CSKA will host Lokomotiv Kuban in the Game of the Week on Sunday.
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Time: October 27, 2024, 13:00 (Moscow time)
Broadcast: Match TV, Start Triumph, League website
Rivlary
The teams currently at the top of the standings and will face at Megasport.
The rivalry between the clubs reached a new level after the Playoffs 2023, when Loko managed to stop the Moscow team in the Semifinals. CSKA lost VTB League gold for the second year in a row. The series ended in overtime in Game 7 at Megasport (103:100).
The following season, Loko remained a problematic opponent for CSKA. The Krasnodar team beat the Moscow team again in overtime in the SuperCup-2023 and won the first 2 regular season games. However, the win in January 2024 was the last one for Loko for the time being. CSKA overcame such difficulty and won the following 2 games at the second stage and then in the SuperCup in September.
In the preseason tournament, the teams played each other for the first time with Andreas Pistiolis and Andrei Vedischev. The reigning champion won with a 10-point difference (105:95). The Krasnodar team was eventually forced to fight for 5th place.
Season progress
Lokomotiv Kuban has 9-game winning streak at the start of the season. Andrei Vedischev currently shares second place for the best start of the coaching career in the VTB League with Sasha Obradovic. A win in the road game against CSKA will allow him to catch up with Ainars Bagatskis.
The Krasnodarteam is going through an extremely difficult schedule, where the team is playing with rivals. UNICS and Pari NN were defeated in the previous rounds. After CSKA there will be a home game against Zenit. The successful series will allow us to seriously discuss Loko ambitions to get the highest achievements.
This summer, Andrei Vedischev saw his main goal in his new position as combining winning basketball with the development of Russian players, youth and coaching staff. So far, the Russian specialist is fully coping with the tasks.
Lokomotiv Kuban and CSKA have never lost at home. But after Sunday the Krasnodar team may remain the last in this category.
CSKA has lost only against Pari NN.
The Moscow team is still undefeated against top teams, having beaten UNICS and Zenit. The clash with Loko will complete a series of first games between the top teams in the League.
After defeating Zenit in the Game of the Week before last, the Moscow team confidently defeated PARMA and Avtodor. Head coach Andreas Pistiolis focuses on defense. However, CSKA allowed the opponent to score more than 80 points (82) for the first time this season in the game versus the Perm team.
This could be a troubling sign considering that PARMA is 10th in the League average points scoring.
Numbers
Loko leads the League with 90.9 points scored per game. The Krasnodar team offense is also doing well. They are second in the League behind Pari NN averaging 20.6 assists.
Loko also leads in rebounds (40.1), steals (9.6) and blocks (5.6).
Five Russian players are getting more than 10 minutes of playing time.
CSKA relies on efficiency. The Moscow team has the tightest defense in the League and made less turnovers, letting ahead only Zenit.
The team ranks third in scoring (85). CSKA ranks first in shooting percentage from the field (49.4) and three-point field-goal made (39).
Attitude
Young Loko guard Vsevolod Ishchenko set a career-high 14 points against Pari NN.
The player made a comment before the upcoming game:
– I don’t like to guess, but I think the game in Moscow will be tough. I’m sure CSKA really want to beat us. But we do too. So we’ll be very seriously motivate for this game. We’re very happy that we were able to extend our winning streak in Nizhny Novgorod, and we don’t plan to stop – we want to keep winning.
Andrei Martiuk shared his feelings after 9 wins:
– I’ll be honest, in these 9 games there was not a single one that I would call easy. Every win was tough. But we are determined to continue our streak.
During the week, CSKA guard Aleksa Avramovic mentioned future opponents for Sunday’s game, Patrick Miller and Antonius Cleveland, among the “tough players” in the VTB League. Avramovich assessed the level of the League leaders:
– My personal opinion: Russian top clubs would easily join the Euroleague.
Leaders
Melo Trimble and Aleksa Avramovic
Trimble was the Team of the Week member. The guard continues to lead CSKA in scoring and efficiency. Trimble was the favorite player of the VTB Youth League players. The guard missed the last game against Avtodor due to unexpected back problems.
Aleksa Avramovic entered the VTB United League without hesitation. He is currently one of CSKA leaders and one of the brightest players in the League. The Youth League players also agreed, ranking him second along with Casper Ware and Jalen Reynolds.
Avramovic scored 23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the last round. The guard is handing out an average of 5 assists per game (best on the team) and is second only after Trimble in scoring (13.4).
Antonius Cleveland
Loko guard also made it to the Team of the Week. The American averages 11.6 points, 3.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in 9 League games. His high level offense stands out. Cleveland makes 62.9% of their shots from the field and 40% of three-pointers.
After the win over UNICS, Antonius shared the reason for his effective adaptation in the team:
– The team’s sports department did a great job bringing us all together. We complement each other perfectly, the team chemistry is fine, we enjoy being together, practicing, playing. And I think we have mutual trust – I can safely rely on each teammate. Such confidence helps a lot.
