, also in the opening game. Secondly, Loko of early October and early December are two completely different teams. Unlike the opening game of the season, this time both DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Jaylen Barford will play. UNICS improved the mood after the loss to CSKA with a win over MBA, with Dmitry Kulagin leading the offense with 17 points – the Russian guard best performance of the season.
