Six VTB League games are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Get the breakdown on each match-up in our weekend preview.
Saturday, November 4
VEF Latvia – Enisey Russia
Time: 5:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Olimpic Sports Center, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF (0-4): Riga is off to a slow start. Despite showing flashes of potential, the Latvians haven’t been able to break through in the win column. The schedule is part of the problem, with VEF already facing Khimki, Zenit and CSKA. The team has also had to scramble with leading scorer Rolands Freimanis exiting the club last week to sign with Gaziantep.
Enisey (1-2): Despite VEF’s struggles, Krasnoyarsk coach Oleg Okulov knows his team cannot afford to underestimate a fellow playoff hopeful. Enisey has been playing better in recent weeks, taking down Nizhny in the VTB League on October 21. Then on Tuesday, Enisey completed a remarkable 14-point comeback in the closing minutes against Juventus in the Champions League, scoring 36 points in the final quarter to win 85-81. Krasnoyarsk brings a lot of momentum on the road to Riga.
Sunday, November 5
Parma Russia – Astana Kazakhstan
Time: 5:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Molot, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma (1-3): There’s no clear favorite in this one. Both teams have played well in recent games. Perm is struggling most beyond the arc, ranking second-to-last in 3-point field goals (6.3 per game). Astana, meanwhile, has respectable perimeter defense, limiting Khimki to a 10-30 effort last week.
Astana (0-4): Despite being winless on the season, the visitors won’t be a big underdog. The Kazakhs took Khimki down to the wire earlier last week: Ike Udanoh had a chance to win the game at the line, but missed a pair of free throws, allowing Moscow Region to escape. It was still an impressive result. Astana defended extremely well and moved the ball, racking up 19 assists. If Kostas Flevarakis’s men play with the same intensity on Sunday, Parma could be in trouble.
Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus – UNICS Russia
Time: 3:30 PM (3:30 MSK)
Place: Falcon Club, Minsk, Belarus
TV: VTB-League.com
Tsmoki-Minsk (2-2): The Dragons only won two games in a row once last season, also near the beginning of the season. Tsmoki matched the feat with victories against Parma and Astana and hope to make it three in a row on Sunday. Tsmoki did beat UNICS last season, courtesy of a last-second 3-pointer from Justin Gray.
Alexander Krutikov’s primary concern this season has been improving the offense. Nobody on the team is averaging more than 10 points per game with the club in last place in points scored (62.5 per game).
UNICS (3-0): Though Tsmoki is playing better, Kazan will be a heavy favorite on the road. Even a 20-point loss to Cedevita in the EuroCup this week will change that. Quino Colom’s October MVP award should give the team a boost, while Stephane Lasme has also been sensational in league play. At the moment, UNICS leads the League in scoring (91.7 per game) and will try to put Tsmoki away early.
Avtodor Russia – Lokomotiv-Kuban Russia
Time: 5:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Avtodor (2-1): After a bumpy start to the season, Avtodor is beginning to get in a groove. The turnaround started with a win over Kalev, sparked by guard Justin Robinson. Saratov kept rolling with a big win over Benfica. Coach Andrea Mazzon preaches up-tempo, unselfish basketball (Avtodor averages 20.7 assists per game) and aggressive defense (10.4 steals per game, 1st in the League). Expect the Volga club to keep getting better and give Loko a serious challenge.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (2-1): After an unexpected loss to UNICS, Loko hasn’t lost in several weeks, taking down Nizhny Novgorod and Bilbao in recent games. Trevor Lacey was even named EuroCup player of the week for his performance against the Spanish club. Lokomotiv’s last loss to Avtodor was three years ago, winning five in a row since.
Kalev Estonia – Zenit Russia
Time: 5:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Kalevi Spordihall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev (0-4): Tallinn has looked good in stretches, but has yet to pick up a win. Alar Varrak’s team is aggressive beyond the arc (1st in 3-point attempts and 3rd in 3-point field-goal percentage), but also leads in turnovers. If Zenit is able to push the pace and force Kalev to make mistakes, the Estonians could be in for a long night.
Zenit (3-1): St. Petersburg keeps grinding out wins despite an unrelenting number of injuries. During the most recent win over Ulm, Evgeny Voronov broke his nose, while scoring and rebounding leader Drew Gordon received a concussion. Zenit will be playing with an extremely short bench, which make it tough for the visitors to push the tempo like usual.
Monday, November 6
Khimki Russia – CSKA Russia
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
Khimki (4-0): Moscow Region is undefeated in the League, but has shown some cracks on the court. An unconvincing win over Astana at home, however, was followed up with a sensational victory in the EuroLeague, as Khimki took down unbeaten Real Madrid on the road. After the game, Georgios Bartzokas said his team looked sharp in every facet of the game. Given Khimki is sometimes too reliant on superstar Alexey Shved, that could be a positive sign moving forward. Against CSKA, one of the League’s top defensive teams, the Yellow-Blues can’t afford to be too dependent on a single player.
CSKA (5-0): CSKA hasn’t had many hiccups to open the season. The Army Men breezed through their first five League opponents with Khimki representing the first serious domestic challenge. CSKA has completely dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning 13 in a row over Khimki. But there are some reasons for concern: the Red-Blues had a narrow escape against Zalgiris in the EuroLeague after leading by double digits at halftime. Itoudis was not pleased with his team’s lack of focus and Khimki could certainly take advantage if CSKA takes a similar approach on Monday.
