Moscow and St. Petersburg will host 2 regular season games on Friday.
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, Match! Igra, League website
MBA: After an impressive start, the League newcomer lost twice, but still on to the top of the standings. On Friday, one of the most difficult opponents in the League will arrive. To control UNICS, MBA needs to try to take the opponent out of the comfort zone. The game in Perm showed that the Moscow team have problems with rebounds, and this is one of the aspects that Vasily Karasev team should improve. MBA key pros are high pace and three-point percentage, as well as roster and chemistry. The Moscow team also knows how to let opponents to make mistakes, but it will be difficult to do against UNICS – the Kazan team is one of the best ball controlling teams of the League, making only 12.2 turnovers per game.
UNICS: The Kazan team players have a good mood. A few days ago, Velimir Perasovic team withstood against Loko and continue to go through the season without losses. But Andrey Vorontsevich absence makes the winning series not so bright – the forward is out indefinitely due to injury. But even without the captain, UNICS has an impressive front court of Reynolds, Hunter and Labeyrie. This trio is sure to bring a lot of problems to the newcomer in the paint and on the perimeter. The main task of the Kazan team will not allow MBA to feel confident and make the transition from defense to offense as difficult as possible.
Zenit (Saint Petersburg) – MINSK (Minsk)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saint Petersburg, Sibur Arena
Broadcast: TV Start Triumph, League website
Zenit: The St. Petersburg team has already played 15 League games with the Belarusian team and won all of them. Zenit will also be a clear favorite to win this Friday. Xavi Pascual team probably made some notes after the game in Samara, where the League newcomer almost created a sensation. Probably, Zenit has already accepted the fact that rivals cannot be underestimated, so the team should be ready for MINSK. A home win will allow to keep the third place in the standings.
MINSK: Offensvie problems have been haunting the Belarusian team since the first game of the season, and the game against Enisey on Monday only confirmed this. It is difficult to hope for wins, scoring less than 60 points on average, so it is definitely time for MINSK to change something. There will be no pressure on the Belarusian champion against Zenit, which will allow Rostislav Vergun team to play freely and perhaps surprise the St. Petersburg team.
