Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow will host 2 regular season games on Thursday.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) vs Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK “Nagornyy”
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Wins over Samara and MBA-MAI helped the team to secure the 4th place in the standings and continue to pursuit the leaders. Now the Volga team will try to stop undefeated Loko at home. Sergey Kozin team has a fighting attitude, as managed to get first and so far only loss to CSKA at home this season (77:75). Team stats indicate that fans should expect a tense clash, as the teams share the top spot in assists and steals. Under such conditions, the key for Nizhny Novgorod win may be three-pointers, which helped Nizhny snatch a close game in Samara.
Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnodar team has the toughest schedule for the next 2 weeks: after facing UNICS, the team will have to play against all of Top-4 rivals. A home win over the Kazan team will surely give Loko confidence before traveling to Nizhny Novgorod, where the team hasn’t won since March 2023. In a rivalry of debutant coaches, Andrei Vedischev will be able to focus on the roster depth and the offensive versatility, which is the best in the League (90.4 points per game). The Krasnodar team is also likely to have an advantage in the paint, as the team outperforms its future opponent in scoring and rebounding.
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
MBA-MAI: After 2 straight wins, the Moscow team lost to Nizhny and remain in 10th place in the standings, but a win over Uralmash could get it in contention for 7th place. The rivalry with the Yekaterinburg team became a crucial for MBA-MAI last season – all 4 games were clutch and there was an overtime. Vasily Karasev team will have a special motivation at home, as last season was able to defeat Uralmash only once.
Uralmash: The Yekaterinburg team has lost twice against Top 4 clubs, but both Loko and Zenit had chances to win and lost only in the final quarter. Rostislav Vergun team is improving its chemistry, Johnny O’Bryant is joining the team offense and Jeremiah Martin is becoming more stable. These factors are encouraging the fans before game in Moscow. In addition, Uralmash has been better on the road than at home – all 3 Uralmash wins were on the road.
