Kazan and Moscow will host 2 regular season games on Thursday.
UNICS (Kazan) vs Samara (Samara Region)
Time: 19:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
UNICS: The Kazan team started the new season with a loss to CSKA. Velimir Perasovic team will try to rehabilitate at home. UNICS has a chance to do that, as the team is familiar with the last Quarterfinals rival. The Kazan team will also have an advantage in the paint with Jalen Reynolds and Ismael Bako duo.
Samara: Drazen Anzulovic team also stumbled in the first ganr of the regular season with Uralmash. The team finished last year as one of the best in three-point percentage, but had problems with long-range shooting (16.7%) versus Uralmash. The Volga team has road game against UNICS ahead, and the team will need to improve offense to win. The coaching staff was already able to find a way to crack the Kazan team defense last fall and win (104:93).
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Region)
Time: 20:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall Moscow
Broadcast: Match! Strana, Start Triumph, League website.
MBA-MAI: The Moscow team season started with a huge loss to Zenit (103:75), which happened largely due to uncoordinated offensive play that caused 22 turnovers. On the positive side, Andrey Zubkov made a successful debut in MBA-MAI: the forward scored 16 points on 53% shooting from the game. But effectiveness from the frontcourt alone won’t be enough to achieve wins. Evgeniy Voronov, Daniil Kasatkin and other guard also need to at least return to last season’s level. The game with the Krasnoyarsk team will be principle for Vasily Karasev team, as MBA-MAI hasn’t beaten the Siberian team at home in almost 2 years.
Enisey: Jovica Arsic team continues its road trip, which began with a tough game with Loko. Even during the first half, the defensive problems and a lot of turnovers (23) came to the forefront. The Siberian team will have an opportunity to make adjustments to the game and get their first win of the season against MBA-MAI, which also favors fast-paced offensive possessions. In a high-speed game, the rebounding can play a key role. If the Krasnoyarsk team continues to get more rebounds, the team will have a good chance to get win.
