Five games are scheduled in the VTB United League for December 3 and 4. VTB-League.com previews each match-up.
Saturday, December 3
Khimki (Russia) – Avtodor (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: BCMO, Khimki, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport, VTB-League.com
Khimki: Khimki’s aggressive free-agent approach is paying dividends. Dusko Ivanovic boasts a big rotation, making it much easier to compete in two tourneys. Moscow Region is 4th in the VTB United League and already clinched a spot in the Eurocup Top 16. Wins against Avtodor and Parma would give the team even more momentum heading into a showdown with CSKA. About the rotation: Khimki beat Alba without Shved, Rowland, Monia, or Evans, clear proof of the team’s depth and resilience.
Avtodor: Saratov can’t seem to turn things around. Khimki is riding a five-game winning streak; Avtodor has dropped five in a row. Sergei Mokin’s only win was against Nizhny Novgorod, who’s below Avtodor in the standings. Saratov is making changes, however, bringing in forward Vince Hunter and point guard Marquis Teague, a former Chicago Bull and NCAA champion. The athletic, speedy guard should fit right in.
Sunday, December 4
Astana (Kazakhstan) – Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Time: 4:00 PM (1:00 MSK)
Place: SC Velotrek, Astana, Kazakhstan
TV: VTB-League.com
Astana: Ian Miller’s huge night helped Astana get a win over Parma on the road last week and move into 6th place with a 4-3 record. Rob Lowery’s epic game-winner against Enisey two weeks ago probably gave his teammates a psychological boost. Now the team has a chance to beat sputtering Tsmoki-Minsk for the first time in nearly three years and keep the pressure on 5th-place Lokomotov-Kuban.
Tsmoki-Minsk: Though Minsk lost last week to Khimki, the game was close and could easily have had a different outcome. Astana will be favored on Sunday, thanks to the home-court and a significant edge in offensive rebounding (Astana is 1st in the League with 13 per game). Both of these teams favor physical, hard-nosed defense, which makes any second-chance points extremely valuable.
Enisey (Russia) – Kalev (Estonia)
Time: 7:10 PM (3:10 MSK)
Place: Arena Sever, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Enisey: On Sunday, Krasnoyarsk faces a remarkably similar opponent. The two teams are neighbors in the standings and are coming off losses to a powerhouse club. Both teams need to snap three-game losing streaks, but it’s tough to tell who will be favored. Enisey, of course, is playing at hoe, but the Siberians are only 1-2 at home, while giving up 96.7 points per game, the worst mark in the League.
Kalev: After the game against UNICS, Alar Varrak had a positive outlook, despite the loss. He admitted that his team played scare at first, but regrouped in the second half and did some damage to Kazan. Demonte Harper played a noticeable role, but the attention in this game will be focused on the big men: Can Kalev’s Mickell Gladness keep Enisey’s double-double threat Frank Elegar under control? Kalev also added two new players recently: Cedric Simmons and Matthias Tass, who might already be available on Sunday.
Parma (Russia) – VEF (Latvia)
Time: 5:30 PM (5:30 MSK)
Place: Molot Sports Palace, Perm, Russia
TV: VTB-League.com
Parma: Despite some solid performances, Perm can’t seem to get its elusive first win. Parma got a little unlucky last week, playing an energized Astana club that was riding an emotional high from the double-overtime win vs. Enisey. Now Parma faces another test: VEF will be looking to make amends after a disappointing game vs. Loko.
VEF: Riga has played five games in a month, including three match-ups with top-five teams. The last outing proved the most discouraging. After the loss to Lokomotiv-Kuban, head coach Janis Gailitis said his team wasn’t ready to play that type of opponent. But, despite the 43-point loss, Riga is still in the top eight and has only played twice at home.
VEF leads the League in two-point field-goal attempts and ranks 5th in rebounding, which should concern Perm boss Viacheslav Shushakov, given his team has struggled to control the paint.
Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia) – CSKA (Russia)
Time: 4:00 PM (4:00 MSK)
Place: Basket Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
TV: Match TV, VTB-League.com
Lokomotiv-Kuban: The biggest game of the weekend features a rematch between 2016 Euroleague Final Four teams. The last time Loko and CSKA met, the Army Men advanced in a hard-fought game to play Fenerbahce in the European final. Since then, Loko has undergone dramatic changes, but one thing remains the same: Loko’s title ambitions. Krasnodar is through to the next round of the Eurocup and had an extra day to prepare for this showdown. Last week’s game against VEF was a good warm-up. Krasnodar played high-energy basketball on both ends, scoring over 100 points for the first time this season.
CSKA: The biggest intrigue will be seeing how the League’s top offense (CSKA) does against the top defense (Lokomotiv). Krasnodar only allows 67.7 points per game (the only team conceding less than 70). CSKA, meanwhile, is nearly averaging 100 per game (98.3). CSKA has had less time to prepare for this game, squeaking out a tough win over Bamberg on Thursday in Germany (Loko played Ulm on Wednesday in the Eurocup). But the way CSKA won has to give the team plenty of momentum: Vitaly Fridzon hit a clutch jumper at the buzzer and Milos Teodosic moved into 4th place all-time in Euroleague scoring.
