A regular season game will be in Nur-Sultan on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 15
Astana (Kazakhstan) — Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia)
Time: 19:00 (16:00 Moscow time)
Location: Kazakhstan, Nursultan, Saryarka Bike Track
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Rivalry history: 13 games, Lokomotiv Kuban — 9 wins, Astana – 4 wins
Astana: The Kazakh team will host the Krasnodar team just 2 days after the game with CSKA. Despite the traditionally powerful game by Anthony Hickey (26 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), Astana could not provide serious competition to the Army team, losing by 19 points. This loss was the 7th in a row for Darko Russo’s team. In the game with CSKA, Anthony Hickey did not rest, having spent all 40 minutes on the floor. Other leading Astana players Skylar Spencer, Antonio Campbell and Mark Tikhonenko also played more than 30 minutes. The lack of time to rest after such a difficult game can become one of the key factors for the hosts’ game.
Lokomotiv Kuban: Although formally Loko is the favorite in this game, a trip to Nur-Sultan is unlikely to be an easy walk. Numerous injuries and coronavirus impose their limitations. So, in the EuroCup game with Metropolitan, Loko got 8 players in the roster and under the guidance of coach-scout Roman Semernin. Despite this, the Krasnodar team did not become easy for the French team, losing by 3 points in a very interesting game. In the Jonathan Motley absence, who continues to recover from injury and will not be able to participate in the All-Star Game, Alan Williams and Andrey Martyuk duo looks more confident. This duo scored 27 points and 14 rebounds.
What to follow: Loko newcomer Jaylen Barford should play for the 1st time against the team in which he proved himself in the first half of the regular season. Barford currently leads the League in scoring — 23 points per game. Although the American will not be the first option in Loko offense and his effectiveness may decrease at first (as it was with Iffe Lundberg after moving to CSKA), there is no doubt that the transfer of such a dangerous player will seriously strengthen the already powerful offense of Loko.
