Big stakes for Loko and Avtodor in Saratov, Astana and Enisey try to maintain momentum, and more this weekend in the League.
Sunday, November 20
Khimki vs. Nizhny Novgorod
Time: 2:00 PM (2:00 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
Khimki: Khimki had a five-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, losing to Lietuvos Rytas on the road, 93-91, in the Eurocup.
Moscow Region hadn’t conceded more than 72 points in a game since October 19, but allowed Rytas to shoot 60% from inside the arc.
Ruslan Pateev, Valery Likhodei, and Robbie Hummel did not travel with the team. Hummel, who signed with Khimki in late October, practiced with the team for the first time on Friday and should be available against Nizhny Novgorod.
Hummel played with Alexey Shved in Minnesota: “The first person I thought of when Khimki approached me was Alexey Shved… We’re good friends and playing with him again is an exciting prospect.”
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny is 1-5 and among the League’s worst defensive teams, giving up 95.5 points per game.
But if Arturs Stalbergs can fix the mistakes on the defensive end, Nizhny could prove very dangerous. The club has talented scorers in DeAndre Kane, Kenny Boynton, Siim-Sander Vene, and Ivan Strebkov, and recently added American big man Kervin Bristol.
Captain Maxim Grigoryev, meanwhile, is finally healthy. Expected to play big minutes, if Grigoryev can return to the level he was playing at before getting hurt last fall, Nizhny will be in good shape.
Time: 5:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Avtodor: Despite four consecutive defeats in the VTB United League, Avtodor is currently tied for 2nd place in Group B of the Basketball Champions League. Big man Nick Minnerath was named Gameday 5 MVP after a 39-point, 8-rebound outburst against Maccabi Rand Media on Wednesday.
As far as the League is concerned, Avtodor is better than its 1-5 record suggests. The team took CSKA to overtime two weeks ago and, apart from last Sunday’s fiasco in Riga, has been competitive in every game.
Can Sergei Mokin and co. record a huge win at home vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban? 3-point shooting may be the key. Saratov is 2nd in 3-point attempts (25.8 per game), but sits 12th in 3-point field-goal percentage (31%).
Lokomotiv-Kuban: After firing Fotios Katsikaris last week, Krasnodar picked up a win in Minsk, then beat Olimpija at home in the Eurocup.
New coach Sasa Obradovic was pleased with his team’s effort following the win against Olimpija:
“I’m happy we showed energy on the court and on defense. But we’re still at the beginning of our journey. That’s evident. The guys are learning my style and I hope that Taylor Rochestie will be back soon.”
Losing Rochestie would be a blow. The American guard, who leads the team in minutes, hurt his knee on Wednesday and did not return to the court. No word yet on the severity of the injury.
Overall, Lokomotiv is 3-2 in the League. Playing in Saratov, where CSKA nearly lost a few weeks ago, will be an excellent test of the team’s ambitions and Obradovic’s early returns as head coach.
Astana vs. Enisey
Time: 5:00 PM (2:00 MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: VTB-League.com
Astana: Astana hasn’t played in the League since losing to Kalev, 84-67, on October 31. Since then, the Kazakhs have gone 4-0 in domestic competition and boast an 8-0 record in Kazakhstan.
In the VTB United League, Astana has been led by the trio of Rod Odom, Ousman Krubally, and Ian Miller, each of whom is averaging 14+ points per game.
The team already has wins against Avtodor and VEF at home. Sunday’s game provides another opportunity to beat a fellow playoff hopeful and continue the solid start to the season.
Enisey: Enisey had winning streaks in both the Europe Cup and VTB United League snapped this week. On Sunday, the club lost a close game to Khimki on the road, before falling to Demir in Turkey, 93-77, on Wednesday.
With a big League game in Kazakhstan looming and Europe Cup progression clinched, head coach Oleg Okulov chose to sit three starters against Demir: Vasily Zavoruev, Tony Taylor, and Frank Elegar.
We’ll see if the strategy pays off against Astana. Enisey has been one of the biggest surprises of the season and could move to 4-3 with a win.
One player certainly benefited from Okulov’s decision to rest his stars: 21-year-old guard Alexander Martynov. Averaging just 6 minutes per game in the League, Martynov scored 14 against Demir to go with three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Parma vs. Tsmoki-Minsk
Time: 5:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Universal Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma: Parma has yet to win a game, but showed glimpses against CSKA last week. Despite ultimately losing by 24, the Siberians led the reigning champs at halftime, 48-47.
Sunday’s game could provide an opportunity to get that first win. Tsmoki has lost three in a row in the League and looks vulnerable, especially on the road.
Parma’s biggest struggle is finishing games. The team is averaging about 41 points in the first half, but less than 31 in the second half. Staying focused and playing hard for 40 minutes will be key against Minsk.
Tsmoki-Minsk: As noted above, Tsmoki has lost three straight in the League. In the Europe Cup, the Belarusians are in 1st place in Group J and already clinched a spot in the next round, despite losing earlier this week to the Czech Republic’s Pardubica.
Veteran guard Justin Gray returned on Wednesday after missing two games with an ankle injury. He scored a season-high 24 in the loss to VEF on Nov. 6 and should help take some of the pressure off Dru Joyce on offense.
Head coach Igor Grishchuk was disappointed with his team’s performance at home against Lokomotiv on Nov. 13 (a 24-point loss), calling it the worst game of the season. Don’t be surprised if the visitors come out aggressive from the opening tip in Perm.
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
UNICS: Kazan needs to rebound quickly from this week’s Euroleague heartbreak. UNICS lost twice by a combined six points, including Thursday’s one-point defeat at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Head coach Evgeny Pashutin tried to focus on the positives following the loss: “Yes, it’s upsetting and unpleasant, but the guys battled. We didn’t give up and need to move forward.”
Star guard Keith Langford continues to shoot the ball, 1st in scoring in the Euroleague and 2nd in the VTB United League behind Nick Minnerath.
Injuries are a concern. Orlando Johnson missed the game against Maccabi and could be questionable. With Anton Ponkrashov and Coty Clarke still out and Lorenzo Brown yet to join the team, UNICS could show signs of fatigue in an up-tempo game.
VEF: After the dramatic victory in Khimki to open the season, VEF has gone 2-2, beating Tsmoki and Avtodor, while losing to Astana and Zenit.
Riga has a huge opportunity on Sunday. The Latvians have been able to prepare all week for this game and will be much better rested than their Euroleague-weary foes.
The team’s fate likely rests with the Latvian trio of Martins Meiers, Janis Blums, and Armands Skele. Blums leads the team in scoring, Meiers in rebounding, and Skele in assists.
Monday, November 21
Kalev vs. CSKA
Time: 6:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Kalev: Since the Nov. 6 loss to Nizhny Novgorod, Tallinn has won back-to-back games in the Estonian league, where the team is currently 4-3.
In other news, the club decided to part ways with 25-year-old guard Janar Soo, so he could find more playing time elsewhere. Soo appeared in only two games in the VTB United League for Kalev this season.
Monday’s game will be the team’s last at home in the League until December 22. After hosting CSKA, Kalev goes on the road to Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, and Saratov.
CSKA: The Army Men rebounded from Wednesday’s loss to Darussafaka in the Euroleague by beating Zalgiris at home, 95-86. Milos Teodosic poured in a team-high 25 points to lead CSKA to the win.
Nando De Colo injured his thigh in the loss to Darussafaka and is expected to miss several weeks. He rested in CSKA’s recent win over Parma, but is averaging 21 points per game in the League.
CSKA has been tested in recent outings in the League. Avtodor took the reigning champs to overtime on October 30 and Parma led at halftime in Moscow, before the Army Men pulled away for a comfortable win.
