Five regular season games are scheduled for Sunday.
Sunday, April 22
Astana Kazakhstan – Kalev Estonia
Time: 3:00 PM (12:00 MSK)
Place: Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: VTB-League.com
Astana: After a strong stretch, which saw Astana return to playoff contention, the club has dropped five in a row (including nearly identical 90-75 and 90-76 defeats in recent weeks). Mikhail Karpenko’s men have three games remaining: two vs. the League’s Baltic clubs and one with Avtodor. Astana will play both Kalev and Avtodor at home, where they have won five of six overall.
Kalev: The first meeting ended in a win for Tallinn, the club’s first victory of the season. Coached by Alar Varrak at the time, the game also featured Isaiah Briscoe’s Kalev debut. Briscoe and Astana’s Justin Carter went at it, with the Kalev guard coming out on top: 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. Even though Tallinn has been eliminated from the postseason, this is their last game of the regular season and they want to finish on a high note.
Time: 4:00 PM (12:00 MSK)
Place: Arena.Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Enisey: The Siberians were stuck in last place for so long, it was hard to see them making a postseason push. Oleg Okulov’s men didn’t quit, however, winning back-to-back games to pass Kalev in the standings and keep hope alive. They have a huge test ahead: two games against top-three teams. With both at home, an upset or two is not out of the question, but Enisey will need to be sharp and focused to get the job done. The schedule won’t make it any easier, either, with three games in eight days (including Tsmoki-Minsk next Monday).
UNICS: Statistically, it doesn’t look like Enisey has much of a chance vs. UNICS. Kazan holds a 7-2 all-time series lead, but Krasnoyarsk will have nothing to lose. In any case, UNICS has more weapons on offense, leading the League in three-point shooting (40.4%), whereas Enisey makes less than 30% of its attempts. The home team could quickly get in trouble if it tries to beat Kazan in a perimeter shootout.
Time: 5:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Avtodor: Saratov continues its pursuit of 5th place, though Khimki’s recent comeback wins have made it more difficult. Now Evgeny Pashutin’s men must win the next two games in order to catch Khimki in the standings. It is certainly doable. Avtodor has been outstanding in its last three outings, taking down Zenit and Tsmoki and very nearly upsetting 2nd-place UNICS. Avtodor appears to be playing its best basketball of the season heading into the home stretch.
VEF: Riga last played in the United League on April 8, which means there’s been plenty of time to prepare for Saratov. Avtodor has also had a light schedule in April, so fatigue shouldn’t be a factor. Given PARMA and Nizhny are both playing top-four teams this weekend, VEF has an excellent chance to take over 7th place in the standings. The narrow loss to UNICS, a game in which Kaspars Berzins dominated, showed that Janis Gailitis has plenty of weapons at his disposal. On the other hand, Riga gave up a big 4th-quarter run to Kazan, allowing the game to slip away, something it can’t allow to happen again on Sunday.
Lokomotiv-Kuban Russia – PARMA Russia
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: After losing the EuroCup final, Krasnodar will need to refocus its attention on the regular season. Kuban’s shocking last-second loss to Zenit gives the Railwaymen something in common with PARMA, who dropped heartbreakers to Khimki and Nizhny Novgorod. On Sunday, Sasa Obradovic’s men need to turn the page quickly to preserve any chance of catching Zenit for 4th place. The Railwaymen do hold the tiebreaker and only play one more team from the top six to finish the season (Khimki).
PARMA: Just because PARMA is not in the League’s top six, doesn’t mean Loko will necessarily have an easy time. Perm is fighting desperately for a playoff spot and needs wins like it needs air. Over the past five games, PARMA also has a superior record (2-3 vs. 1-4). Codi Miller-McIntyre has been on fire. He’s virtually unguardable one-on-one to go with talented teammates who can pick up the slack when needed. Frank Gaines was outstanding vs. Khimki, nearly guiding the Siberians to a sensational win.
Nizhny Novgorod Russia – Zenit Russia
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny remains in 7th place, but faces a brutal schedule to close out the regular season: Zenit, UNICS, Avtodor and Loko. The Volga club will likely need to win at least two of the four meetings to secure a spot in the postseason. Playing at home, Nizhny would feel much better if it could take down Zenit on Sunday and create a little breathing room.
Zenit: St. Petersburg has won back-to-back thrillers vs. Loko and Kalev. After snuffing out the Estonian club’s playoff hopes, Zenit will try to damage another team’s postseason aspirations. The first meeting between these two teams was hotly contested, with Zenit securing a three-point win. Captain Evgeny Voronov went off in that game, scoring a career-high 23 points. Statistically, these two teams appear very evenly matched, which means individual performances could be the deciding factor.
