Pre-game breakdown
CSKA has never lost EuroLeague playoff series.
Kyle Hines, Pavel Korobkov and Mikhail Kulagin are busy with post-injury rehab.
Khimki will play in EuroLeague elimination series for the first time ever.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
We start playoff series against Khimki, very good team, our historical rival. We prepare to for the Game 1, we know it is going to be a tough series. I hope our fans realize how important are those games for us, so they will come and help us with their presence and support.
Sergio Rodriguez, CSKA guard:
We have tough games ahead of us. Khimki is a talented team that plays better in EuroLeague than in VTB League. They will definitely be excited to play playoffs for the first time ever. We have to care about our game and keep improving day-by-day.
Important numbers
Nando De Colo has scored in double figures in six straight and 14 of his last 15 EuroLeague games, and has had a double-digit PIR in 14 of his last 15 EuroLeague appearances.
De Colo has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last six EuroLeague games; he’s made multiple threes in five of those games and is shooting 17 for 27 from downtown (63.0%) from downtown over that stretch.
Nando De Colo is ranked second among qualified EuroLeague players this season in average performance index rating with 20.2 per game and in scoring with 17.2 points per game. He is tied for fourth in steals with 1.3 per contest.
Nando is fourth this season with in free-throw 94.5% accuracy. The Frenchman is the EuroLeague career leader in free throw accuracy at 93.55%.
De Colo needs 2 points to reach 500 points for the third season in a row. No player this century reach 500 points in a single season more than once.
Sergio Rodriguez has made 12 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague games.
He has collected at least 1 steal in six of his last seven EuroLeague appearances.
Sergio Rodriguez is second in the EuroLeague this season with 2.6 three-pointers made per game. El Chacho has 77 three-pointers made this season, and needs 1 more to tie Ali Muhammed of Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul for the second highest single-season total of three-pointer made. Muhammed made 78 triples on 201 attempts last season, Rodriguez made 77 on 173 attempts. Khimki’s Alexey Shved has set a new record this season with 91 triples on 283 attempts, and counting.
Rodriguez is seventh on the all-time EuroLeague assists charts with 899. Next on the list is his former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Llull with 902.
Cory Higgins has collected at least 1 steal in six of his last seven EuroLeague appearances.
Nikita Kurbanov has made 20 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague games.
Vitaly Fridzon has made 14 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague action.
Kyle Hines is third on the all-time EuroLeague charts with 440 offensive rebounds for his career. Hines is fourth all-time with 180 career blocks. Anadolu Efes center Bryant Dunston is third with 188 blocks.
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: 82-17
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)
EuroLeague
23-Mar-2018. Khimki – CSKA: 73-90 (+17)
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)
