Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, Perm and Moscow will host 4 regular season games on Sunday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Region) vs CSKA (Moscow)
Time: 17:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Enisey: The Krasnoyarsk team start the winning against MBA-MAI, allowing the opponents to score just 58 points. Victor Sanders had his second big scoring game (19 points), while Aleksa Stepanovic and Timofey Gerasimov added 10+ points each. Now Enisey will face the undefeated reigning champion, which will be a test of its strength. But the fans have reason to expect a hard-fought battle at Arena Sever. Jovica Arsic has already proven that he knows how to beat the Moscow team – at the end of the last regular season, the Siberian team beat CSKA twice in a row – (74:65) and (86:81).
CSKA: After a big win over Uralmash (98:56), CSKA goes on its first road trip of the season as the League’s best defensive team. Letting opponents score only 55.5 points per game, Andreas Pistiolis team also has an efficient offense. The Moscow team is likely to have the advantage in offense versus Enisey. CSKA is also familiar with the Krasnoyarsk team style of play from last year’s Quarterfinals.
UNICS (Kazan) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match TV, TV Start, League website
UNICS: After a disappointing start of the season in Megasport, the Kazan team beat Samara 86:70. Despite the absence of Marcos Knight, Louis Labyrie and Aleksandr Platunov, Velimir Perasovic team has no problems in defense, which will be especially important in the game against Zenit roster. Judging by the preseason, the game will once again be tough and clutch. The key to win the game could be decided by UNICS’ rebounding advantage, as the team is the second best rebounding team in the League (41.5 rebounds per game).
Zenit: Zenit started the season with 2 home wins. Dwayne Bacon is getting in shape and gradually assuming the role of offensive leader, while Georgiy Zhbanov and Vince Hunter continue to show high level of defense. Zenit will now have first road game of the season against a Top 4 opponent from last season. Xavier Pascual team failed to beat the Kazan team defense at the SuperCup, but the St. Petersburg team will be in better condition for the upcoming game. Zenit has the best field-goal percentage (64.6%) and ranks in the Top 2 in long-range shooting (42.5), surpassing UNICS.
PARMA (Perm Region) vs Astana (Astana)
Time: 17:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Perm, UDS Molot
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
PARMA: The Perm team started the season with 2 road losses to Avtodor and Pari Nizhny Novgorod. In both games, the coaching staff failed to organize the offense – the average was only 55 points. But despite the lack of chemistry and Aleksandr Shashkov and Samson Ruzhentsev injuries, there is a positive aspect: young players are gaining experience. Grigory Tuchkov set a career high 13 points in his last game. The factor of fans in Molot could play a crucial role, which is the most visited arena in the League.
Astana: The Kazakh team is also still winless, which is largely due to problems in defense and Markell Johnson injury. But in Perm, Fotis Takianos’ team will have a chance to break the streak: Astana is much more efficient in offense than the rival, scoring an average of 18 points more than PARMA. In addition, the Kazakh team has a much more experienced roster: the average age of Astana players is 26.3 years, while PARMA, as youngest club in the League, has 24.1.
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar)
Time: 17:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
MBA-MAI: Vasily Karasev team lost to Zenit (103:75) and Enisey (58:72). The key problem in both games was the poor shooting. Only Andrey Zubkov is stable among the leaders. Now the team has a game against Loko, which has gained momentum. To break the losing streak, MBA-MAI will need to feel confident in their shot and stop B.J. Johnson and Karvel Anderson.
Lokomotiv Kuban: Andrey Vedischev coaching debut continues to go well – the team won the first 2 home games with confidence, and set a the team’s all-time record with 127 points against Astana. After such a good start, Loko heads into their first road series motivated. In the upcoming game, the Krasnodar team will face off against MBA-MAI, which plays fast and extremely contact basketball. But the Krasnodar team has something to offer: the club outperforms the Moscow team in shooting percentage, assists and steals.
