Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Saratov and Yekaterinburg will host 4 regular season games on Sunday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 18:00 (14:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Match TV, TV Start, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team ended the losing streak with a historic win over CSKA in Moscow. Enisey played flawless defense this time around and allowed only 65 points to the League’s best offense. A triumph over the Moscow team could give the confidence back before the rivalry with Zenit, which is the Krasnoyarsk team’s most convenient opponent among the leaders this season. The fate of all 3 games between the opponents has been decided in clutch, with the St. Petersburg team defense struggling to defend with Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jeremiah Martin. In addition, the Siberian team will play at home, and the only win over the St. Petersburg team was at Arena Sever.
Zenit: The St. Petersburg team passed the test against the top teams, returning to the third place after the win over CSKA. Xavier Pascual team played 3 tight ends in a row, with the first game of this difficult series being the clutch with Enisey. Zenit offense is working well, but the defense has problems and allowed to score 90 points. In the upcoming game, the defensive system will have to find a way against the Krasnoyarsk team duo, who have averaged over 40 points in previous games against Zenit. The guests will have the advantage in the paint – Vince Hunter scored 16 and 24 points against UNICS and CSKA.
MBA (Moscow) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 15:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: League website
MBA: Vasily Karasev team has 5 straight wins and a strong Playoffs push. However, MBA place in the standings is not secure – 3 teams are 2 or less wins away from the 4th place in Group B, including Pari Nizhny Novgorod. The Moscow team has confidently outplayed Zoran Lukic team 3 times this season and allowed Nizhny to score only 50 points in the last game. MBA has advantage in game pace, and three-pointer percentage has finally stabilised. All of this could make the Moscow team offense an obstacle for the Volga team.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod is 2 wins away from the play-in zone, so the clash with MBA will have a great importance. Zoran Lukic team has yet to beat the Moscow team this season, but there have been changes in the roster since the last game. The new additions of Kendall Smith and Uladzislau Blizniuk have added speed and variation to Pari NN offense. The newcomers’ offensive talents could be a serious threat for MBA.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs Astana (Astana)
Time: 16:30 (15:30 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: Match TV, TV Start, League website
Avtodor: After a 7-game winning streak, the Saratov team play has decreased. Despite that, Avtodor is still at the third place in Group B and has a good chance of making the Playoffs. Rayshawn Hammonds and Malik Newman couldn’t overcome their average performance in the games against Samara and Uralmash, but the Volga team leaders will have a chance to regain their confidence in the next game. Milenko Bogicevic team confidently coped with Astana in the last 2 games. Avtodor will have even more chances for win – the Kazakh team lost Royce Hamm, who was Hammonds’ main opponent in the paint.
Astana: Royce Hamm departure negatively affected the results – the team has 3 straight losses, including versus MINSK. Fotis Takianos adapts the offense to the changed conditions – Karvel Anderson and Markell Johnson have become offensive leaders, but they lack the support of partners. At the same time, the Kazakh team defense works well – in the last 4 games opponents were able to score 90+ points only once. Therefore, the game result with Avtodor will directly depend on whether Astana role players can play help in offense.
Uralmash (Yekaterinburg) vs MINSK (Minsk)
Time: 18:00 (16:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Ekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg, DIVS.
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Uralmash: The team defeated Samara and Avtodor to secure the top spot in Group B. Rostislav Vergun team is on pace at the season decisive stage – Uralmash has the best offense in March (81.8 points per game). The Yekaterinburg team has also played extremely well against MINSK this season – in the first round, Uralmash scored 101 and 104 points. Octavius Ellis and Stanley Whittaker are in good shape, and the home team status will help.
MINSK: Despite the departure of Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and an injury to Zach Smith, the team still managed to get their first win of the season over Astana. This could be an additional motivation in the remaining regular season games. But MINSK is facing a balanced Uralmash that is preparing to compete for the Playoffs. MINSK will have to find ways to compensate for the size difference. Although the Yekaterinburg team will have the advantage in the paint, but the Belarussian team is quite capable of surpassing the opponents in three-pointers make – Jakob Cebasek and Jovan Sljivancanin have shown a good percentage in recent games.
