Perm, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow will host regular season games on Thursday.
PARMA-PARI (Perm) – Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 19:00 (17:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
PARMA-PARI: The Perm team finally ended the loosing streak with the win over MBA. Danila Pokhodiaev became one of the leaders of PARMA-PARI: the 21-year-old forward scored a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. PARMA got 30 more rebounds than their opponents! In many ways, this was Joel James achievement. He repeated the season best in rebounds – 14. The game with Avtodor will be no less difficult, because the Saratov team already habitually play in a fast style and at the same time possession quite effectively both from the perimeter (38.2%) and from mid-range (50.5%). In addition, Avtodor defends well enough in the paint, which can create problems for PARMA-PARI.
Avtodor: The Saratov team has a negative wins and losses balance, but it is clear that this team has potential. Both in the game with Zenit and in the recent game against CSKA, Avtodor played equally, loosing only in the second half. The Saratov and the Perm teams are really similar in level of play, so the result will be determined by nuances. For example, Avtodor has to control Joel James in rebounds, as well as to stop the explosive Justin Roberson – both are able and like to score points from paint. In turn, the Volga team have pros : Milos Pavicevic team moves the ball well, which makes it possible to find free shooters on the perimeter. Avtodor is among the Top-5 teams of the season in terms of three-point percentage (38.7%), while PARMA got 26.9%.
Samara (Samara) – Astana (Astana)
Time: 19:00 (18:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Samara, SKK Dvorets Sporta
Broadcast: Mir Basketbola, League website
Samara: On Monday, the League newcomer was one step away from a win over the reigning champion Zenit, but a disastrous final quarter (8-23) did not allow them to achieve success. The head coach of the team Sergey Bazarevich described the loss from Zenit with the word “disappointment”. Samara will have a chance to improve in front of its fans this Thursday against Astana. The Kazakh team has not won a single game on the road this season and cannot count of a stable game: after the success against PARMA-PARI, major losses with UNICS and Pari NN happened. In case of win Samara will most likely rise to the Top-6 in the standings.
Astana: Astana cannot count on American players in road games, which lowers its chances of winning in Samara. The first roles in the offense will again be played by Aksenov-Likhodey duo, who scores a total of 26 points per game. In many ways, the three-points percentage will be decisive: Astana is the fourth in the League (39.8%), and if the team will catch a fire in Samara, it can create serious problems for the hosts.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) — Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorny
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: The crushing loss against Samara at home was a good shake-up for Zoran Lukic team, which obviously did not demonstrate its maximum. Pari NN improved on Sunday, beating Astana on the road without any problems. But Loko is a much more serious opponent who can punish for the slightest actions, as it was against PARMA-PARI. Nizhny Novgorod advangtage is in experience and a bigger roster, which can help save strength for an ending. And this ending is quite likely: last season in the game in Nizhny Novgorod, the teams needed 2 overtimes to determine the winner.
Lokomotiv Kuban: Despite all the pre-game layouts, Loko gave a serious game in Kazan and almost game UNICS first loss of the season. But this game is already in the past, now Loko will have a difficult trip. The Krasnodar team has not been home for 10 days, which obviously does not add freshness. This also affects Jaylen Barford performance, who even lost the duel for the best scoring player of the League to Marcos Knight from Samara. One of the main tasks of Alexander Sekulic in Nizhny Novgorod is to beat a powerful front court consists of Jovanovic, Apic, Salash and Gankevich. If Martiuk–Willis duo wins in rebounds, it will significantly simplify the task for their teammates and allow them to make fast breaks, where Loko youth is very good.
CSKA (Moscow) – Enisey (Krasnoyarsk)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Megasport
Broadcast: TV Start Triumph, Match! Igra, League website
CSKA: The Army team demonstrate the stability. In all 5 games, CSKA improves from game to the game. Emil Rajkovic coaching staff competently distributed playing time, so the leaders do not overload and can play more effective, allowing the whole team to feel comfortable long before the end. And against Enisey, CSKA looks like the undisputed leader, the main task is not to underestimate the opponent and maintain the necessary concentration for the whole game.
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team got their first win on Monday in Minsk, but it was hard. This is largely due to James Thompson absence, whose influence on Enisey game. To give CSKA first lose of the season and even on the road seems an extremely difficult, but the lack of pressure can benefit Drazen Anzulovich team.
