Game Of The Week: Khimki Chasing Zenit

Khimki Moscow Region hosts Zenit St. Petersburg in the Game of the Week.

Who:
Khimki, 2014-15 VTB United League finalists, 2014-15 Eurocup champions
vs.
Zenit, 2014-15 VTB United League quarterfinalists

Where:
BCMO (capacity 4,000), Khimki, Russia

When:
8:00 PM (8:00 PM MSK), March 28, 2016

TV:
Match TV, Match! Nash sport, United League TV

Face To Face
Zenit made its debut last season, matching up with Khimki six times during the 2014-15 campaign. The two teams met four times in the Eurocup and twice in the VTB United League. Zenit and Khimki traded home wins in the group stage of the Eurocup, before Khimki earned a sweep in the round of 16, going on to win the competition. The two VTB United League meetings were very competitive as the teams once again traded home wins (81-76 in Moscow Region and 65-63 in St. Petersburg).

This is the second meeting of the 2015-16 season. Khimki cruised to victory in the first encounter, picking up a 21-point lead in the opening period and going on to win comfortably, 103-72.

First Encounter

Looking Back

Intrigue
The February meeting between Zenit and Khimki was also billed as the Game of the Week. The two teams were 4th and 3rd, respectively, in the standings at the time. The intrigue entering today's game is much the same, with the only difference being that Zenit is now 3rd (16-5), while Khimki has dropped to 5th (17-8). The stakes are also much higher with less than a month remaining in the regular season.

There is a lot on the line for Khimki. In addition to needing a win to keep its hopes alive of a top-four finish and home-court advantage in the first round, Moscow Region is trying to get its season back on track after a series of losses led to head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis's departure. New coach Dusko Ivanovic lost his first game in the Euroleague, but he's since guided the team to victories over Krasny Oktyabr and Zalgiris. It's very important for Khimki to continue making up lost ground and regain its confidence after the setbacks in late February and early March.

This game also has special significance to Zenit. St. Petersburg has been very successful against the league's weaker competition, but struggles against elite teams. The recent narrow defeat to CSKA (86-82) was encouraging, though moral victories will only get you so far. The team has a tough schedule to finish the regular season and will need to play well to finish in the top-four.

Question
Who will be better prepared physically?

Zenit had an extended break in the first half of February, giving the team a chance to regroup and prepare for the second half of the season. The first game after the pause happened to be against Khimki. There were concerns about how quickly Zenit would be able to lock in and they proved justified. Khimki jumped out to a huge lead in the 1st quarter and never let the home team back into the game. Since then, however, Zenit has thrived on an NBA-like schedule and enters Monday's showdown in good shape. 

As for Khimki, Ivanovic has talked about his team's lack of fitness in almost every interview since getting the job. The games against Bamberg and Oktyabr, when Khimki struggled down the stretch, drove his point home. It's tough to overcome a problem like that this late in the season, but you can expect that Khimki has been hard at work.

Duel
Alexey Shved (Khimki) vs. Janis Timma (Zenit).

Khimki is in transition and extra reliant at the moment on its star players. Luckily for Moscow Region, the roster is loaded with big-time talent. Shved, for one, was signed because of his fearlessness in big moments. The Yellow-Blues expect and need him to step up in the Game of the Week.

The player with the most potential and natural talent on Zenit's roster may be Janis Timma. The Latvian big man will try to counter Khimki's star guard. He's averaging 17 points per game in his last three outings and can also take over when the game is on the line.

Quotes
Khimki head coach Dusko Ivanovic:
- We played pretty well in Lithuania vs. Zalgiris, especially in the second half, when we were focused on defense. That helped us pick up a very important win. Now we have a game with Zenit, a very strong team. In a recent home game vs. CSKA, St. Petersburg played the Army Men close until the final buzzer. Our opponent is aggressive and has good big men who can shoot from outside on the roster, which could cause additional problems for us.

Zenit head coach Vasily Karasev:
- I think that Khimki's play in recent games isn't reflective of the team. It's tied to some temporary inner struggles. The team has a good roster, one of the strongest in the league and Europe. The arrival of a new head coach always shakes up any club. They won the most recent game against Krasny Oktyabr and I'm confident that Khimki will soon be back to playing the way it can.

As for my team, after the, let's be honest, blowout loss at home to Khimki, we've got only one goal: winning on the road. We expect a good game. The guys have gained confidence. After the even game with CSKA, we played well against Astana and we hope to play at the same level in the upcoming encounter.

Prediction
-Zenit lost to Khimki at home in February - and that loss was very lopsided, - notes former basketball star and current league deputy general director, Ilona Korstin. - St. Petersburg will try to get revenge in Moscow Region. The team is playing very well, which the game vs. CSKA demonstrated. Vasily Karasev's trademark up-tempo style brings a result. Khimki changed coaches. Dusko Ivanovic brought a different approach and the team has already won games in the VTB United League and Euroleague. This will be a very important matchup between two strong opponents. Each team is trying to earn a spot in the top-four and get home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.