What to watch for in VTB League action this weekend.
Saturday, March 18
VEF (Latvia) – Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 5:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Olimpic Sport Center, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: Without any powerhouse match-ups over the weekend, VEF’s date with Astana takes center stage. This game has big postseason implications for both teams. VEF is in a good spot. Though tied with Astana and Enisey in the standings, the Latvians have two extra games in reserve with 9th-place Avtodor trailing by two-and-a-half games.
Playing in Riga, VEF will try to use its home-court advantage. Astana ranks last in the League in scoring on the road (71 points per game). If VEF can channel its 30-point 2nd-quarter performance against CSKA, the Kazakh visitors may struggle to come up with a response.
Astana: Ilias Papatheodorou’s men have won three in a row to catch VEF and Enisey in the standings. With a win in Riga, Astana can grab sole possession of 6th place, only two games back of UNICS, an incredible turnaround from a month earlier.
Astana has five more games on the schedule, including three against other playoff hopefuls and one with UNICS. Against VEF, expect the visitors to stick to slowing the tempo and driving the ball inside. At the same time, Astana ranks last in assists and three-point attempts. The battle for the paint could end up deciding this game.
Zenit (Russia) – Parma (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Zenit: Now focused entirely on the VTB United League, Zenit is hot on 1st-place CSKA’s heels, taking down UNICS in dominating fashion last week. Though Kazan was missing Keith Langford in the game, Zenit had to play without star forward Janis Timma. Nonetheless, Zenit piled up 100+ points in a convincing win. Vasily Karasev’s men will try to do the same again vs. Parma, which seems doable, considering the visitors allow 92 points per outing on the road.
Parma: These teams met for the first time two months ago with Zenit setting a new club record in the VTB League by scoring 119 points. Parma was only able to put up 86. The loss is probably still fresh in the team’s mind and Viacheslav Shushakov will do whatever he can to help his men take revenge. It’s not a hopeless task. Though yet to win a game, Parma tested Khimki last week and was close to winning if not for some big shots from Alexey Shved. Parma’s ability to stop another Russian national team star, Sergey Karasev, will prove a key test.
Monday, March 20
Kalev (Estonia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 6:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: Kalev lost to Avtodor in a game it had to win, leaving the Estonians with almost no chance of making the postseason. Tallinn would have to win out, including games against CSKA, Zenit and Loko. Despite the minuscule odds, Alar Varrak’s club is too competitive to go down without a fight. First, they need a home win against Minsk, which would allow the Estonians to leapfrog Tsmoki into 11th place.
The Belarusians won the first meeting in a game in which Tsmoki shot lights out from deep and Kalev struggled to get anything to fall beyond the arc. Over the course of the season, however, Kalev has been the superior three-point shooting team (2nd in attempts and 6th in accuracy). Perhaps the tables will be turned on Monday.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Like Tallinn, Igor Grishchuk’s club enters the game with a 1-4 record in its last five games. On paper, however, Tsmoki has a slightly better chance of making the playoffs. The Belarusians have a half-game lead on Kalev, not to mention an easier schedule down the stretch. But if the visitors can’t get a win on Monday, they’ll be in serious trouble.
It won’t be easy. Tsmoki is last in points per game (73.6) and 12th in field-goal percentage. Another factor that could make Minsk an underdog in Tallinn: Tsmoki has the second-worst road record in the League at 1-8.
