UNICS will host CSKA in the Game of the Week.
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Time: November 23, 2023, 19:30
Broadcast: TV Start, Match TV, League website
Season leaders UNICS and CSKA will play in Kazan on Thursday!
Rivalry history
UNICS and CSKA have the longest rivalry in the United League. The teams played in the 2009-10 season Finals, where the Army team got the win – 66:55.
CSKA and UNICS played one of the most exciting regular-season games in League history. In the 2021/22 season, before the All-Star Game in Moscow, the teams have played 2 overtimes, and O.J. Mayo scored an incredible winning buzzer-beater.
The teams have played 33 games, the Moscow team won 25. By the way, CSKA and UNICS are the 2 teams that have participated in each of the United League seasons.
New season start
Almost 2 months have passed since the start of the 2023/24 season, CSKA and UNICS led the standings.
UNICS started off with 3 solid wins over Loko, MINSK and Uralmash, then unexpectedly lost in Samara, allowing to score 104 points. The 3-game winning streak came to an end at home: Runa defeated the reigning champion (86-83). The Kazan team rehabilitated quickly enough against PARMA and Enisey.
CSKA lost only once: against Loko at home (88-91). However, this November loss did not prevent the Moscow team to have 10 wins in 11 games. Among others, CSKA has tough wins over Zenit, PARMA, Runa and MBA.
This will be the battle of the Top 2 League teams.
Why can UNICS win?
This game will feature 2 strong teams that have a good pace, know how to play in the end and are ready to fight for the win. The stat advantage for UNICS, but it is minimal: the Kazan team is a little more efficient on offense and a little better in rebounds.
However, it’s worth noting the ball-handling factor. The Volga team make a lot more steals, which gives them more opportunities for fastbreaks. CSKA make more turnovers (11.5-9.1). And in a game at this level, nuances like this can make a huge difference.
Psychology will play a huge role. UNICS will also have a slight advantage here, as the team wil play at home with fans support.
Why can CSKA win?
The Army team is slightly inferior to their opponents in stats. CSKA has focus on team play: the Moscow team has 20 assist per game.
The coaching staff tries to use active rotation, so the leaders are not overloaded and have the opportunity to approach the game against UNICS in good shape. With 10 CSKA players getting more than 14 minutes, rotation is one of the team’s strengths.
So CSKA won’t be the nominal favorite in Kazan, but this team has already shown that it can get results through team play and a desire to stay at the top of the standings.
Duel
Nenad Dimitrijevic vs. Casper Ware
Both teams have a lot of top-class players in their rosters. The battle of the bigmen: Jalen Reynolds and Ismael Bako against Tonye Jekiri and Amath M’Baye. It will be interesting to watch the sharpshooters fight as well – Marcos Knight and Melo Trimble have already proven that they can score points.
But the duel between 2 top point guards promises to be the most interesting. Nenad Dimitrijevic is the reigning Playoffs MVP. Neno has quickly gotten in shape after the offseason and is currently in the League’s Top-3 in assists (7.0) and in scoring (16.0). Dimitrijevic has only improved in November compared to the first month of the season and is now averaging 18.4 points per game.
Ware isn’t CSKA best scorer or even the best in assists (Melo Trimble is). But Casper can motivate teammates very well.
The American guard has been unstable so far, between bright games and poor ones. Nevertheless, Ware is ready to get involved in the most important moment, as he has proved many times.
