What you need to know ahead of the weekend’s games.
Sunday, April 2
Enisey (Russia) – Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 4:10 PM (12:10 MSK)
Place: Arena Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Enisey: Krasnoyarsk has a chance to catch VEF for 6th place with a win against Astana and a Riga defeat to UNICS. More importantly, a victory over Astana would virtually clinch a spot in the postseason and improve Enisey’s odds of avoiding a first-round matchup with CSKA.
Astana: Unlike Enisey, which has gone 4-1 over its last five games, Astana has more work to do to nail down a playoff spot. The club is last in the League in scoring on the road (70 points per game). Overall, the Kazakhs struggle on offense, ranking last in both two-point and three-point field-goal percentage. Enisey will try to take advantage on Sunday.
Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) – Parma (Russia)
Time: 3:00 PM (3:00 MSK)
Place: Falcon Club, Minsk, Belarus
TV: VTB-League.com
Tsmoki: By virtue of a five-game losing streak, the Dragons have been officially eliminated from the playoff hunt. Now the focus turns to finishing strong. The schedule isn’t easy with games remaining against CSKA and Loko, playoff hopeful Nizhny Novgorod and and a highly-motivated Parma club that is desperate to win at least once this season.
Parma: Though the game has no bearing on the standings, this may be Parma’s best chance to finally secure a victory in the VTB United League. Perm played Minsk tough in the first meeting of the season, especially on defense. The visitors will likely take a similar approach on Sunday, given Tsmoki is last in the League in points scored per game (73.6).
Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Nizhny Novgorod: With the season winding down, Arturs Stalbergs has finally been able to mold a competitive squad and make a desperate push for 8th place. Who knows where the team may have finishing in the standings, if not for injuries to several key players over the course of the campaign. A win over Khimki would significantly improve Nizhny’s chances of catching Astana, with the two teams set to play next week in Nizhny.
Khimki: Despite this being a must-win game for Nizhny, the visitors will be favored. The home team gives up more points per game (91.7) than any other club in the League and that could spell disaster against Khimki, which averages 94.0 points per game on the road (only 82.1 at home). Of course, the primary intrigue in the game is whether Alexey Shved is able to go. Without him, Khimki won’t be as dangerous on offense, as the loss to CSKA demonstrated.
Monday, April 3
CSKA (Russia) – Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
TV: Match! Igra, VTB-League.com
CSKA: After an overtime loss to Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague, the Army Men will try to catch their breath against Kalev and widen the lead on Zenit. Despite CSKA’s fatigue, Kalev was recently eliminated from postseason contention and is unlikely to be a big threat. Moscow has never lost in seven meetings with Kalev, winning by an average score of 27 points per game.
Kalev: Tallinn will try to take advantage of CSKA’s fatigue following a tough road trip to Greece. Kalev has an athletic, speedy roster that can force the tempo, but Moscow has the deepest roster in the League and will likely be comfortable playing at any pace.
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: It’s hard to believe, but only 1.5 games separate VEF and UNICS in the standings and Riga could cut Kazan’s lead to half a game with a win on Monday. VEF can also clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win, making this one of the biggest games of the season for the Latvian upstarts.
UNICS: Kazan traveled to Serbia on Friday where it was dealt a demoralizing defeat at the hands of Crvena Zvezda, trailing by as much as 30 points in the 2nd quarter. Keith Langford did reach one significant milestone, scoring his 2000th point in the EuroLeague. Evgeny Pashutin’s men are 5th in the League standings, 1.5 games behind Loko and 1.5 games up on VEF. With a victory, Kazan can ensure at least a 5th-place finish and begin preparing for a likely first-round matchup with Lokomotiv.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 8:00 PM (8:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Kuban went 0-3 in its last three games against Zenit, CSKA and Khimki, quickly erasing the momentum of a 13-game winning streak. Even Loko’s vaunted defense has struggled during the slump, giving up more than 83 points per game. Also curious is the fact that Krasnodar has lost more often at home than on the road, which might give a desperate Avtodor a glimmer of hope.
Avtodor: As mentioned above, Loko has allowed at least 83 points in each of its previous three games. Avtodor’s up-tempo offense will try to make it four in a row. Saratov has outscored Loko by nearly five points per game this season (86.1 vs. 81.4), plus the visitors need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
