What you need to know ahead of this week’s games.
Thursday, April 13
Parma (Russia) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma: Don’t expect too much drama when 1st-place CSKA visits 13th-place Parma on Thursday. But for Perm’s basketball-mad fans, the Army Men’s visit will spark memories of the legendary CSKA – Ural-Great rivalry. Who knows, maybe CSKA will overlook its opponent after clinching the top seed in the postseason.
Parma’s biggest challenge will be trying to slow down the visitors. Following the loss last week in Saratov, Viacheslav Shushakov singled out Avtodor’s tempo as the reason for the setback.
CSKA: After cruising past Tsmoki, the Red-Men clinched the regular-season title and can begin preparing for the United League and EuroLeague postseason. Some of the leaders may rest in this game, especially with the team on the road. Milos Teodosic didn’t play against Tsmoki, but CSKA looked no worse for the wear, turning to its vaunted bench.
UNICS (Russia) – Astana (Kazakhstan)
Time: 7:00 PM (7:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
UNICS: Kazan’s final game in the regular season comes against Astana, but there’s nothing on the line after the loss to Lokomotiv locked UNICS into 5th place. Playing a highly-motivated Kazakh club, UNICS will have a good chance to prepare for the postseason and practice breaking down Astana’s staggered defense. Given Kazan is likely to face Krasnodar, the League’s top defensive team, in the first round, this is great timing.
Astana: This is one of the biggest games of the season for Astana. On the verge of clinching a playoff spot, Ilias Papatheodorou’s men need one more win or an Avtodor loss.
It’s not going to be easy winning on the road in Kazan. Astana typically struggles away from home, coming out on top only three times all season. Meanwhile, UNICS is one of the League’s highest-scoring teams, averaging 89.3 points per game to Astana’s 75.4. The visitors are also 1-8 all-time against Kazan with the only victory coming two years ago.
VEF (Latvia) – Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Time: 7:30 PM (7:30 MSK)
Place: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
VEF: As recently as one week ago, Riga had a chance to finish 6th, but couldn’t get the job done against Enisey. VEF won’t have much at stake now against Lokomotiv, but it is a chance to take down a top-five team, something Riga hasn’t done since the first week of the season. Janis Gailitis’s men also probably want to get revenge for the 43-point loss in Krasnodar in November.
Lokomotiv-Kuban: Despite this being a road game, Krasnodar will be favored, especially because the visitors are still fighting for a 3-seed. With four games remaining on the schedule, the most in the League, Kuban can catch Khimki for 3rd if Dusko Ivanovic’s men lose one of their final two games. Even though Sasa Obradovic has said his team is preparing to take on UNICS in the first round, expect Kuban to try and win out. Lokomotiv’s perimeter defense could play a big role: VEF is only 11th in the League, shooting 32% from beyond the arc.
Sunday, April 16
Enisey (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 4:10 PM (12:10 MSK)
Place: Arena.Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: Match! Nash Sport, VTB-League.com
Enisey: Krasnoyarsk didn’t just clinch a spot in the postseason, the team could also finish in 6th place after the win over VEF last week. Enisey is also top-six in the League in points scored, so don’t be surprised if this game features plenty of offense as an explosive Avtodor tries to preserve its playoff hopes.
Avtodor: Saratov has been in playoff contention all season, but now the margin for error is razor-thin. Avtodor has to win out and hopes Astana drops its final two games to make the postseason. Saratov has struggled at times to score away from home, while Enisey is no slouch on defense, shutting down VEF last week. One of the biggest storylines will be whether or not Avtodor can stop Enisey big man Frank Elegar, who recently matched the League record for double-doubles and would like to add one more on Sunday.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: As stated above, Loko has the busiest schedule in the League down the stretch, playing four times in 11 days. Krasnodar takes on Kalev three days after a road game in Riga. Sasa Obradovic’s men need to win this game and should be able to overcome fatigue. Kalev has never beat Kuban and lost to its opponent on Sunday by 31 points earlier in the year.
Kalev: Tallinn will have more time to prepare. Kalev last played in the League on April 3, giving the Estonians almost two weeks to game plan. That’s a significant advantage for the visitors’ speedy, athletic roster, but a win in Krasnodar would probably be the biggest upset this season in the League… Perhaps Kalev’s only chance is to apply full-court pressure and lock in defensively for 40 minutes.
Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus) – Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Time: 5:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Falcon Club, Minsk, Belarus
TV: VTB-League.com
Tsmoki-Minsk: Tsmoki is hoping to finish the season on a high note and pass Kalev in the standings for 11th place. It should be an interesting matchup with Nizhny. The League’s least-productive offense (73.1 ppg) hosts the worst defense (91.1 ppg). The Dragons could lose big or set a new season record for points (currently 95, which came in a seven-point loss to… Nizhny Novgorod).
Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod will need to be mentally tough in Minsk. The Russians were eliminated from postseason contention last week despite a win over Astana. But Arturs Stalbergs’ men would still like to go out in style, although it’s unclear whether or not the team’s leaders will travel to Minsk.
Monday, April 17
Astana (Kazakhstan) – Khimki (Russia)
Time: 8:00 PM (5:00 MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: VTB-League.com
Astana: Kazakhstan eliminated one playoff threat, Nizhny Novgorod, last week despite a four-point loss. But if the team can’t win one of its two final games, it has to hope Avtodor drops at least one encounter down the stretch. Facing UNICS and Khimki, Ilias Papatheodorou has his work cut out for him, with his team currently in a three-game tailspin.
Khimki: Fans were hoping for a shootout last week in Moscow Region, but Zenit’s defense ending up silencing the home team, allowing only 66 points. Khimki star Alexey Shved didn’t have a great game, hitting only one of seven three-point attempts, and no one else stepped up. Now the Yellow-Blues need to bounce back in Kazakhstan and keep hard-charging Lokomotiv at arm’s length. Even though Astana hasn’t defeated Khimki since 2013, Dusko Ivanovic and co. won’t have an easy time in the Kazakh capital. The home team has solid perimeter defense, while Moscow Region is one of the League’s top three-point shooting teams (2nd at 39.3%).
