4 regular season games will be on Sunday.
PARMA-PARI (Perm) – Enisey (Krasnoyarsk)
Time: 17:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
PARMA-PARI: The Perm team became the Group B leader with 2 wins in a rowa over Astana and Samara. Evgeny Pashutin team has not yet guaranteed the playoffs, but has the best chances for this among all competitors. However, even in this case, PARMA-PARI cannot lose on Sunday, especially in Krasnoyarsk, which team significantly increased in the second stage. A month ago, the teams played and PARMA lost. But on the road, Enisey is not playing so confidently this season, but PARMA-PARI will certainly try to take revenge at home.
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team is almost the best at the second stage. Enisey has the longest active winning streak – 4 wins in a row. The last time the Siberian team lost to Avtodor more than a month ago and since then the team has caught up the Group B leaders. Even now, the Krasnoyarsk team has a good chance of winning although according to Drazen Anzulovic, PARMA-PARI is the favorite of the game. At the same time, Enisey has noticeably progressed compared to the start of the season, has become much more careful with the ball and make the right decisions in the endings. In Perm this is extremely important as the opponents are approximately equal, which means that the game result will be decided by the details. In case of win, Enisey will get the top place in the Group B, but in case of lose will noticeably worsen the chances of getting into the playoffs.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod) – Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 16:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Nizhny Novgorod, KRK Nagorniy
Broadcast: TV Start Triumph, Match! Igra, League website
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: One of the most interesting games of the Round will be in Nizhny Novgorod, where Pari NN and the Krasnodar team will actually play for the 4th place. Theoretically MBA can still influence the final standings, but the Moscow team has too small chances to leave the 6th place. It is incredibly difficult to predict which scenario this game will follow and who will be the winner. Both teams are showing progress and have already upset the Top 3 teams. Perhaps the hosts still look better: the team has beaten Loko 3 times this season. Fans of both teams will probably remember the last game for a long time: Zoran Lukic team made a 9-point comeback in 68 seconds and Maksim Salash scored the winning shot. And now there is a high probability that the game result will be decided at the very end. If Nizhny Novgorod wins, the hosts practically guarantee the fourth place, if Loko wins, the Krasnodar team will have to win UNICS and CSKA in the remaining rounds.
Lokomotiv Kuban: On Tuesday, Loko were close to the loudest comeback in the League history in St. Petersburg. where the team almost won wihth a 25-point comeback, and only Sergey Karasev and Caleb Homsley helped Zenit to safe the win. Nevertheless, the Krasnodar team is gradually gaining pace before the start of the playoffs. Compared to Pari NN, Loko has an advantage in rebounds and steals, but at the same time, Lokomotiv offensive actions leave much to be desired. Aleksander Sekulic team will need to find the keys to Nizhny Novgorod defense with paying special attention to ball control, Pari NN likes to use fastbreaks.
MINSK (Minsk) – Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 17:00 (Moscow time)
Location: Belarus, Minsk, Falcon Club
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
MINSK: The Belarusian team is no longer competing for the playoffs and will definitely finish the regular season in the 6th place in the Group B. Therefore, the main motivation for Rostislav Vergun team is to complete their losing streak. MINSK has noticeably improved the game, but so far this is not enough to consistently get wins. And then 2 more leaders DeQuan Bracey and Ognjen Pantovic missed the recent game against Enisey due to injuries. Without 2 players, it will be even more difficult for the Minsk team to beat Avtodor. On the other hand, a month ago in Saratov, MINSK started the 4th quarter with a 2-point lead and was close to success, but failed to stop the rivals leaders. Now MINSK will play at home and will feel relaxed, whereas Avtodor’s every lose can be fatal in the fight for the playoffs.
Avtodor: After a bright 4-game winning streak with Branislav Vicentic, the Saratov team lost to Enisey, but then improved against Astana. Avtodor won 5 of their 6 games at the second stage, but so far this is not enough to guarantee a place in the playoffs. However, the Volga team is playing successfully with MINSK this season, so the team fans have every reason to believe in win this Sunday. The Belarusian team has repeatedly shown strong defense, but Avtodor has its own answer: Malik Newman is still the best scorer of the season – the forward scores 19.2 points per game. Since the team will be clear favorites of the game, the coaching staff needs to motivate players, because psychology will have great importance.
Time: 18:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, League website
UNICS: The Kazan team is experiencing their most severe crisis. UNICS has 3 loses in a row and not only lost the chance to take the first place, but also risks to miss the 2nd place to Zenit. To avoid this, UNICS urgently needs to win and the game with MBA is perfect for this. The Kazan team will make every effort to end losing streak, especially considering that this game will be the last at home in the 2022/23 regular season. In the previous game with the League newcomer, the Kazan team won confidently, forcing the opponent to make 23 turnovers and let to score only 10 points in the final quarter. If this time UNICS shows a high-quality defensive game, the team will please fans with the first win after the All-Star Game.
MBA: The Moscow team remain the only team of the Group A that did not win at the second stage. MBA lost 7 games in a row and defeat in Kazan will leave only theoretical chances for the 5th place – the gap from Loko and Pari NN will be too huge. At the same time, Vasily Karasev team had a good game versus CSKA, letting the Army team go ahead only at the very end. Makar Konovalov who has recovered from injury is gradually gaining form and this noticeably raises the quality of the team offense. And yet, MBA main task is to take advantage of UNISC decline and with the help of a well-built team defense to get the first win in its history in Kazan.
