What you need to know ahead of the weekend’s games.
Saturday, March 25
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – Zenit (Russia)
Time: 1:00 PM (1:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: There are some big games this weekend, beginning with this matchup between title contenders. Loko is sitting in 4th place and could pull to within 1.5 games of 2nd-place Zenit with a win. The Railwaymen also have played three less games than St. Petersburg.
But the home team won’t necessarily be favored. After seeing its 13-game winning streak snapped, Loko lost to Khimki and exited the EuroCup at the hands of Unicaja. Loko only shot 2-20 in the first games of the series en route a 2-0 sweep. Don’t be surprised if Vasily Karasev also tries to slow down Kuban’s outside shooting.
Zenit: Kuban has been a bad matchup for St. Petersburg. Loko’s defensive model makes it tough for Zenit to run and attack early in possessions. The first meeting between these clubs in 2016-17 drives this point home. With Loko shutting down every path to the basket, St. Petersburg was only able to score 62 points. On the other hand, Zenit started clicking following that encounter, going on to build an 11-game winning streak, which it will put on the line on Saturday.
Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) – Enisey (Russia)
Time: 3:00 PM (3:00 MSK)
Place: Falcon Club, Minsk, Belarus
TV: VTB-League.com
Tsmoki-Minsk: The Dragons’ playoff hopes have faded in recent weeks with the team dropping to 12th in the standings. As Minsk head coach Igor Grishchuk noted following the loss to Kalev, the team is really missing a point guard. Indeed, Kalev’s full-court pressure in the 4th quarter stymied the Tsmoki offense and helped the Estonians finish with 28 points off turnovers.
Enisey: The Siberians are comfortably situated in 7th place, but can’t relax quite yet given a daunting April calendar. Games against Astana and VEF remain to go with Avtodor and Khimki. Krasnoyarsk needs to beat the Dragons. Despite playing on the road, Enisey will be favored, perhaps thanks to its impressive sharing of the ball. Krasnoyarsk is 3rd in the League in assists, averaging 19.7 per game behind only CSKA and Zenit.
Sunday, March 26
Parma (Russia) – Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 5:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: USH Molot, Perm, Russia
TV: Match! Igra, VTB-League.com
Parma: This could be the team’s best opportunity remaining to pick up a win. The schedule doesn’t get easier, with match-ups against Loko and CSKA remaining, not to mention multiple games on the road. Going up against a slumping Nizhny squad, this could be the game of the year in Perm.
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny has only won once in its last five games, essentially ending the team’s playoff hopes. Nizhny trails 8th-place Astana by three games with only four remaining.
Playing in Perm, Nizhny Novgorod will try to overwhelm Parma’s defense, though the team hasn’t put up big numbers in recent games, scoring 78, 65 and 80 points, respectively. Nizhny Novgorod will need to find a healthy balance between offense and defense, which has been a major issue throughout the season.
Kalev (Estonia) – VEF (Latvia)
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: The always competitive Baltic derby presents a big opportunity for visiting VEF, as the Latvians look to tighten their grip on 6th place. Kalev, despite a come-from-behind win over the Dragons, is unlikely to reach the postseason given a brutal remaining schedule. But Tallinn will certainly go out swinging. If Alar Varrak’s men can successfully apply full-court pressure, as they did against Tsmoki, VEF could find it difficult to score, especially considering the team only shoots 31.3% from beyond the arc (11th in the League).
VEF: After the game with Astana, Janis Gailitis thanked his players for their excellent effort, noting that the outcome of the game was largely decided on the glass. Given Kalev’s rebounding struggles, VEF’s ability to control the glass could be a major factor once again. VEF, as noted earlier, is not a great shooting team, but has plenty of options inside. VEF’s ability to score in the paint was the biggest reason the Latvians won the first meeting between these two clubs.
Monday, March 27
UNICS (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: Match! Igra, VTB-League.com
UNICS: Kazan will limp into Monday’s home game after two defeats in the EuroLeague. Playing against Galatasaray, UNICS got outscored 24-6 in the 2nd quarter en route to an eight-point defeat. Next, Evgeny Pashutin’s club lost at home to CSKA with point guard Quino Colom injuring his ankle.
UNICS will try to bounce back against Avtodor. It’s been more than two years since Saratov’s only win against UNICS, which should be reason for optimism. But both teams are desperate for a win, making it difficult to predict the outcome. One thing to watch is whether UNICS center Artem Klimenko plays against his former club.
Avtodor: The stakes may be even higher for visiting Avtodor, with the club trailing 8th-place Astana by two games. It won’t be easy to defeat UNICS on the road, however. Avtodor has only beat two teams on the road this season, both stuck at the bottom of the standings. Saratov also gives up a League-worst 93.6 points per game on the road. Avtodor will need to focus on defending the perimeter, given UNICS averages 40% on three-point attempts.
Khimki (Russia) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Khimki: The BCMO will play host to a huge game on Monday. With the regular season entering the home stretch, this battle in Moscow Region will have a huge impact on the final standings. Generally, neither team is favored in games like these, but there are several factors in Khimki’s favor. In addition to playing at home, Khimki is more rested (CSKA has only two days for rest after playing in Kazan). Moscow Region also plays terrific defense at home: 1st in the League by conceding 69 points per game, ahead of even Lokomotiv. If Khimki can copy Zenit’s winning recipe and wear CSKA out on defense, the visitors might be in for an unpleasant surprise.
CSKA: A mini-slump in the United League, punctuated by the loss in St. Petersburg, has been quickly erased by a winning streak that includes wins over UNICS and Loko. CSKA also had a wonderful week in the EuroLeague, defeating Darussafaka and UNICS. Milos Teodosic moved into 2nd place all-time in assists in the EuroLeague with 12 vs. Kazan. Nando De Colo also looked sharp, scoring 22 points. Khimki’s backcourt will have its hands full trying to stop the CSKA duo.
De Colo and Khimki’s Alexey Shved both missed the first meeting between these teams, but they could put on a show this time around with each team hunting for a signature win.
