There are several big games this weekend, including Khimki – UNICS and a clash of unbeatens, CSKA – Zenit. Get the inside scoop in our official preview.
Saturday, November 5
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – Parma (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Krasnodar’s slow start continues. After a 27-point victory against Nizhny Novgorod, the team’s first win in the VTB United League, Kuban fell to Hapoel Jerusalem on the road, 90-79, in the Eurocup.
Defense was an issue against Hapoel as Lokomotiv gave up 75 points in the first three quarters. Head coach Fotios Katsikaris had this to say afterwards: “In this type of game, when we play well on offense, but do a poor job of stopping players on defense, we have almost no chance… We continued to have issues on defense in the second half: We were poor in 1-on-1 defending, didn’t do a good job of switching…”
Overall, Lokomotiv is 2-4 (1-2 in both the League and Eurocup). Expectations are much higher in Krasnodar and the team needs to start winning soon, beginning with Parma on Saturday.
Parma: Parma has a light schedule compared to the rest of the League and will try to use that to its advantage. Last Sunday, the debutants almost toppled Enisey at home, losing in the final seconds after leading by as much as 19 in the second half.
As expected, Serbian guard Danilo Andjusic, Parma’s lone foreigner, leads the team in scoring (16.7) and assists (5.7), though he’s struggled with accuracy, averaging 40% on 2-pt field goals and 29% beyond the arc. Forward Konstantin Bulanov is another player to watch. He had a big game against Enisey (19 pts on 7-9 shooting) and is averaging 10.7 pts for the season.
One of Parma’s leaders, forward Sergei Chernov, is questionable for Saturday’s game. He’s been out since October 8. If he is cleared to play, that could be a big boost to the visiting club.
Sunday, November 6
Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) – Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Location: KRK Nagorny, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Nizhny Novgorod: After an 0-4 start in the League and 27-point setback vs. Lokomotiv-Kuban on Saturday, Nizhny finally got some good news this week. Captain Maxim Grigoryev, out for more than a year, made his long-awaited return to the court, helping lead the club to an 88-74 overtime win vs. MZT Skopje in the Eurocup.
Kenny Boynton and Ivan Strebkov were the leading scorers for Nizhny, contributing 18 apiece. But defense was the biggest factor. The club is giving up 97.8 points per game in the VTB United League, but held Skopje to just 65 in regulation and nine points in the overtime.
Playing at home, Nizhny hopes to grab its first win in the League and begin climbing the standings.
Kalev: The Estonians have been very competitive in the 2016-17 campaign. Wins over Parma and Astana have helped Kalev to a 2-2 start, while one of the losses was a narrow setback in Minsk.
Kalev is also beginning to right the ship in domestic competition. The team is 0-2 in Estonia’s Alexela KML, but recently blew out Avis Rapla in the quarterfinals of the Olybet Cup, 82-55, to take revenge for a 16-point league setback in early October.
Demonte Harper has been outstanding, averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. The Morehead State product struggled from the field in the win over Astana (4-13), but does so much more for Kalev, dishing out assists, rebounding, and forcing turnovers. Harper’s biggest weakness is three-point shooting, where he’s just 6-20 on the season.
Kalev would love to deal Nizhny another setback and move above .500. Both of these teams have designs on reaching the postseason, making each head-to-head encounter extremely important.
Khimki (Russia) – UNICS (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Location: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Khimki: Dusko Ivanovic’s men have only played twice in the League, scoring exactly 73 points both times (76-73 loss to VEF, 73-65 win over Lokomotiv).
The win against Lokomotiv was a mini-turning point. Moscow Region went on to crush Alba in the Eurocup, 102-72, behind 25 points from Jacob Pullen. Khimki also inked three new players–Markel Brown, Robbie Hummel, and Jeremy Evans–to replace Justin Carter and Perry Jones III, both of whom left the team in October.
Across all competitions, Khimki is averaging 39% from beyond the arc (44% in the League). Going against Kazan’s stingy defense, Moscow Region will need to be at its best if it wants to come out on top.
UNICS: Kazan finally broke through in the Euroleague, stunning Fenerbahce in Istanbul behind Keith Langford’s 28 points. The American sniper has been on fire, setting a new League record with 42 points in the win over Minsk and dropping 36 on CSKA in the Euroleague.
Just 1-4 in the Euroleague, UNICS has been dominant in the VTB, boasting a 5-0 record while outscoring opponents by an average of 25.2 per game.
With Anton Ponkrashov and Coty Clarke out due to injury, Kazan added some depth earlier in the week, inking 196-cm swingman Orlando Jones and 196-cm point guard Lorenzo Brown. Both played in the NBA preseason, before being cut by the Bucks and Pistons, respectively.
Sunday’s game in Khimki will be Kazan’s first true test in the VTB United League. Coming off the emotional high of Wednesday’s win in Istanbul, it will be interesting to see how Evgeny Pashutin’s men respond in another hostile environment.
VEF (Latvia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 5:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Location: Olimpic Sport Center, Riga, Latvia
TV: VTB-League.com
VEF: Riga has dropped two straight in the League, 66-64 vs. Astana and 90-76 vs. Zenit. Despite the final score, VEF was very competitive in the game against Zenit, trailing by a point with six and a half minutes to play.
The team is led by the Latvian trio of Janis Blums, Martins Meiers, and Armands Skele. Blums, who returned to Riga after several seasons in Europe, has been terrific, averaging 17.3 points per game (41% from beyond the arc).
VEF will be playing at home for the first time after three road games to open the season.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Justin Gray delivered a thrilling road win in the Europe Cup on Wednesday, draining a 3-pointer in the final seconds to beat APOEL, 71-70. The Belarusians are 3-0 in the FIBA competition.
In the VTB United League, Minsk suffered a demoralizing loss to UNICS last weekend, giving up 42 points to Keith Langford. But the Belarusians are still 2-2, thanks to wins against Avtodor and Kalev.
Expect Tsmoki to attack the glass on Sunday. The team is +4.5 in rebounding on the season, compared to -4.7 for VEF.
CSKA (Russia) – Zenit (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Location: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
CSKA: CSKA is still undefeated, boasting a 5-0 record in the Euroleague and 3-0 record in the VTB United League. Surprisingly, CSKA’s biggest scare of the season came last Sunday in Saratov. Trailing most of the game, Moscow needed a late comeback to force overtime and some clutch free throws from Kyle Hines to seal the win, 104-103.
Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic continue to dominate, combining for 35.9 points and 12.9 assists per game. Teodosic, despite struggling from the perimeter (25%) has yet to miss a single free throw (18-18)!
But CSKA’s depth is perhaps most impressive. The Army Men have featured 14 different players, including 10 men averaging 6.8 or more points per game.
Zenit: Vasily Karasev’s men are off to a 4-0 start in the League, led by swingmen Janis Timma (17.0 ppg) and Sergey Karasev (16.5 ppg). Both Timma and Karasev, however, sat out Wednesday’s win over Buducnosti in the Eurocup and could miss Sunday’s showdown.
If those two can’t play, Zenit will struggle to compete on Sunday, but the future looks promising. Ryan Toolson, who missed the first couple of weeks, exploded for 34 points against Buducnosti, while point guard Stefan Markovic dished out 12 assists to go with 14 points and six rebounds. The club also recently signed forward Trevor Mbakwe, who has experience in the Euroleague, though he won’t be available against CSKA.
