What to look for this weekend in the VTB United League.
Thursday, January 26
Kalev (Estonia) – Parma (Russia)
Time: 6:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: This is the moment of truth for Kalev. Stuck in second-to-last with a 2-11 record, the Estonians desperately need a win over last-place Parma. Though playing at home, Kalev should be tested. Parma plays hard on defense, while Tallinn has only scored more than 70 points once in its last five games and is averaging 75.5 points per game (12th in the League).
Parma: Parma’s first meeting with Kalev this season marked the club’s return to big-time basketball. On Thursday, Parma has a chance to make even more history by securing its first VTB United League victory. Despite a blowout loss to Zenit on Sunday, Perm did enjoy an impressive debut from Sasa Zagorac (22 points and seven rebounds).
Saturday, January 28
Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: KRK Nagorny, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Nizhny Novgorod: It’s been a rough seven days for Nizhny Novgorod, featuring setbacks to Lietuvos Rytas in the Eurocup and VEF in the United League. In both games, Nizhny struggled to score, putting up 73 and 74 points, respectively. VEF coach Janis Gailitis said his team’s key to victory was stopping Nizhny’s snipers. Can Avtodor do the same, despite ranking 11th in the League in points allowed?
Avtodor: Saratov won a high-scoring affair in the first meeting of the season, 95-92. Don’t be surprised if Saturday’s game follows a similar pattern: Both teams like to push the pace on offense and shoot a lot of 3-pointers, while struggling at times on the defensive end. Avtodor gives up 89.3 per game; Nizhny Novgorod, meanwhile, is last with 94.3 per game. Avtodor will be riding high after booking a spot in the Champions League playoffs with a win over Le Mans.
Sunday, January 29
Enisey (Russia) – UNICS (Russia)
Time: 4:10 PM (12:10 MSK)
Place: Arena Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Enisey: Krasnoyarsk has reach the end of a brutal five-game stretch, which included three games on the road and match-ups with CSKA, Loko and now UNICS. Four consecutive losses have dropped Enisey into a tie with Avtodor for the 8th and final playoff spot. At the same time, the Siberians continue to cruise in the FIBA Europe Cup, advancing to the round of 16 with a 1st-place finish in Group P. Enisey hopes some of that momentum carries over on Sunday.
UNICS: Kazan did not fare as well in European competition, losing a heart-breaker at home to Fenerbahce in the Euroleague. Now Evgeny Pashutin’s men must refocus on the VTB League and try to retake 2nd place from Lokomotiv-Kuban. The rebounding battle will play a big role in this game: Enisey is 1st in the League in offensive rebounds, which presents a test for UNICS’s frontcourt.
CSKA (Russia) – Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
CSKA: The Red-Blues last played in the United League on January 16, scoring a crucial win over then 2nd-place UNICS. CSKA, however, is coming off a setback to Zalgiris in the Euroleague, leading to some harsh words from coach Dimitris Itoudis. CSKA will want to bounce back in front of the home fans. Expect Astana to struggle: The Kazakh club is 0-10 all-time against CKSA, losing by an average of nearly 30 points per game.
Astana: Ilias Papatheodorou’s club has played four top teams over its last five games, losing each time. As a result, Astana has dropped to 7th in the standings, only a game and a half up on Enisey and Avtodor. The club has also only won once on the road this season.
VEF (Latvia) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: The Latvians overtook Astana to pose the biggest threat to the League’s top five. Khimki is currently in 5th place and already lost once at home to Riga. That was VEF’s first win over Moscow Region in 16 tries.
Riga has continued to shine, going 4-1 over its last five games. The rebounding battle will be key: Both teams are top-four in rebounding and coach Janis Gailitis highlighted his men’s rebounding in the win over Nizhny Novgorod.
Khimki: Dusko Ivanovic’s men played two very different games entering Sunday’s contest. After shutting down Kalev’s offense in the United League, Khimki had to rely on its offense, led by Alexey Shved’s 32 points (22 in one quarter), to take down Ulm in the Eurocup. Moscow Region is especially dangerous from beyond the arc (41.3% per game, 3rd in the League). It’s also important to remember that Shved did not play in VEF’s upset win earlier in the season.
Zenit (Russia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Zenit: After picking up a 4th-straight win in the League, Zenit lost to Hapoel Jerusalem in the Eurocup on Wednesday. The team was missing Stefan Markovic due to sickness and the Serbian guard is questionable against Tsmoki-Minsk. The loss to Hapoel aside, St. Petersburg has been on a roll, especially on offense. Zenit has scored over 99 or more points in its last four League outings.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Tsmoki was able to slow down Zenit’s attack in the first meeting of the season, but scored even fewer, losing 71-58. Zenit is now 2nd in the league in points scored per game, while Tsmoki remains in last place, averaging 74.1. The Dragons enjoyed their highest-scoring game of the season last week, putting up 95 against Nizhny, but it wasn’t enough to win. Minsk will need to be better on defense against Zenit if it hopes to return with a win. Antonio Graves, brought in to improve the offense, could make his Tsmoki debut on Sunday.
