The schedule
June 1 at 7:30 PM – KSK Arena, St. Petersburg
June 3 at 7:30 PM – KSK Arena, St. Petersburg
June 7 at 4:00 PM – Basket-Hall, Krasnodar (Tickets)
June 9 at 8:00 PM – Basket-Hall, Krasnodar (if required)
June 12 at 1:00 PM – KSK Arena, St. Petersburg (if required)
Loko and Zenit faced each other four times during the regular season. Initially, the teams exchanged home victories (89:80 in Krasnodar and 69:98 in St. Petersburg), after which our team won twice (95:85 at home and 81:72 away). Notably, on each occasion, our opponent fielded a significantly revamped roster; furthermore, midway through the regular season, they also underwent a coaching change. However, Dejan Radonjić did not remain with the team through the end of the season—he was dismissed after Zenit squandered a 3–1 lead in the semifinals.
So right now, Zenit is full of mysteries.
How will the emergency coaching change affect them? How will Xavier Moon perform against Lokomotiv? Will Johnny Juzang and Ismaël Bako recover in time? Will Alexander Shcherbenev return to the rotation? Does Zenit have any energy left after 4 games in the quarterfinals and 7 in the semifinals?
We will try to answer these questions a little later, but first…
Let's talk about Avtodor
Of all the neutral fans, those from Saratov will likely be following our series with more interest, as both the Zenit and Loko rosters currently feature two players who spent the majority of the season with Avtodor.
For forward Igor Volkhin, while he was playing for the Volga-based club, all 4 of the season’s matchups against Loko were successful; in those games, he averaged 15 points—shooting 46.4% from three-point range—along with 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists, resulting in an efficiency rating of 16.3. Since returning from his loan spell, Volkhin has appeared for Zenit only once—playing 11 minutes in the final game of the regular season (recording 0 points and 4 rebounds against CSKA)—and it remains unclear whether the player fits into the plans of Rostislav Vergun, who will be coaching the team through the end of the season.
Small forward Pavel Zemsky also faced Lokomotiv four times this season; however, his very first matchup occurred while he was still with Zenit, as he was sent on loan to Avtodor shortly thereafter. The player’s cumulative statistics against us this season stand at 6 points (0-for-11 from three-point range), 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, and an efficiency rating of 4.8. In the current playoffs, Zemsky has been seeing some playing time—making 6 appearances for a total of 9 minutes, recording 2 successful three-pointers on 3 attempts, and grabbing 2 rebounds.
Lokomotiv Kuban also sent a player to Avtodor on loan—and, notably, a small forward as well: Daniil Kasko. His statistics in this season’s games against Zenit stand at 2.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and a 4.5 efficiency rating in 21 minutes of play.
Center Alen Hadzibegovic initially joined Avtodor before transferring to Loko closer to the end of the regular season. He faced Zenit three times (twice playing for Saratov, once for us), posting impressive numbers: 14.7 points, 7 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 1.3 blocks, and an efficiency rating of 16.7. It is also worth noting his free-throw percentage of just 40% (6-of-15).
And so, we smoothly transitioned to the point titled…
Loko's leaders
Patrick Miller delivers a brilliant performance throughout the season as a whole, and matchups against Zenit are not an exception. In four regular-season games against them, our captain has averaged 18.5 points and 5 assists, posted an efficiency rating of 20, and drawn 6.5 fouls per game—leading Lokomotiv in all of these statistical categories. Miller has shot 51.4% on two-pointers against Zenit (18 of 35) and 93.8% from the free-throw line (15 of 16).
Jeremiah Martin ranks second among Loko players in scoring against Zenit this season (18 points). Two of his three best performances for our club came against this opponent (26 points in the January game, 24 points in the March game). Against them, Martin shoots 63.3% on two-pointers (19-of-30) and 33.3% on three-pointers (3-of-9), while averaging 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals—figures that combine for an efficiency rating of 15.
Another player with a double-digit efficiency rating against Zenit is Vsevolod Ishchenko (10 points). On average, he scores 6.5 points, shoots free throws without a miss (13-for-13), and records 4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.3 steals. His cumulative plus-minus over these four games stands at +5—the third-best figure on the team (as a reminder, the aggregate score for the season series currently stands at 334:335 in favor of our opponent).
Vince Hunter does not score a particularly high number of points against Zenit (8.5), yet he ranks in the team’s top three in every other key statistical category: 4.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. However, our center commits fouls much more frequently than he draws them (3.8 vs. 1.5), which lowers his efficiency rating a bit (9 points).
Anton Kvitkovskikh is also averaging 8.5 points against Zenit this season, while posting a decent shooting line: 60% from two-point range, 37.5% from three-point range, and 87.5% from the free-throw line. The forward records 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks (a figure surpassed only by Hadzibegovic), and his efficiency rating stands at 8.8.
Kirill Temirov is one of our most reliable two-point shooters in games against Zenit (80% accuracy, 8-of-10); he also shoots good from beyond the arc (37.5%, 3-of-8). His averages of 6.5 points, 2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.5 steals combine for an efficiency rating of 7.
Mike Moore played just three games against Zenit, yet that was enough for him to lead the team in three-pointers attempted (10)—converting an impressive 60% of them. In addition to averaging 7 points, 2 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks, it is worth noting that Moore commits the most fouls on the Lokomotiv roster (4 per game); however, he also boasts the second-highest plus-minus rating on the team (+8)—surpassed only by Makar Konovalov (+28).
What about Zenit?
Rostislav Vergun will coach the St. Petersburg team for the third-place series. Back in January—after Aleksander Sekulić had already been dismissed but before Dejan Radonjić had been hired—Vergun coached Zenit in two games: a 90:93 loss to CSKA and a 105:79 victory over Avtodor.
However, prior to that, the Belarusian specialist had already faced Lokomotiv three times during the 2025/26 season while still serving as the head coach of Uralmash. In the championship opener, the Yekaterinburg side defeated us 86:85 thanks to a buzzer-beater by Garrett Nevels; in January, Lokomotiv returned from the Urals with an 87:69 victory (due to numerous injuries, we fielded only one foreign player—Hunter—on that occasion); and in early January, Lokomotiv won 77:64 at home—a game followed by Vergun‘s dismissal from Uralmash. The coach surely has some unfinished business with our team.
Trent Frazier stands as the undisputed leader in this season’s matchups against Loko: 19 points on 38.2% shooting from afar, 6 assists, 1.8 steals, 7.5 fouls drawn, a cumulative plus-minus of +16, and an efficiency rating of 22.8—all of which represent the best figures on the Zenit roster.
By the way, the cumulative plus-minus ratings paint an amusing picture: although Zenit outscored us this season so far, only three players on their current squad remain in the positive column—Frazier and Sergey Karasev each hold a +16 rating, while Ismaël Bako sits at +12; the rest are in the negative.
Andrey Martyuk has been particularly impressive against Loko (though he only appeared in the first three matchups this season): he averaged 14.7 points on 78.3% shooting from two-point range, along with 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and an efficiency rating of 20.3. Martyuk commits more fouls than any of his teammates (3.7 per game), but he also draws plenty himself (averaging 3.3 fouls by his opponents).
Luka Šamanić has also played against Lokomotiv only three times (at the time of the very first game, he was not yet on the team). He ranks 4th among his teammates in scoring in our head-to-head matchups (averaging 13.3 points—a figure surpassed not only by Frazier and Martyuk but also by Volkhin) and in efficiency (also 13.3, with the same players ranking ahead of him). Šamanić draws fouls frequently (4.3 times per game), while also averaging 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals.
André Roberson played two games against Lokomotiv (both in the latter part of the season), scoring exactly 8 points in each and averaging 8.5 rebounds—6 of which came on the attack. Also impressive are his 1.5 blocks per game and an efficiency rating of 13.
One of the most reliable shooters against Lokomotiv this season is Vladislav Yemchenko: 62.5% on two-pointers (5 of 8), 50% on three-pointers (5 of 10), and 87.5% from the free-throw line (7 of 8). Although he does not receive a great deal of playing time—averaging just under 15 minutes—he still manages to tally 8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.8 steals, resulting in an efficiency rating of 8.8. But in terms of cumulative plus-minus, Yemchenko ranks last on his team (–23).
Following the regular season, Georgy Zhbanov was named the league’s Best Defensive Player; however, his performances against Lokomotiv this season have been not so stellar: 3.7 points on 37.5% shooting from two-point range, 10% from three-point range, and 50% from the free-throw line, along with 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 block, and a cumulative plus-minus rating of –17.
Andrey Vorontsevich consistently averages 17.5 minutes against Lokomotiv, getting 3.8 points (shooting 42.9% from three-point range—3 of 7), 1.3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.5 blocks.
Players in question
Johnny Juzang scored 20+ points in 3 consecutive semifinal games, but he sustained an injury late in Game 5 and missed the remainder of the series. With a sharpshooter of this caliber, Zenit’s offense is bound to become far more versatile—even considering that in his sole matchup against Loko, Juzang shot just 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, and his 10 points translated into an efficiency rating of only 1, largely due to missed shots and fouls.
Since joining Zenit, Ismaël Bako has also spent more time recovering from injuries than actually playing. The Belgian center appeared in one game each during the quarterfinals (17 points, 10 rebounds in 21 minutes) and the semifinals (0 points, 1 rebound in 5 minutes). Bako also played against Loko back in March (7 points, 2 rebounds in 17 minutes).
Xavier Moon has not played a single minute against Loko this season. However, in the bronze series, nothing should prevent him from taking the court. And his season averages—11.3 points (shooting 39.7% from three-point range), 2.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks—will certainly be a major asset for Zenit.
But numbers are just numbers—the game itself will be the ultimate judge. Tune in to the broadcast at 7:30 PM and cheer on our team. Let’s go, Loko!