Zenit Russia hosts Astana Kazakhstan in a regular-season match-up.
Where:
SIBUR Arena (capacity 7,120), St. Petersburg, Russia
When:
6:00 PM (6:00 MSK), April 27, 2019
TV:
VTB-League.com
Face to face
Zenit and Astana have met nine times in the VTB League. St. Petersburg leads the series 6-3, but the previous two games have gone to Astana. The Russians last defeated the Nur-Sultan club on October 15, 2017.
Astana’s only victory in St. Petersburg came on April 22, 2015.
Looking back
Intrigue
Astana earned a 93-91 victory in Kazakhstan back in October. Zenit led by 19 points in the 3rd quarter, but Anthony Clemmons sparked an unbelievable comeback, giving Astana the first significant upset of the season.
Of course, the season has shown that Astana was far from a one-hit wonder. The Kazakh club has been the League’s biggest surprise, battling all season for a spot in the top five while racking up a club-record 15 wins. St. Petersburg, meanwhile, has been one of the biggest disappointments. Saturday’s game has big implications for the entire League with 5th, 6th and 7th place up for grabs and the final playoff bracket waiting to be determined.
A win or even a one-point loss would keep Emil Rajkovic’s men in 5th place. Zenit needs to win by two points or more to sneak past Astana into 5th. While a one-point win would mean 6th place, losing on Saturday would mean a surprising 7th-place finish for the Blue-White-Sky Blues, behind the League’s other sensation, Kalev.
The 5th-place team faces Lokomotiv-Kuban in the first round, 6th takes on Khimki and 7th plays UNICS. Of course, if the 5th-place team can get past Krasnodar in the first round, they would almost certainly play CSKA in the semifinals.
The week behind
Zenit has had six days to prepare for Saturday’s game; meanwhile, Astana played twice in the Kazakh league, making easy work of Tobol (91-72 and 93-76).
Battle of the boards
Zenit (36.1 rebounds per game, 3rd place) and Astana (35.6, 4th) are among the League’s best rebounding teams. Who will come out on top Saturday?
X-factor
Marko Simonovic and Ken Horton.
The Serbian forward with a deadly outside shot has often been the X-factor for Zenit. When he’s on fire, the Blue-White-Sky Blues are far more dangerous. On the other hand, when Simonovic can’t find his shot, Zenit tends to suffer. Case in point: Zenit has lost its last three games and Simonovic failed to score in double digits in any of the defeats.
Astana also has a stretch big man, who can impact the outcome. Horton is not as dangerous beyond the arc (35.4% vs. 46.5%), but he shoots more often (4.5 attempts vs. 3.7) and crashes the glass (7.4 rebounds per game).
Quotes
Zenit head coach Joan Plaza: “In Spain, we have a saying, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Yes, we’ve made a lot of mistakes during the regular season, but now we have a chance to fix them. Everything starts over in the playoffs. Now we need a strong finish to the regular season. Astana is a tough opponent. They’ve probably been the biggest surprise of the season. Yes, their rotation is not very deep. Seven players take most of the minutes, but that doesn’t prevent the team from winning. The Kazakh club plays aggressive basketball, everyone can shoot and everyone is a threat.”
Astana head coach Emil Rajkovic: “Zenit is our final opponent in the regular season. This game decides who will finish in 5th place. It’s no secret that St. Petersburg wants to end its four-game losing streak. Reynolds is returning for Zenit. We also understand that Sergey Karasev will play. That’s why St. Petersburg will be favored at home. But we have pulled off more than one miracle this season in games when no one bet on us. We’ll try to win at the SIBUR Arena where Zenit always has terrific support. The fans should expect an incredible game!”
