Соперник с достойной историей
Today’s opponent of Loko traces its history back to 1976, when the basketball team Stroitel (Construction Worker) was founded in the city of Kuibyshev. The team’s results progressed rapidly: by the 1982 season they reached the highest level – the USSR Championship Major League.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Samara team (the city of Kuibyshev had already been renamed) became silver medalists in the first Russian championship in 1992. A year later, they won bronze, in 1995 they were renamed from Stroitel to Samara, twice more became third in the Russian championship, played in the Euroleague, in 2006 they won the Challenge Cup, but soon lost their professional status for some time due to financial difficulties.
Samara was revived in 2012. The club began to steadily progress once again: two Russian Cups (2020 and 2022), two championships in the Superliga (2018/19 and 2020/21). So no one was surprised when in the summer of 2022 the VTB United League approved their application to join.
In their first season at the new level, Samara finished 10th in the regular season and did not make its way to the playoffs.
But last year they managed to get into the play-in games which they successfully passed through in two games. In the quarterfinals, Dražen Anzulović’s team was swept by UNICS 0-3, but did not look hopeless.
Loko has a 5-game winning streak; Samara has 2 wins I a row
This season, Samara has played one match less than Lokomotiv, and is on a 50% win-loss record, 2-2. It is important to note that the Volga team won their last two games (86:79 against MBA-MAI, then 83:65 against Yenisei), and their basketball looks more and more consistent.
Their leader is Hayden Dalton (he and Loko’s Vladislav Yemchenko should be called the most striking red-haired players in the league). The American is among the top three on his team in every one of five main statistical indicators (points – rebounds – assists – steals – blocks).
Ronnie Harrell and Mikhail Kulagin average more than 13 points per game. A couple of days ago, point guard Brendan Adams was included in the VTB United League’s Team of the week. Samara captain Alexander Gudumak finally took to the court in the last game ‒ and made 7 rebounds. Anton Kardanakhishvili, who went through the CSKA school, comes off the bench very well.
It is very dangerous to underestimate such an opponent. The fact that in recent history Samara has not won against Lokomotiv in five previous occasions will also mean nothing when today’s game begins.
Where to watch
If for some reason you can’t get to the Basket Hall this evening, you can watch the live broadcast on the Krasnodar and Start TV channels, on the official website of the VTB United League and on ours.