Lokomotiv-Kuban to host Nizhny Novgorod in the game of the week.
Where:
Basket-hall (7500 seats), Krasnodar, Russia
When:
January 11, 2020, 17:00 (17:00 MSK)
Broadcast:
VTB United League site
Look in the past
Face to face:
Kuban leads 10-4 in the face to face rivalry of the two (14 games in VTB League). This rivalry is not the most intense. Both clubs have their achievements including League finals, but they’ve never met each other at the playoff stage.
The last time NN beat Loko was May 2018.
Week
Lokomotiv got knocked out of the Eurocup and their last game was on December 28 when the Red-greens outplayed Zielona Gora on the road. Long break gave them a moment to breath, but could damage playing rhythm.
Meanwhile, Nizhny are gunned both physically and mentally. On January 7th, Nizhny suffered a loss at Mornar Bar in the Champions League (66:87). “Today we saw a group of people, not athletes, in Nizhny Novgorod jerseys. It is a shock for me.” After this comment by Zoran Lukic, NN players will try to make amends in Krasnodar.
Intirgue
After Evgeny Pashutin’s comeback Loko could not improve the situation in Eurocup, but stabilized in general and play well in the League. Krasnodar are on 3-game winning streak including the unbeatable Khimki. With 8-4 record, Loko are ranked 3rd, but according to the head coach the team will not stop and aims to fight for the highest place.
Nizhny Novgorod overcame the November crisis (6 straight losses), and entered 2020 in playoff zone (5, 6, 7th place). The Black-whites are famous for their attitude and ability to fight the contenders. Both teams need to win in terms of standings.
Stat
Lokomotiv is currently the best in rebounds: 39.1 per game, ranked 1st in the League. NN have only 32.6 (11th place).
Both clubs prefer teamplays: Loko ranked 3rd with 22.0 assists, and NN ranked 4th with 20.5.
Substitutions
Both teams made them. This week, Loko sent Dragan Apic on loan to Spanish Burgos. Previously, Krasnodar signed Mindaugas Kuzminskas and got Zakhar Vedishchev back from Lithuanian loan.
Nizhny parted ways with Chavaughn Lewis and Alec Brown in the end of 2019, later signed Michael Jenkins.
Comeback
Vitaly Fridzon is expected to play against NN. After arm surgery last November he hasn’t been on court. Loko and Russia national captain was ready to play Khimki and Zielona Gora, but the team to decided to be cautios with their sniper.
Familiar faces
Vladimir Ivlev (2012-2016) and Timofey Gerasimov (2018-2019) played for NN. Pavel Antipov (2017-2018) and Evgeny Baburin (2016-2018) used to be red-greens.
Look closely
Russian players are crucial for both teams. Dmitry Kulagin and Fridzon make a difference in Krasnodar with their weight and influence on court. Nizhny traditionally build the roster based on Russian players. Evgeny Baburin, Ivan Strebkov, Anton Astapkovich, Pavel Antipov, Aleksandr Gankevich and Artem Komolov matter a lot in Zoran Lukic’s system.
Speech
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Evgeny Pashutin:
“NIzhny is a tough team with huge potential. They have great snipers like Brown, Jenkins, Astapkovich with 40% 3-pointers. We have to prevent open shots, hinder assisting. They have athletic centers, so we have to control the paint and neutralize Willis and Gankevich. Long story short, we need our classic defense like we showed in some of the last games. We need teamplays in offense, fastbreaks and ball movement. We have to stay focused.”
Nizhny Novgorod head coach Zoran Lukic:
“I hope we’ll live up to the status of the game of the week. The most important is to show proper energy that we lacked absolutely last game in Champions League. We spoke with the players, so I think they know what to improve for today.”
