Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Krasnodar and Perm will host 4 regular season games on Friday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk) vs MBA (Moscow)
Time: 17:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
MBA: The Moscow team losing streak in the VTB United League is already 8 games. Throughout this stretch, MBA players have had problems with shooting (41.2%). But there are reasons for optimism – the last regular season game against Runa was lost only in a tense ending. In the 1/8 of Russian Cup, MBA beat Novosibirsk – 88:44, made 63% of the field-goal shots. The confident win helped the team break offensive drought, so the Moscow team approaches the game with Enisey with high motivation and with a good chance to start 2024 well.
Enisey: Despite a difficult December (3 wins – 3 losses) the Krasnoyarsk team is still in the Top 6. Team leaders Jeremiah Martin and Xavier Rathan-Mayes remain the League best offensive duo, combining for nearly 43 points per game. Jovica Arsic team continues to play with discipline, ranking in the Top 2 in fouls committed per game. Also this season, Enisey is playing confidently at home – 75% of their games in Krasnoyarsk have ended with a win. Therefore, the Siberian team is the favorite.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs Astana (Astana)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: In December, the Krasnodar team picked up momentum with wins over UNICS and Zenit. Loko current winning streak stands at 4 games, the second best in the League after the Kazan team. Andrey Martiuk shape, stable Jaylen Barford and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell help the team to dominate in offense – in the last 3 games, the Krasnodar team has scored 90 points 3 times. The first game of the new year is a great chance to continue winning streak and take revenge for the first round loss.
Astana: The Kazakh team continues the road series, which is still going hard – the team lost to Zenit and Avtodor. Only Markell Johnson is stable – in the last 2 games, the guard scored an average of 25.5 points. It’s noteworthy that Johnson was one of the heroes of the game against Lokomotiv in the first round. It will be much harder for Loko to win at home, but Astana has already proven that it can beat top teams.
PARMA (Perm) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 17:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: Match TV, TV Start, League website
PARMA: The Perm team 6-game winning streak has ended in Yekaterinburg. Despite the loss to Uralmash, Evgeny Pashutin team maintains its place in the Top 6. Every game has a big significance for the team – Samara has the same balance of wins and losses, so it won’t be easy for PARMA to get directly into the Playoffs. The Perm team will play versus Zenit. The last 5 home games ended with a win for PARMA, so the Perm team has a good chance to improve standings place.
Zenit: In the last game of the regular season, Zenit lost to Lokomotiv Kuban. Sergey Karasev and Trent Frazier missed that game. The absence of the leaders affected the team’s offense – 43% from the game and only 73 points. Their return will help the team to have more offensive options, which Zenit has used successfully all season – the St. Petersburg team is leading the League in three-pointers (38.8%). Therefore, this game will be a good opportunity for the team to show the full strength of the healthy roster and rehabilitate for last week’s loss.
Runa (Moscow) vs UNICS (Kazan)
Time: 17:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, DS Dynamo
Broadcast: Match TV, Start, League website
Runa: The Moscow team lost 3 of last 4 games and dropped to the 9th place of the standings. Erturul Erdogan team will have to play against all of the Top 5 teams in January and February, so it won’t be easy to climb into the playoffs zone. But the newcomer is ready to take on the challenge – Cameron Young returned in the winning game against MBA and will help strengthen the team offense. Plus, the Moscow team has already managed to beat UNICS on the road this season. It will be much harder to beat the reigning champion a second time, but the home court advantage could help Runa to make a sensation once again.
UNICS: The Kazan team is at the second place in the standings and continue to chase CSKA. Velimir Perasovic team has the best offense in the Legaue – UNICS ranks first in scoring (88 points per game). The team has the longest active winning streak in the League (6 games). The game with Runa will be not only an opportunity for the reigning champion to continue their winning streak, but also a chance to take revenge for their first-round loss.
