Krasnoyarsk, Astana, Moscow and Kazan will host 4 regular season games on Sunday.
Enisey (Krasnoyarsk region) vs Avtodor (Saratov)
Time: 15:00 (11:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnoyarsk, Arena Sever
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Enisey: Jovica Arsic team ended losing streak against Astana. Uladzislau Blizniuk had his best scoring game for the Siberian team (16 points), which may help the guard feel more confident before facing Avtodor. The upcoming game will be important as the Saratov team is a direct competitor in the battle for the Top-8. Enisey is worse in shooting, but much more efficient in the paint. A quality rebounding game combined with defense against the guests sharpshooters could be the key to win.
Avtodor: A pre-New Year’s series against Top-5 teams has brought the Saratov team only 1 win in 3 games. In case of win in Krasnoyarsk, Avtodor will have a chance to move up to 7th place in the standings, so Milenko Bogicevic team will go out with a special attitude. The Volga team proved to have a key to Enisey defense, beating the Siberian team twice in the first half of the season. Getting a win for the third time will be difficult, but long-range shots and aggressive perimeter defense (the club is in the Top 4 in steals) can help.
Astana (Astana) vs CSKA (Moscow)
Time: 15:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Velotrek Saryarka
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Astana: In the final game before the break, the Kazakh team lost, but was definitely able to get close to win. The team has a clash with a more formidable opponent. Astana gets worse stats than CSKA and has a less experienced roster, so it won’t be easy to beat the Moscow team.
CSKA: The team enters the 2025 as the standings leader, but that status is secured only by a point differential. Andreas Pistiolis team must strive to win every game by the widest possible score difference to maintain Top spot. A clash with Astana will be an opportunity to increase the gap from Zenit. CSKA has won 2 previous games against the Kazakh team, so the Moscow team fans have reason to expect a repeat of that scenario in the upcoming game.
MBA-MAI (Moscow) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Moscow, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Start Triumph, League website
MBA-MAI: Vasily Karasev team had no wins in the second half of December and fell behind Enisey and Samara in the race for a play-in spot. Last season, MBA-MAI coaching staff was able to rebuild the team offense after the New Year break and will try to do it again this season. The team will try to end losing streak against Nizhny, which has also lacked stability over the last month. The Moscow team may be helped by an advantage in the paint, which can be provided by Andrey Zubkov and Evgeny Minchenko, who are superior in size and stats to Pari NN frontcourt.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Toward the end of 2024, Nizhny Novgorod got 2 consecutive losses, which pushed the team out of the Top 5. Sergey Kozin team needs to win by a good differential and hope for Uralmash lose to regain the place. The clash with MBA-MAI will be an opportunity to get wins, as Nizhny remains undefeated against the Moscow team this season. On the season, Pari NN shows a much more efficient offense, making 53% of its two-point shots and 37% of its three-point shots (vs. 47% and 31.5% by the opponent).
UNICS (Kazan) vs Zenit (St. Petersburg)
Time: 15:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Kazan, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match TV, League website
UNICS: The Kazan team is the owner the longest current winning streak in the League. UNICS has already managed to push Loko out of the Top 3, and in case of win in the upcoming game, the team be one step closer to 2nd place. Velimir Perasovic team defeated Zenit a little over 2 weeks ago with tight pressing and plenty of passing. Plays in the paint will be important as Jalen Reynolds and Ismael Bako duo is one of the best in the League. In addition, the home court advantage will be a factor.
Zenit: The St. Petersburg team is at 2nd place in the standings, behind CSKA only on point differential. Xavier Pascual team is also in good shape, having only 1 loss in the last 2 months (to UNICS on December 18). Zenit will head to Kazan with a fighting spirit to take revenge and saving the place in the standings. In order to start the year with a win, Zenit will have to minimize turnovers.
