These two rivals are hoping to secure a spot in the postseason.
Where:
Arena Sever (4,000 capacity), Krasnoyarsk, Russia
When:
4:10 PM (12:10 MSK), April 2, 2017
TV:
VTB-League.com
Face To Face
Enisey and Astana have met five times in the League. Krasnoyarsk leads, 3-2, though the last game went to Astana (98-97). The Kazakh club’s first win over Enisey, incidentally, was by only two points.
The first meeting of the season was packed with drama. Enisey played catch-up most of the game, but had a chance to win late in regulation, leading by one with three seconds remaining. Astana’s Leonidas Kaselakis was fouled on a three-point attempt. He only made one of three, however, forcing overtime.
The game ultimately went into double OT. Once again, Enisey was on the verge of winning, before Rob Lowery drained a miraculous buzzer-beater to give Astana the win.
Enisey will be looking for revenge on Sunday. The defeat in Astana stunned the Siberians, who felt they had done enough to win. Now they have a chance to make amends, though nothing will be easy.
Balance of Power
These two clubs are enjoying outstanding seasons. Enisey has a chance to make the VTB United League postseason for the second time and the first time since 2013-14. Astana went to the playoffs three times in a row–2013, 2014, and 2015–before missing last season.
But neither team has clinched a spot in the postseason yet. Enisey (10-10) and Astana (9-11) are ranked 7th and 8th, respectively. Both teams could catch VEF for 6th, but also risk dropping out of the top-8.
Both teams have challenging schedules down the stretch. Enisey faces VEF, Avtodor and Khimki, while Astana takes on Nizhny Novgorod, UNICS and Khimki. Given the circumstances, whichever team wins tomorrow in Krasnoyarsk will be able to breathe much easier over the final three weeks of the regular season.
Looking Back
Eastern Frontier
The League’s two easternmost clubs are much better at home than on the road. Astana picked up six of its nine victories in Kazakhstan, while Enisey is 5-3 at the Arena Sever, boasting a positive point differential and a two-game winning streak. For Astana, the trip to Krasnoyarsk won’t be quite as demanding as a visit to Tallinn, but Enisey will still have home-court advantage.
Oleg Okulov likes to play with a 10-11 man rotation with different players stepping up from week to week (see Denis Lukashov and Vladimir Pichkurov vs. Tsmoki). Astana, on the other hand, typically goes with a 6-7 man rotation.
X-Factor
Astana has shown that it can beat Enisey in a tight finish. This time around, Enisey might turn to Vasily Zavoruev. He’s been clutch in recent games, playing his best ball late in wins over Kalev, Nizhny Novgorod and Tsmoki-Minsk.
Duel
Tony Taylor vs. Rob Lowery.
Judging by the stats and his All-Star appearance, Frank Elegar is the unquestioned leader and most dangerous player on Enisey’s roster. But die-hard fans know just how valuable Tony Taylor is to this team. The American guard orchestrates fast breaks, gets into the lane, knocks down shots, dishes to teammates and does it without worrying about his own numbers. Plus, he can hold his own on defense.
Tony may have another chance to demonstrate his value on Sunday, when he goes up against Rob Lowery. Astana’s dreadlocked guard is a fearless leader, asked to inject inspiration into Papatheodorou’s strict sets on offense. He can go one-on-one and is very tough to stop when he’s hot.
Neither playmaker has missed a single game this season and rank second on their teams in efficiency rating. Who will get the upper hand this time, Taylor or Lowery, and lead their team to the playoffs?
