Minsk, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod will host 3 regular season games on Tuesday.
MINSK (Minsk) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 17:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Belarus, Minsk, Minsk Arena
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
MINSK: MINSK place hasn’t changed in the second stage: the team still hasn’t win a single game. Many of the Belarusian team games are the same: the team put up a serious fight against their opponents, and have some good stretches, but at the end of the game energy just disappear. That’s what happened against Samara, where MINSK reached the clutch, but couldn’t succeed. Even 46 points by Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and Jakob Cebasek didn’t help. Given that MINSK will have to face one of the main favorites to win Group B for the second time in a row, the team’s streak can be extended.
Uralmash: Rostislav Vergun team had a good start of February, winning all 3 games. Now the Belarusian coach will face his former team again, and there’s a good chance that Uralmash will get the fourth consecutive win. Vergun’s first game versus MINSK was successful, as the team set the United League season-high in points and got the biggest win (+32).
Samara (Samara) vs Runa (Moscow)
Time: 19:30 (18:30 Moscow time)
Place: Samara, SKK Dvorets Sporta.
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Samara: Although Samara continues to lead Group B, the last game against MINSK was very tense. It’s no coincidence that Drazen Anzulovic said that he was not satisfied with the game. There were reasons for this: Samara suffers from injuries. According to Anzulovic, last week the whole team was in training – that’s why he had to use Justin Roberson, who hasn’t fully recovered. Therefore, the two-week break should be a lifeline for Samara. The Volga team can be considered the favorites, but for that the team will have to get together – Runa is unlikely to forgive Samara the same number of mistakes as versus MINSK.
Runa: In the first stage the rivals drew – 1:1. Runa win dates back to the start of the season, which the Vikings started with 3 consecutive victories. But when the Moscow team began to slow down, Samara got a 15-point win. Runa was ahead in the standings, but since then the Volga team has picked up momentum and have pulled away from Runa. In last wee game against Avtodor, the Moscow team starters made 4 of 15 three-pointers, and only Nikola Ivanovic kept the team in the game until the final seconds. Despite all of Samara problems, Runa won’t have many chances to outscore opponent with long-range shots.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) vs MBA (Moscow)
Time: 19:30 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorny
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Due to the postponement of the game with Astana, Nizhny Novgorod got a nearly two-week break. Although such periods often take out of your rhythm, Nizhny Novgorod will need this pause. The hardest wins over Zenit, Loko were clearly achieved with extreme effort, which was very evident in the lost game against Uralmash. An extra week of rest should benefit Zoran Lukic team. Nizhny Novgorod has nowhere to go – literally any loss could put an end to play-in prospects.
MBA: Vasily Karasev team is basically experiencing the same problems. While many believed before the season that the Moscow team could repeat last year’s success (making it to the Top 6), MBA is now facing much more modest goals. Even getting into the play-in is hard to do. The game with Nizhny will likely be very tense, the last time the Moscow team scored 90 points or more was a month ago against Nizhny Novgorod. After that, MBA performance began to steadily decline and one of the top scorers of that game Daniil Kasatkin made 10 points only once in 10 games.
