Astana will host the regular season game.
Astana (Astana) – Zenit (Saint Petersburg)
Time: 15:00 (12:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Saryarka
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website
Astana: On Wednesday, the Kazakh team took a huge home lose against Samara, scoring only 51 points. Astana just needs to recover in front of its fans and show high-quality basketball. It will be difficult to do, because the opponent is Zenit, the reigning champion and one of the strongest teams of the regular season. Oleg Kiselev team advantage is the schedule, because Astana had the last game on the road 2 weeks ago. In addition, unlike most teams in the League, Astana maintained the rhythm of the game in Kazakhstan championship just before the New Year. The team played with Zenit a month ago: then it was possible to play equally in the first quarter and by the halftime the St. Petersburg team led by 18 points. It is important for Astana not to let the opponent to go ahead and try to act effectively throughout the entire game – only then will it have a chance of success.
Zenit: The beginning of the year for the reigning champion is on the road – on Wednesday the St. Petersburg team played in Minsk, and on Saturday Zenit plays against the Kazakh team. The stats are completely on Zenit side: scores 20 points more, has better shot percentage, better in rebounds and commits almost 6 fewer turnovers than the opponents. But one of the most important factors on Saturday will be Zenit defense, which did not let opponents score least in the League (68.9 points). This is especially relevant as Astana does not demonstrate a stable offense. At the same time, the coaching staff will certainly have the opportunity to provide more playing time to the bench players, unloading the leaders – after all, Zenit will host Loko at home on Tuesday.
