Disposition
Loko (23 wins and 13 losses) and PARMA (20-16) enter the playoffs from fourth and fifth place, respectively, which means that the Krasnodar team has home court advantage. The series will last up to three victories and has a 2-2-1 format, in which Alexander Sekulić’s team will play the first matches at the home arena.
Both teams have won two victories out of the last 5 games. The clubs also have the same win-loss ratio in the regular season in face-to-face matches – 2-2.
Loko and PARMA have already met in the playoffs once in their history. This happened not long ago, in the 2021/22 season. The Krasnodar team was stronger that time, finishing the quarterfinal series with a sweep – 3-0.
Their leaders
The two best rebounding teams of the league are meeting. Much of the build-up of both teams is based on posts control and maximum pressure on the other team’s 3-second zone. PARMA’s leaders in rebounds are Richard Solomon and Ruslan Abdulbasirov.
Let us remind you that in the teams’ first head-to-head match this season, the Russian center made an impressive 12 rebounds, 9 of which were offensive.
BJ Johnson (19.1), CJ Bryce (14.4) and Isaiah Reese (15.1) are PARMA’s first options in scoring.
Reese is deservedly considered one of the most effective point guards in the league, as he is also dangerous in creating attacks, being one of the leaders in assists per match on average (5.8).
We must not forget about the effectiveness of experienced Stanislav Ilnitsky and PARMA captain Alexander Platunov.
Both Russians play very reliably and are ready to take responsibility for finishing the team’s attacks.
Where to watch
On “Krasnodar” and “Match! Igra” TV channels, as well as on lokobasket.com and the VTB United league official website.