Six games are scheduled for October 29-31 and VTB-League.com is here to give you the inside scoop.
Saturday, October 29
Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) – Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Sports Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny finally picked up its first win of the season, defeating Lietkabelis in the Eurocup, 75-72, on Wednesday. Russian forward Petr Gubanov scored a team-high 20 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Saturday marks Nizhny’s first home game in the VTB United League. The club struggled on the road, giving up 99.3 points per outing in defeats to UNICS, Avtodor, and Enisey, but hopes to turn things around in front of the home fans.
Arturs Stalbergs’ club is aggressive from beyond the arc. Nizhny is shooting 32.2% from outside (7th in the League), while attempting a League-high 30 per game.
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Krasnodar is also off to a slow start. The club is 0-2 in the League and lost to Ratiopharm Ulm, 77-62, in the Eurocup on Wednesday.
Defense isn’t an issue for Fotios Katsikaris’s men: Scoring points is where Loko struggles. The team is last in the League with 65.5 points per game and near the bottom in field-goal percentage.
It will be interesting to see if Loko can take advantage of Nizhny’s defensive issues. This is a huge game for both clubs. Neither team wants to suffer another loss and end October without a single win in the League.
Parma (Russia) – Enisey (Russia)
Time: 5:30 PM (3:30 PM MSK)
Place: Molot Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma: Parma’s schedule is light to start the season. The club has yet to begin play in the Russian Cup and has 12 days between an October 17 defeat to UNICS and Saturday’s game vs. Enisey.
Head coach Viacheslav Shushakov said on Friday that captain Sergei Chernov is still questionable for the game. The 29-year-old captain missed the game vs. UNICS and would be a huge boost to Parma, if he’s available tomorrow.
The team needs to improve on the perimeter. So far, Parma is averaging 26.2% from downtown on 21 attempts per game. On the positive end, the team is holding opponents to 30.2% 3-point shooting.
Enisey: Krasnoyarsk is flying high with a four-game winning streak (two each in the League and Europe Cup). The latest victory came on Tuesday vs. Turkey’s Demir Insaat, 90-81. Big man Frank Elegar led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Oleg Okulov’s club has impressive balance. Eight different players are averaging between 5 and 15 points per game and Okulov is happy to go 12 deep on his roster. Guard Tony Taylor has played the most minutes, a modest 26 per game.
Sunday, October 30
Avtodor (Russia) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 2:00 PM (2:00 MSK)
Place: Kristall Sports Palace, Saratov, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Avtodor: Saratov is 2-0 in the Basketball Champions League, coming off a 113-84 victory vs. Kataja on Wednesday. The VTB United League has not been as kind. Avtodor is 1-3, with losses to Zenit, Tsmoki-Minsk, and Astana.
To the team’s credit, they have been competitive in every game, losing by an average of 5.7 points. American forward Nick Minnerath has also been playing at an MVP level, averaging 24.5 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Head coach Sergei Mokin was pleased with his team’s effort and focus against Kataja. Saratov loves to push the pace and run up the score, which is exactly what it did in the 29-point win earlier this week.
CSKA: The Army Men had a three-week break in the VTB United League, but stayed busy, posting a 4-0 record in the Euroleague, including two games this week.
CSKA has shown no signs of slowing down after last season’s championship, but fatigue could be a factor on Sunday. Moscow had a quick turnaround from Tuesday’s win in Istanbul over Anadolu Efes to Thursday’s victory vs. UNICS in Moscow. Now the team is headed to Saratov, to play a team that thrives on a quick tempo. Expect Dimitris Itoudis to go to his bench often against Avtodor.
Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic are playing at a fantastic level, averaging a combined 40.6 points and 14.2 assists per game. Big man James Augustine is also back after missing a game to injury, reinforcing CSKA’s frontcourt.
UNICS (Russia) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com, Belarus-5
UNICS: In addition to a pair of defeats in the Euroleague, Kazan lost Coty Clarke and Anton Ponkrashov to injuries this week. Clarke, who’s been averaging 15.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in the League, won’t be back until December, while Ponkrashov is expected to miss at least two months.
Despite the defeat to CSKA on Thursday, Keith Langford had an outstanding game, scoring 36 points on 10-19 shooting (including 5-10 from beyond the arc).
In the VTB United League, UNICS has yet to face a serious challenge, opening the season with a 4-0 mark. Kazan is outscoring opponents by an average of 24.8 points per game and shooting 64.3% on 2-point attempts.
Given the rash of injuries, UNICS is searching for reinforcements. Don’t be surprised if the team signs 1-2 players in the near future.
Tsmoki-Minsk: The Dragons have been a pleasant surprise. After an opening-game loss to Zenit, Minsk boasts wins over Avtodor and Kalev. Dru Joyce is a huge part of Tsmoki’s success. The American guard has averaged 20 points, 5.7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game to start the season.
Tsmoki also continued its perfect start in the Europe Cup, knocking off Padrubica on the road, 80-75, on Wednesday. Justin Gray had this to say about his team after the win: “We have a lot of experienced players on the team. At the end of the game, it was important to prevent our opponent from scoring. At the same time, we were able to make our shots.”
Minsk stunned UNICS in Kazan at the beginning of last season. Given Kazan’s injury woes, another upset on Sunday is not out of the question.
Zenit (Russia) – VEF (Latvia)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: Yubileyniy Sports Complex, St. Petersburg, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Zenit: St. Petersburg suffered its first loss of the season Thursday, falling to Murcia in the Eurocup. Despite a perfect start in the VTB United League, head coach Vasily Karasev does have some cause for concern. Sergey Karasev wasn’t at his best, battling sickness, and the team’s frontcourt struggled to hold its own, getting outrebounded, 48-35.
VEF: After the sensational win in Khimki, VEF lost last Saturday in Kazakhstan, 66-64 to Astana. Janis Gailitis has had plenty of time to analyze what went wrong in Astana, with the team enjoying an eight-day break between games.
Latvian veterans Janis Blums and Martins Meiers have been the leaders on the team, both on and off the court. The duo is averaging 15 and 14.5 points per game, respectively, and bring much-needed experience to Riga’s young roster.
Riga could have an edge in the frontcourt vs. Zenit. Through two games, VEF is averaging 40 rebounds per game, compared to 36.3 for St. Petersburg.
Monday, October 31
Kalev (Estonia) – Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 7:30 PM (6:30 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: The Estonians have only one win, an 86-72 decision vs. Parma on October 8. The team was close in Minsk, erasing a double-digit deficit late to force overtime, but came up a little short in the extra period.
Demonte Harper has been terrific, averaging 19.3 points to go with 5.7 assists. Vitali Liutych and Mickell Gladness are also big contributors, each averaging more than 11 points and 6 rebounds per outing.
Kalev plays in the Estonian league on Friday, hosting AVIS Rapla, before preparing for Monday’s game vs. Astana.
Astana: After four games at home to open the season, the Kazakh club will play its first road game. Astana struggled last season away from home, posting a 2-13 record.
The team has been competitive so far, sandwiching losses to CSKA and UNICS with wins over Avtodor and VEF. One of Astana’s biggest strengths has been its ability to get to the line. The club is averaging 24.8 free-throw attempts per game, 3.5 more than its opponents.
Though it’s early in the season, games like this could play a big role in deciding who makes the postseason. Expect both teams to play hard in Tallinn.
