Parma hosts Lokomotiv-Kuban, Zenit plays Avtodor and Enisey takes on Khimki.
Wednesday, April 19
Parma (Russia) – Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma: The final week of the regular season opens in the Ural Mountains with Parma hosting Lokomotiv-Kuban. The game may not have any impact on the standings for Perm, but going against a top-four team in Lokomotiv-Kuban in front of the home fans should be enough motivation. For any chance at an upset, Parma will need to overcome Kuban’s stingy defense (70.2 ppg allowed, 1st in the League).
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Unlike the home team, Sasa Obradovic’s men have to beat Parma to stay in the running for the three-seed in the postseason. Loko didn’t have much trouble against Perm earlier in the season, holding its opponent to 61 points. But Parma is much more experienced now and could pose a bigger threat in front of the Molot faithful.
Thursday, April 20
Zenit (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 8:00 PM (8:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Zenit: Once again, one of these two teams has much greater motivation to win. Despite a two-game lead on Lokomotiv-Kuban, St. Petersburg needs to win at least one of its two remaining games to clinch the two-seed. Vasily Karasev’s club would like to take care of business on Thursday against Avtodor and begin preparing for the postseason.
Avtodor: After getting eliminated from postseason contention, Avtodor could still impact the final standings. The biggest question is whether or not Vladimir Antsiferov will bring his strongest roster to St. Petersburg. Saratov is capable of giving Zenit trouble with its up-tempo offense, though the home team also loves to push the pace.
It will be interesting to see how Nick Minnerath does against Zenit’s weakened frontcourt (Janis Timma is out until the playoffs). When these two teams first met, the American forward put up 28 points and 11 rebounds, though Avtodor still lost.
Sunday, April 23
Enisey (Russia) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 4:10 PM (12:10 MSK)
Place: Arena.Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Enisey: After clinching 6th place, Enisey could decide who it plays in the first round of the playoffs with Khimki currently in 3rd place and Lokomotiv-Kuban sitting 4th. Despite the underdog status, Krasnoyarsk has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games and looks like a dangerous first-round opponent. Of those eight wins, however, only one came against a top-five club, UNICS Kazan.
Khimki: Moscow Region is looking a little shaky down the stretch. Khimki lost a big game to Zenit, then against Astana, Dusko Ivanovic’s men nearly blew a 21-point lead in the second half. Playing a red-hot Enisey on the road is no easy task, especially with these two teams likely to meet again in the first round. Khimki won earlier this season against Krasnoyarsk, but a lot has changed since then.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: This game could have huge implications for Lokomotiv, so don’t expect the home team to take visiting Minsk lightly, no matter the Belarusian club’s record. Of course, Lokomotiv did win easily in Minsk earlier this season and Tsmoki ranks last in the League in points per game (73.3), which should play into the hands of Krasnodar’s defense.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Tsmoki has never defeated Lokomotiv in nine tries. Once again, on Sunday they will be big underdogs. Loko is better in every key category and the Dragons will have to play their best game of the season to overcome a highly-motivated opponent.
Avtodor (Russia) – VEF (Latvia)
Time: 5:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Avtodor: Saratov is closing the season at home against an opponent it was once chasing for a playoff spot. This game has no impact on the standings for either team, so don’t be surprised by a high tempo and plenty of points. Avtodor plays loose, averaging 86.3 ppg and giving up 91.4 ppg on average.
VEF: Riga will use this as a final tune-up before the postseason, as well as another chance to get better on the road. VEF has only won five times away from home, including a lone victory against a top-five team in Khimki. Given that Riga will be facing the two-seed in the first round, an extra road win would be a nice boost of confidence. VEF scores eight fewer points per game on the road, but against Avtodor, Janis Gailitis’s men may have more opportunities to run the offense and put up big numbers on offense.
Kalev (Estonia) – Zenit (Russia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: Tallinn could move into 11th place and pass Tsmoki-Minsk with a win, but they need a win over Zenit in the final game of the regular season. Alar Varrak’s men faced another powerhouse earlier in the week, Lokomotiv-Kuban. The Estonians fought hard, but turnovers doomed their chances. Zenit’s approach to this game could make a big difference. If the Russians lose to Avtodor on Thursday, they will be fighting to protect the two-seed at any cost.
Zenit: St. Petersburg is one of the best road teams in the League, having lost only once away from home. Zenit may be impossible for Kalev to stop, even if there’s little on the line for St. Petersburg. Boasting a 13-game winning streak entering the week, Zenit has a chance to finish the season on a 15-game run.
