Kalev hosts Lokomotiv-Kuban, Enisey visits Khimki.
Wednesday, April 24
Kalev Estonia – Lokomotiv-Kuban Russia
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: VTB-League.com
Kalev: The Estonians already rewarded their fans with the club’s first-ever playoff berth. But the focus now is finishing higher than 8th place and avoiding a quarterfinal match-up with CSKA. The team needs to beat Lokomotiv-Kuban in the final game of the regular season. Kalev already upset Krasnodar in November and has only gotten better. The two American stars–Tony Wroten and Arnett Moultrie–set the tone for the Estonians, averaging a combined 41 points per game in April.
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Krasnodar is locked into the four seed. The Russians have been playing at a high level, as evidenced by recent wins over Avtodor, Astana and Zenit, where Kuban averaged 94 points per game. Bob Donewald was quick to make adjustments after losing point guard Dmitry Khvostov. In the past three games, Loko has averaged more than 28 assists, nearly eight above its season norm (20.6). Against Kalev, Krasnodar will try to take revenge for the loss in November, which led to former head coach Sasa Obradovic’s firing.
Khimki Russia – Enisey Russia
Time: 8:30 PM (8:30 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match! Strana, VTB-League.com
Khimki: Rimas Kurtinaitis’ men still have a chance to take 2nd place, but need to win out and hope for a UNICS loss vs. Zielona Gora. On Wednesday, Khimki plays Enisey, which may have been eliminated from the playoff chase, but is never an easy out. Alexey Shved is on track for his second-straight scoring title, averaging 22.8 points per game and will try to increase his lead in the game vs. Enisey.
Enisey: After Kalev’s April surge, Krasnoyarsk is out of the playoff hunt. But Enisey is known for taking every game seriously and won’t just roll over in Moscow Region. Oleg Okulov’s men will have a tough time covering Khimki’s snipers and depending the paint, where center Jordan Mickey has been terrific this season.
