After the practice at home the team went to Nuremberg from Sheremetyevo by OrenAir charter flight and then took the bus to Bamberg. 13 players made a trip: Anton Astapkovich, Mikhail Kulagin and Victor Khryapa (broken hand) stayed home. Demetris Nichols went to Germany with his teammates but his participation in the game is not planned.
“We play another tough game in our competitive group where everything is still open,” CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis said. “We played Brose Baskets three times already, we know them well and they know us well. We have to be focused, determined and motivated through all 40 minutes, this game will require that. Brose is chasing the playoff spot, they play good basketball, especially at home, where the fans create great atmosphere. So we expect it to be a difficult game.”
CSKA will secure home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory.
Close “relations”
Kyle Hines began his Euroleague career with Brose Baskets Bamberg during the 2010-11 season. He helped Bamberg to the German League and Cup double that season.
Nikos Zisis played two seasons for CSKA between 2007 and 2009. Only forwards Victor Khryapa, Andrey Vorontsevich and Nikita Kurbanov remain from his time at the club. Together they won the Euroleague in 2008.
Zisis was a teammate of Nikita Kurbanov during the 2013-14 season at Unics Kazan.
Janis Strelnieks was a teammate of Nikita Kurbanov during the 2012-13 season at Spartak St. Petersburg.
Important numbers
CSKA is the Euroleague’s top-scoring team with an average of 91.8 points per game and has the best performance rating (108.9). CSKA leads the league through in both three-point shots made (213) and accuracy (43.3%) as well as in two-point accuracy (57.5%) and assists (20.4).
Nando De Colo leads the Euroleague in performance index rating this season with an average of 23.8 per game and in scoring with 19.3 points per game.
De Colo has made at least 1 three-pointer in 10 straight and 24 of his last 25 games.
De Colo has scored in double figures in each of his last 24 appearances.
Milos Teodosic has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last 11 Euroleague games. Teodosic has made at least 1 three-pointer in 43 of his last 44 Euroleague games.
Teodosic has scored in double figures in each of his last 11 Euroleague games.
Teodosic needs 4 more three-pointers to catch retired CSKA star J.R. Holden for fourth place on the list of most three-pointers made in competition history. Teodosic enters this week’s game with 373 career threes.
Cory Higgins is the league leader in three-point accuracy at 60%. He has made 27 of 45 threes this season.
Kyle Hines has 138 career blocked shots and with his next rejection will break a tie with D’or Fischer for sole possession of eighth place on the Euroleague career list. Denis Marconato is seventh with 140 blocks.
Hines needs 4 offensive rebounds to become 10th player to reach a total of 300 for his Euroleague career.
Vitaly Fridzon is 10 points away from reaching the milestone of 1,000 points for his Euroleague career.
Past matchups
Wins/losses: 11-0.
2005-06 – Euroleague. Top 16: Brose Baskets – CSKA: 64-75 (+11)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 76-64 (+12)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 94-74 (+20)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Brose Baskets – CSKA: 78-81 (+3)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 76-67 (+9)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Brose Baskets – CSKA: 89-97 (+8)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 90-83 (+7)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16: Brose Baskets – CSKA: 58-78 (+20)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 83-77 (+6)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Brose Baskets – CSKA: 88-100 (+12)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Brose Baskets: 91-70 (+21)
Short dossier
Brose Baskets Bamberg, Germany
Founded: 1955
Colors: red, white
Homecourt: brose Arena (6,900)
President: Norbert Sieben
Head coach: Andrea Trinchieri
Website: www.brosebaskets.de
Trophy case: 7-time German champion (2005, 07, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15), 4-time German Cup winner (1992, 2010, 11, 12)
