Pre-game breakdown
Pavel Korobkov and Mikhail Kulagin remain out for CSKA.
The Red-Blues decided not to test Arena Mytishchi before the game. Thursdat practice and Friday morning shootaround will take place on the USH CSKA floor.
Khimki clinched the playoff spot in the previous game; they will play in EuroLeague elimination series for the first time ever.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
Khimki is a good team, they are very talented. They are chasing the best possible spot in the playoffs zone so they will be motivated. We have to play very seriously. It will be another tough game down the stretch.
Semen Antonov, CSKA forward:
We will have a tough game less than two days after the game against Olympiacos. We know Khimki very well, they know us too. The crucial thing is going to be energy and ambitions of the teams and their wish to win the game. We don’t expect any surprises, we’ve met twice in VTB League and once in EuroLeague so we can’t surprise the opponent with new tactics. We need to fight for the win and hope that CSKA fans will support us on this trip.
Important numbers
Coach Dimitris Itoudis has used 11 different players in the CSKA starting lineup so far this season. No player has started every game.
Nando De Colo has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 EuroLeague games.
De Colo has recorded at least 1 steal in 5 of his last 6 EuroLeague games.
Nando De Colo is ranked second among qualified EuroLeague players this season in average performance index rating with 20.7 per game, second in scoring with 17.1 points per game, third in free-throw accuracy at 94.3%.
De Colo is the EuroLeague career leader in free throw accuracy at 93.52%.
Cory Higgins has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 EuroLeague games.
Higgins has recorded a performance index rating in double figures in 11 of his last 12 EuroLeague games.
Nikita Kurbanov has made 19 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague games. He is fourth in free-throw accuracy with 92.3%.
Sergio Rodriguez is second in the EuroLeague this season with 2.7 three-pointers made per game. First is Khimki’s Alexey Shved (3.1).
Sergio Rodriguez is seventh on the all-time EuroLeague assists charts with 886. Next on the list is his former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Llull with 902.
Kyle Hines is fourth on the all-time EuroLeague charts with 438 offensive rebounds for his career. He needs 1 more to catch Ioannis Bourousis (439) for third place.
Hines is fourth all-time with 180 career blocks. Anadolu Efes center Bryant Dunston is third with 183 blocks and counting.
Othello Hunter is fifth in the league in offensive rebounds with 2.5 per game.
Khryapa is ranked eighth on the all-time charts with 241 career steals. Khryapa’s former teammate J.R. Holden is seventh with 247.
Khryapa is seventh on the all-time charts with 161 blocks for his career. He needs 1 more to catch Mirza Begic, who has 162 in sixth place.
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 81-17
CSKA biggest win: 104-64 (+40) (2002-03 Superleague Regular Season)
CSKA biggest loss: 85-67 (-18) (2007-08 Russian Cup Final)
Games of 2017-18 season:
VTB United League
06-Nov-2017. Khimki – CSKA: 81-96 (+15)
EuroLeague
22-Dec-2017. CSKA – Khimki: 79-68 (+11)
VTB United League
05-Feb-2018. CSKA – Khimki: 90-71 (+19)
Short dossier
Khimki Moscow Region
Founded: 1997
Colors: blue, yellow
Home court: Moscow Region Basketball Center (3,500)
President: Dmitry Golubkov
CEO: Pavel Astakhov
Head coach: Giorgios Bartzokas
Website: www.bckhimki.ru
Trophy Case: 2-time Eurocup winners (2012, 15), Russian Cup winner (2008), VTB United League champion (2011), 7-time Russian League runner-up (2006, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13), Russian League bronze winner (2007), Russian Cup finalist (2006), FIBA-Europe Cup finalist (2006), Eurocup finalist (2009)
