Nizhny Novgorod, Minsk and Perm will host regular seasons games on Saturday.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) vs Astana (Astana)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorny
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod continues to fight for the play-in, having already 2 wins in a row. Zoran Lukic team offense reached a new level in March, scoring 82 points in the last 3 games (9 more than the season average). Andrey Vorontsevich and Kendall Smith have been an important reason for the offensive progress. They scored more points than all of their opponents’ bench players against Runa and Astana. On March 3, Pari NN has already proved that it can stop unstable Astana, so the upcoming game approaches as favorite.
Astana: Fotis Takianos got the first win as head coach of the Kazakh team against MINSK. All players in the starting lineup scored 10 or more points, Royce Hamm and Markell Johnson made double-doubles. This success allowed the team not only to end the losing streak, but also to get closer to the play-in zone: in case of a win over Nizhny, Takianos team will equalize in the standings with Runa. In the last game with the Volga team, Hamm and Johnson lacked bench support and Devin Davis’ points. Nizhny Novgorod made 12 offensive rebounds, 4 times more than the opponent. Astana will have to use teamworkto get revenge.
Time: 15:00 (Moscow team)
Place: Belarus, Minsk, Falcon Club.
Broadcast: League website
MINSK: Despite the loss to Astana, the Minsk team fans have reason to be positive. Returned Zach Smith has shown that he can help solve the problems in the paint that the club has been struggling with all season. MINSK is tied for second in rebounding with 30.7 rebounds per game. Smith managed to get 16 rebounds in his first game back. Another optimistic aspect of the last game is that team has shown ability to perform well. After a disappointing start, the Belarusian team didn’t lose a single quarter game and was close to a comeback. All of these factors can give the Minsk team back the confidence ahead of against MBA, which was nearly got defeated at home in January.
MBA: Vasily Karasev team started March with 2 home losses. They were caused by shooting problems: in the game against Avtodor, the Moscow team made 16% of their three-pointers, and in the game against Samara missed 7 free throws. Evgeny Voronov and Evgeny Valiev, who returned from injuries, as well as Daniil Kasatkin, who has found his rhythm and is averaging 21.5 points after the break, can help the team. This season MBA has already defeated MINSK twice, in both games demonstrating a high long-range shots percentage (37.5% and 40%). Therefore, in the upcoming game the Moscow team will have an opportunity to make shots again and end the losing streak.
Time: 18:00 (16:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: Match! Igra, TV Start, League website.
PARMA: Evgeny Pashutin team got off to a good start in the second round, as wins over CSKA and Enisey helped the Perm team move up to 5th place. Solomon-Johnson-Reese top trio is in good shape and has scored more than half of the team’s points in the last 3 games. PARMA has already stopped the reigning champion on the road this season, and in the upcoming game will play at home. But this time it will be harder to upset the Kazan team due to 7-game winning streak.
UNICS: The Kazan team has the longest winning streak among Group A teams. Wins over CSKA and Loko helped UNICS become sole leader of the standings for the first time this season. Nenad Dimitrijevic played an important role in those wins, scoring 23 points against the Krasnodar team and setting a career-high 38 points against the Army team. The guard’s performances are backed up by Erick Green and Marcos Knight, forming one of the most dangerous backcourts in the League. UNICS retains its status as the second best offense in the League and has every chance to continue winning streak in Perm.
