Loko hosts UNICS, CSKA takes on Avtodor and other games around the League
Saturday, October 21
Enisey (Russia) – Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (12:00 MSK)
Place: Arena Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Enisey: Krasnoyarsk opened the season with back-to-back losses. Dropping the home opener to CSKA wasn’t a surprise, but Enisey’s defeat to Avtodor raised some red flags, especially the big margin of defeat. Defense appears to be the biggest issue so far. Even with Avtodor shooting 7-20 from downtown, Oleg Okulov’s men gave up 102 points. Krasnoyarsk will need to do a better job against Nizhny Novgorod if it wants to get in the win column.
Nizhny Novgorod: Zoran Lukic’s club won its season opener in impressive fashion, demonstrating poise and discipline in a victory over VEF. The team’s defense has improved dramatically, limiting an opponent to under 65 points for the first time in three years. Given that Enisey still has work to do on the offensive end, don’t expect these teams to combine for 173 points like they did a season ago. Nizhny also had a tough overtime win on the 18th in the Eurocup and may not be completely recovered.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – UNICS (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
Lokomotiv-Kuban: This is the biggest game of the season so far with both teams still undefeated in the League and Eurocup. Loko got a boost this week as Frank Elegar made his Krasnodar debut, helping the team record a victory against Alba. The potential duel between Elegar and red-hot UNICS big man Stephane Lasme is one to watch on Saturday.
UNICS: These two teams present contrasting philosophies. Loko has established a reputation as one of Europe’s best defensive teams. UNICS, meanwhile, emphasizes offense under Dimitrios Priftis, ranking among the League leaders in points scored. The Greens shoot an excellent percentage from the field (63.9% on two-point field goals and 49.0% on three-pointers, 2nd and 3rd in the League). Even though Loko holds a 13-7 edge in the all-time series, 2017 provides UNICS with a fresh start.
Sunday, October 22
CSKA (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 1:00 PM (1:00 MSK)
Place: USH CSKA, Moscow, Russia
CSKA: The Army Men dropped a big game on Thursday to Real Madrid in the EuroLeague. Afterwards, Dimitris Itoudis admitted he couldn’t remember so many things going wrong on one night during his tenure at CSKA. That should give the Red-Blues extra motivation on Sunday. The players will also remember last season’s hard-fought overtime win in Saratov and try to avoid a repeat.
Avtodor: Despite CSKA’s problems to start the season, Saratov will be an underdog, though that may be a positive. Avtodor won’t be as worn out–CSKA has already played three times in the League, not counting European competition. Look for the visitors to push the tempo and try to force CSKA into making mistakes. Last season, Avtodor was the only team that scored more than 100 points against the Army Men.
Tsmoki-Minsk Belarus – Astana Kazakhstan
Time: 2:30 PM (2:30 MSK)
Place: Minsk Arena, Minsk, Belarus
Tsmoki-Minsk: Minsk has had a very unlucky start to the season, though there’s an easy explanation. To begin with, Tsmoki opened the year on the road against several of the League’s top teams. Both times, the Dragons were held to under 55 points, the two lowest point totals of the season. Alexander Krutikov’s biggest issue has been field-goal percentage. Minsk is in last place in the League in both two-point and three-point shooting. Playing at home against Astana should give Tsmoki an opportunity to turn things around.
Astana: The Kazakhs also lost twice to two title contenders, but looked more competitive in the process. Astana outscored CSKA in the second half and kept the score close against Zenit for 40 minutes, despite ultimately coming up short. Kostas Flevarakis said his team would need more time to build chemistry, but it’s already clear Astana won’t be an easy win for anyone. Despite the 0-2 record, the Kazakhs are top eight in the standings thanks to tie-breakers and would like to stay there.
Zenit Russia – VEF Latvia
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: SC Yubileyniy, St. Petersburg, Russia
Zenit: Despite injuries, Zenit is starting to figure things out, taking down Trento earlier this week in the Eurocup. Evgeny Voronov’s return from injury has played an important role, while the club’s new signings have made an impact as well (Laprovittola starred in the Eurocup win). The team has limited options on offense, but makes up for it with defense. Except for the season opener against UNICS, no opponent has scored more than 73 points on St. Petersburg.
VEF: Riga is 0-9 all-time against St. Petersburg, losing the most recent match-up by 41! Following the defeat to Nizhny Novgorod last week, Janis Gailitis noted his team’s lack of confidence. The offense is also a concern: VEF scored only 64 points in each of its first two games, including 11-20 from the free-throw line against Nizhny Novgorod.
Monday, October 23
Kalev Estonia – Parma Russia
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: Kalevi Spordihall, Tallinn, Estonia
Kalev: Which team will record its first victory of the season? Both teams have faced stiff competition, losing big to several of the League’s top teams. Despite falling to UNICS, Dimitrios Priftis and Quino Colom both noted how hard the team had to work for a win against Kalev.
Parma: Last season, Parma lost to Kalev twice, but major changes over the summer have the Russians setting higher goals in 2017-18. While Khimki and Zenit were too much to overcome, Kalev should be a better match-up. Tallinn committed a lot of turnovers in its first two games, averaging 17 per outing. If Perm can force that many on Monday, they will have an excellent chance to pick up a road win.
