The Take
Lokomotiv Kuban wants to gain revenge in Kazan. Last year, UNICS won both games. But now Obradovic’s team is ready to write a new history.
At the start of the season, both rivals won three games each. UNICS defeated Mornar Bar и Rytas in EuroCup and Avtodor in the VTB United League.
Lokomotiv Kuban didn’t struggle in its games as well. After a nervous game in Poland, the team was super motivated in the Zenit game. As a result, Basket Hall saw a 32-point win.
The fact that it wasn’t just luck was confirmed by EuroCup game against Limoges CSP. The number of dunks was overwhelming.
Opponent
The main achievement of the Kazan team in summer was preserving its leaders. Colom and Lasme left but Kaimakoglou, Smith, and Ndur stayed.
UNICS signed the center of the Russian national team Artem Klimenko to compensate the loss of Lasme. In the Avtodor game, Artem got10 points, 7 rebounds, and made 3 blocks. The upcoming rivalry between Klimenko and Moustapha Fall will be very interesting.
Loko
Kulagin was consistently good in two previous games. In the Zenit game, he got 14 points, 4 rebounds, and steals. Mateusz Ponitka was the top rebounder of Loko who got 8 rebounds and added to them 4 assists and 8 points.
У «Локо» в последних двух матчах стабильно хорош Кулагин. После «сухого» выезда в Польшу кэп набрал 14 очков, 4 подбора и 2 перехвата в игре с «Зенитом». На подборах лучшим оказался вездесущий Матеуш Понитка. Поляк собрал 8 отскоков (6 на своем щите) и добавил к ним 4 ассиста и 8 очков.
Where-When
Lokomotiv Kuban plays Game 2 of the VTB United League on the road against UNICS on October 14th at 6:00 p.m. Moscow time.
The game is broadcasted by Match! Igra TV-channel and lokobasket.com.