Moscow will host regular season game on Thurday.
Runa (Moscow) vs Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, DS Dynamo
Broadcast: Match! Igra,League website
Runa: The Vikings have only 1 win with 3 losses in the second stage, but remain in the play-in zone. The team fought with the opponents, but the lack of a clear leader on offense keeps Runa out from winning – in the last 2 games, none of Runa players managed to score more than 16 points. Despite the instability in the previous 2 months, the Moscow team came closest to end Avtodor winning streak in early February. Then Erturul Erdogan team managed to get more offensive rebounds and let the Saratov team into the tense ending, where the Volga team got the wil – 80:78. Runa can get revenge for this loss at home if will be able to stay focused in the ending and find a player on the roster who will take control in offense.
Avtodor: After losses to UNIC S and Uralmash, the Saratov team has th longest active winning streak in the League. The team is capable of winning not only because of the bigmen. Rayshawn Hammonds and Brandon Garrett each had 5 fouls against Pari NN, but Malik Newman 20 points and Dusan Beslac double-double helped Avtodor hold on in the end. Last week game versus Runa almost turned into a loss. But in the last three games, Milenko Bogicevic managed to solve problems – Garrett, who came off the bench, scored an average of 9 points and allowed the team to create an advantage even without leaders. The Volga team is also extremely efficient in offense (46.7%). Therefore, Avtodor approaches the game as the favorite.
