Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar and Samara will host regular season games on Saturday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk, Russia) vs. PARMA (Perm, Russia)
Time: 17:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team is pleasantly surprising the fans at the start – not everyone expected that the team with a new coach would be able to show good results so quickly. Xavier Rathan-Mays is the key reason for that and already was named MVP of October showing impressive stats: 24.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Rathan-Mayes’ 38 points are the current season-high in the League. Enisey has 4 wins in 7 games; it could have been 5-2, but Jovica Arsic team lost to Zenit literally in the end. In this game the St. Petersburg team managed to at least limit the League’s top scorer, who scored 19 points. But the fact that Enisey claimed overtime until the final seconds looks like a serious advance.
PARMA: Last week the Perm team finally ended the losing streak of 5 games. Team leader B.J. Johnson had a brilliant game versus MBA – 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Their duel with Rathan-Mayes promises to be a highlight of the game day. With a win, PARMA will be able to move into a tight group from 4th to 8th place. However, the hosts can be considered the favorite – the team played Zenit on October 27 and had much more time to prepare and recover than PARMA, which played just three days ago and is also traveling to Krasnoyarsk.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar, Russia) vs. ParI Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia)
Time: 15:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, YTC Lokomotiv Kuban
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: Both teams started the season in very different ways – Pari NN was at the top for a long time, while Loko, on the other hand, was at the bottom. However, the last games have radically changed the situation, and now the two rivals are separated by just 1 win. And if Loko extend their winning streak to 3 games, the team can already surpass Zoran Lukic team in the standings. The Krasnodar team is playing at home, the leaders are back in the rotation. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, whose return has been much anticipated in Krasnodar, doesn’t waste much time on getting in the shape. After the game against Zenit, he played like a classic Akoon-Purcell against Samara and considered the team’s leader (15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes). Zakhar Vedischev, who is gaining shape, was also not far behind with 16 points.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny is having problems after a bright start. 3 losses in a row dropped them to eighth place. At the same time, the team lost not at all to the grands – Astana, Enisey and Samara. The game against Samara was particularly disappointing, as Nizhny Novgorod defense was their worst since the start of the season, allowing opponents to score 91 points. Zoran Lukic rightly compared his team to a car without a steering wheel: with Dmitrii Khvostov and Ivan Strebkov out, American guard Glenn Cosey has to play 34-35 minutes a game, which is not very typical for Lukic, who likes to use a wide rotation. In the game with Loko, where the roster is now close to optimal, this will cause Nizhny a lot of additional problems.
Samara (Samara, Russia) vs. Avtodor (Saratov, Russia)
Time: 17:00 (16:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Samara, SKK “Sport Palace”.
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website
Samara: After the sensation against UNICS when Samara players made their first 100 points in the season, Drazen Anzulovic team made a lot of mistakes versus Loko. The Volga team resisted, but couldn’t guard the opponents bench, where Akoon-Purcell and Vedischev pointed out very well. The team’s fans might complain that Samara was frankly out of sync that night – the shooters were able to make only 6 of 28 three-pointers. It’s unlikely Avtodor should expect Samara to have a bad day again. Whether Anzulovic will lead the team this time, or whether Stipe Kulis will bring the players back to the floor, is still unknown.
Avtodor: Milenko Bogicevic team was in a very difficult situation. 1 win in 7 games – clearly not the start the team management had hoped for in the offseason. And although Avtodor coach said after the game with UNICS that the emphasis is on organization and quality of play, not immediate results, if things continue like this, the Saratov team risks dropping out of the play-in race before the New Year. That’s why the Volga derby is becoming almost a last chance for Avtodor. Moreover, the Saratov team has a very difficult 3 games ahead- trips to Nizhny and Krasnodar, as well as a home game with Zenit. Making matters worse is the fact that Samara is an uncomfortable opponent for Avtodor. Samara has the best three-point shooting percentage in the League, but their perimeter defense is poor – the team failed to guard Jalen Reynolds and Louis Labeyrie on threes.
