“We play our third game in a week and fourth game in 10 days,” CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis said. “So it is important for us to organize two good practices and videosessions. Khimki has very good and deep roster this year with at least two quality players on every position. They are in many aspects similar to the teams which we played recently because they like to run and they are very athletic. Khimki has three guards who push the ball – Rice, Koponen and Popovic, they can attack, they can create for their teammates. Sometimes coach Kurtinaitis uses them simultaneously. All their bigs run the floor – Davis, Augustin, Lauvergne, Monya as well as their wings Vyaltsev, Sheleketo and Honeycutt. Our opponents have well-balanced game, good defense and continuity of coach Kurtinaitis’ system which we respect a lot. We expect it to be difficult game and we hope our fans will come and support us as well as they did against Maccabi.”
Roster changes are not expected for the game. Injured Nando De Colo, Demetris Nichols, Manu Markoishvili and Victor Khryapa continue to practice individually.
CSKA – Khimki matchups
Wins/losses: 63-15
CSKA biggest margin of victory: 104-64 (+40) (2002-03 season. Superleague. Regular championship)
Khimki biggest margin of victory: 85-67 (-18) (2007-08 season. Russian Cup. Final)
Short dossier
Khimki Moscow Region BC
Founded: 1997
Colors: blue, yellow
Home court: Basketball Center of Moscow Region
President: Dmitry Golubkov
CEO: Pavel Astakhov
Head coach: Rimas Kurtinaitis
Website: www.bckhimki.ru
Accomplishments: Eurocup winner (2012), Russian Cup winner (2008), VTB United League champion (2011), 7-times Russian championship runner-up (2006, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13), Russian championship bronze winner (2007), Russian Cup runner-up (2006), FIBA Europe Cup runner-up (2006), Eurocup runner-up (2009)
