Zenit St. Petersburg hosts Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar in a regular season showdown.
Where:
Yubileyny Sports Palace (6,381 capacity), St. Petersburg, Russia
When:
5:30 PM (5:30 MSK), April 7, 2018
TV:
Match TV, VTB-League.com
Face to Face
The Lokomotiv-Kuban – Zenit rivalry is picking up steam. These teams met four times last season, trading roads wins in the VTB United League, before Krasnodar swept St. Petersburg 2-0 in the EuroCup quarterfinals.
Earlier this season, Zenit erased an 18-point first-half deficit in Krasnodar, but couldn’t quite seal the deal, losing 87-84. Kuban enjoys a 5-2 series lead in the VTB United League.
Intrigue
Zenit (12-5) and Lokomotiv (13-5) are competing for more than 3rd place. With CSKA looking more and more likely to clinch the League’s top seed, 3rd place means an opportunity to avoid the reigning champs until the championship game of the Final Four. Given how few games remain on the schedule, Saturday’s winner will be very close to achieving that goal.
The situation becomes a bit more complicated given Khimki could finish 6th and match up with the 3rd-place team in the quarterfinals. Moscow Region is focused on the EuroLeague right now, but that won’t be the case in the League playoffs. Currently, however, Khimki is 5th and enjoys a half-game lead on Avtodor.
Looking Back
Flashback
Lokomotiv’s April 10 start to the EuroCup finals vs. Darussafaka will have a significant impact on Saturday’s match-up. The EuroCup is top priority in Krasnodar right now and will certainly be in the back of the players’ minds. There may even be some roster changes to give a few of Loko’s leaders some extra rest.
The situation has parallels to the 2016 season. Loko lost to Zenit in the final game of the regular season, playing only two days after a Game 5 win vs. Barcelona in the EuroLeague quarterfinals, which put the team in the Final Four. As a result, Krasnodar finished 5th in the League (Zenit climbed to 3rd) and faced Khimki in the quarterfinals. Kuban lost that series, too, choosing instead to focus on the Final Four.
Once again, Loko will need to figure out how to divide its resources wisely between two massive games. St. Petersburg, meanwhile, has not impressed since being eliminated from the EuroCup a few weeks ago. They were demolished at home last week by Avtodor, trailing by 25 points at halftime and going on to lose by 14.
Antagonists
Fans from around the League will get to enjoy a match-up between two teams with very different styles of play. Lokomotiv emphasizes defense, discipline and strict execution of the game plan. Not surprisingly, Krasnodar leads the League in fewest points allowed (72.8 ppg).
Zenit’s approach is to score as much as possible. The roster is built to push the pace and knock down 3-pointers. Both teams will try to dictate the tempo and whichever one succeeds will have a significant advantage.
All Star Coaches
Zenit and Loko are meeting for the second time this season, but this will be the third match-up between Vasily Karasev and Sasa Obradovic. The VTB League picks new coaches each year at the All-Star Game with Karasev and Obradovic heading up the Russian and World Stars, respectively. Karasev came out on top in St. Petersburg with an entertaining 125-124 win. In League play, however, Obradovic has enjoyed the upper hand so far.
Old Connections
Pavel Antipov spent the 2015-16 season with Zenit, reaching the playoff semifinals. Dmitry Kulagin was on the roster the year before, and one of the team’s leaders. There’s only one former Zenit player on Loko’s roster–captain Evgeny Voronov spent two seasons in Krasnodar from 2014-16.
Russian Duel
Dmitry Kulagin’s play this season has earned him a spot in Russia’s top three alongside Alexey Shved and Sergey Karasev. Two of the three homegrown superstars meet on Saturday, adding extra intrigue to the game.
Quotes
Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev:
– Lokomotiv is on a roll. They are playing very well and it’s no coincidence they are in contention a EuroCup title. Loko plays Game 1 of the finals three days following our meeting, so I’m sure they are looking to peak right now. Our challenge is to be physical, almost to the point of fouling. We are communicating that to the players at practice. This game has a big impact on the standings, but it’s also important to us psychologically after the loss to Avtodor.
Lokomotiv-Kuban head coach Sasa Obradovic:
– Zenit had a very bad game vs. Avtodor. Now they need to play completely differently against us, which they are certain to do. This is a battle for 3rd place in the standings. I expect a good battle from both teams. The key to victory is stopping our opponent’s snipers and not letting them score easy points in transition.
