Astana, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar and Kazan will host 4 regular season games on Saturday.
Astana (Astana) vs MBA-MAI (Moscow)
Time: 14:00 (12:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Velotrek Saryarka
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
Astana: The Kazakh team failed to win against Avtodor due to turnovers (14 vs. 7 by the opponent) and prior shooting. But the injured players are gradually returning – Andrey Desyatnikov made his debut. The presence of the League’s tallest player could also play an important role versus MBA-MAI, as the Moscow team is having trouble in the paint this season. Fotis Takianos team will have a special mindset for the upcoming game to please the fans with a win and avoid being the only team with 6 losses in 6 games.
MBA-MAI: The trip to Perm was disappointing for Vasily Karasev team. The offense failed from the first minutes, Andrey Zubkov and Danil Pevnev were able to make only 3 of 16 shots. Now MBA-MAI will have a chance to seal the win in a against with injury-weakened Astana. The Moscow team surpass the future opponent in assists, and also score an average of 9 points more, which makes the coaching staff optimistic. The rivalry history also for MBA-MAI – the Kazakh team was defeated 3 times in 4 games.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk region) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 18:00 (14:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: The reason for the loss from Samara was the third quarter result (33:6), after which the Siberian team was unable to make a comeback. Now Jovica Arsic team will have to play a home game against Uralmash. The Siberian team has worse team stats, but looked more stable in the last 3 games. An important aspect of the rivalry will be long-range shots, which the Krasnoyarsk team is better at (30.5% vs. 26.4%).
Uralmash: Rostislav Vergun team lost twice at home and fell off the Top-8. In both games, Uralmash couldn’t get the offense going for a long time and missed the opponent points in the third quarter, twice scoring only 6 points in that stretch. The team heads to Krasnoyarsk with the motivation to end the losing streak against the Siberian team. Yauheni Beliankov and Jeremiah Martin, who were an important part of Enisey offensive system last season, will be especially motivated.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs Samara (Samara Region)
Time: 16:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, SC Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnodar team allowed Zenit offense to score only 73 points last week, getting road win from St. Petersburg and topped the standings. Now Andrey Vedischev team will have home series, which starts with a game against Samara. Loko approaches the game as the League highest scoring team (95.6 points) and leader in assists (21.8 assists). Another factor in the hosts advantage could be offensive versatility, with 5 players averaging 10+ points.
Samara: The Volga team got second straight win with a double-digit difference for the first time in the season (83:65). Drazen Anzulovic team is gradually gaining shape: Aleksandr Gudumak made a successful season debut (11 points), and Brendan Adams scored 20+ points. The trip to Krasnodar will be a test of Samara strength – the opponent is undefeated so far and will play at home. But Samara is capable of putting up a fight against Loko due to defense. Plus, with Gudumak back in the lineup, the guests will have a much better chance to win the rebounding battle.
UNICS (Kazan) vs Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 18:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall.
Broadcast: Match! Igra, League website
UNICS: After 2 losses at the start of the season, the Kazan team is gradually getting back on the winning track. The win over Uralmash helped the club climb into the Top 5, and also helped the shooters finally regain confidence – UNICS made 14 three-pointers (53%). Long-range shots will also be crucial against Avtodor, who has been showing good shooting this season. On offense, the teams show roughly the same efficiency, but the Kazan team looks better in some aspects. Velimir Perasovic team outperform Avtodor in blocks (2.8 average) and rebounds (41.0 per game), so the key to win may be a solid game in the paint.
Avtodor: Avtodor 3-game losing streak was ended in Astana. The Saratov team got confident win (74:52), despite the team’s poor three-point shooting (31% – below the season average). Milenko Bogicevic team will now face a bigger and more experienced opponent, but the team has already shown the ability to play against strong opponents with character, nearly beating Loko at home. A key aspect of the game could be the paint defense, which will be the responsibility of the progressing Dmitry Khaldeev and veteran Artem Klimenko. If Avtodor’s bigmen do well and the backcourt continues to make three-pointers, fans should expect a tense Volga derby.
