Midweek Game Previews

Two games are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in the VTB United League.

Wednesday, April 20

Krasny Oktyabr (Russia) - UNICS (Russia)
Time: 6:00 PM (6:00 PM MSK)
Place: Dynamo Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia
TV: Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Krasny Oktyabr: Volgograd snapped a four-game losing streak with a win in Finland over the weekend, scoring 109 points in the blowout victory. On Wednesday, UNICS poses a much bigger challenge. Oktyabr has never defeated Kazan in league competition, losing all three meetings by an average of 15 points per game.

UNICS: Kazan survived a stiff challenge in Krasnoyarsk, squeaking out a win in the final minutes. Evgeny Pashutin's men have locked in to the #2 seed in the postseason, giving the club home-court advantage through the semifinals. With the playoffs just around the corner, this game will a good warmup for the quarterfinals.

Thursday, April 21

Kalev (Estonia) - Zenit (Russia)
Time: 6:30 PM (6:30 PM MSK)
Place: Saku Suurhall, Tallinn, Estonia
TV: SA Tallinna Televisioon (Estonia), Match! Nash sport (Russia), United League TV
Stats: VTB-League.com preview

Kalev: The Estonians have lost five in a row, but the team is nearly always competitive. That was not the case, however, when these two teams met two weeks ago. The Blue-White-Sky Blues picked up a 20-point lead in the 1st quarter and cruised to a 101-69 victory. Kalev only has two games left in the regular season and hopes to settle its score at home with St. Petersburg on Thursday.

Zenit: The stakes are high for Zenit. After the game against Kalev, St. Petersburg takes on UNICS and Lokomotiv-Kuban with 3rd place in the league on the line. But first things first. Vasily Karasev's men have to take care of business in Estonia or risk dropping as far as 6th in the standings.