Pre-game breakdown
CSKA has already locked up second place in the standings and cannot move up to first or down to third regardless of other results. Accordingly, the main goal for Coach Dimitris Itoudis’s men will be to stretch their winning streak to four games before the playoffs. Baskonia leads the hunt for one of the remaining playoff spots and with a win will clinch sixth place and a date with Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. A Baskonia loss will complicate matters with possibilities of tiebreakers that could see Coach Perasovic’s side fall as far back as ninth place.
Baskonia arrived in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon and hosted 2 full practices since then. Tornike Shengelia is back to lineup after injury.
Mikhail Kulagin remains out for the Army Men. The cast is removed from the guard’s foot but he is still unable to put the load on the foot.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
We play against a team that has high motivation, they have quality and athleticism. For them it is the ultimate game, the ultimate fight. This is how we have to approach the game, too. It doesn’t change our standings but it is all about our performance, psychology, playing for our fans.
Alec Peters, CSKA forward:
I expect to see great crowd, great atmosphere here, we play last game of the regular season so I hope our fans will come to feel some excitement. I also expect us to play focused and determined especially taking into account our previous game [VTB League loss to UNICS]. We need to finish the regular season on a high note.
Referees
Boris Ryzhik (Ukraina, crew chief), Milivoje Jovcic (Serbia), Jurgis Laurinavicius (Lithuania).
Close relations
Nando De Colo and Baskonia forward Toko Shengelia were teammates at Valencia Basket during the 2009-10 season and won the 2010 EuroCup title together.
Daniel Hackett and Baskonia sharpshooter Matt Janning were teammates at Montepaschi Siena during the 2012-13 season.
Important numbers
Head coach Dimitris Itoudis has used 12 different players in CSKA’s starting lineups this season; no player has started in every EuroLeague game.
Will Clyburn has recorded a performance index rating in double figures in seven of his last eight games. He is fifth in the EuroLeague in average performance index rating with 17.9 per game this season. He is also tied for third in rebounding with 7.1 per game.
Cory Higgins has made 27 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague action.
Andrey Vorontsevich has made 13 straight free throws in EuroLeague games.
Higgins has made at least 1 three-pointer in seven straight EuroLeague games. He is second in the league in three-point accuracy this season at 53.3%.
Cory Higgins ranks second in the league in scoring this season with 15.0 points per game. Nando De Colo is fifth with 14.1.
Nando De Colo has made 11 straight free throws in EuroLeague games. He ranks second in free-throw accuracy this season with 95.6%. Nando is the EuroLeague’s career leader in free-throw accuracy at 93.9%.
Sergio Rodriguez has made 10 straight free throws in EuroLeague games.
Sergio Rodriguez ranks fifth all-time with 1,072 assists; Former CSKA great Milos Teodosic is fourth with 1,126.
Rodriguez is 10th all-time with 361 three-point shots made; Retired Panathinaikos star Dimitris Diamantidis is ninth with 372.
Rodriguez needs 7 steals to reach 200 for his EuroLeague career.
Kyle Hines ranks fourth all-time with 205 blocked shots. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv big man Alex Tyus is third with 208 and counting.
Hines needs 4 more offensive rebounds to become only the third man in EuroLeague history to reach 500 for his career. He currently has 496 offensive rebounds.
Hines is ranked 10th in competition history with 1,120 rebounds. Antonis Fotsis is ninth with 1,124.
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 26-8
2001-02 – Euroleague. Top 16: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 73-87 (+14)
2001-02 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 73-90 (-17)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Top 16: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 77-80 (+3)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 84-82 (+2)
2004-05 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 88-83 (+5)
2004-05 – Euroleague. Regular season: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 81-85 (+4)
2004-05 – Euroleague. Final Four. Semifinal: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 78-85 (-7)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 82-76 (+6)
2005-06 – Euroleague. Top 16: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 70-63 (-7)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular season: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 76-85 (+9)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – TAU Ceramica: 70-62 (+8)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Final Four. Semifinal: TAU Ceramica – CSKA: 79-83 (+4)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Regular season: Caja Laboral – CSKA: 67-71 (+4)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Regular season: CSKA – Caja Laboral: 84-83 (+1)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Caja Laboral: 86-63 (+23)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Caja Laboral: 83-63 (+20)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Caja Laboral – CSKA: 66-53 (-13)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Caja Laboral – CSKA: 70-74 (+4)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Caja Laboral: 89-78 (+11)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Caja Laboral: 90-68 (+22)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Caja Laboral – CSKA: 93-72 (-21)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Caja Laboral – CSKA: 85-94 (+9)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Laboral Kutxa: 99-90 (+9)
2014-15 – Euroleague. Top 16: Laboral Kutxa – CSKA: 74-81 (+7)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16: Laboral Kutxa – CSKA: 81-71 (-10)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16: CSKA – Laboral Kutxa: 90-78 (+12)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Baskonia: 112-84 (+28)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Baskonia – CSKA: 79-78 (-1)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Baskonia: 98-90 (+8)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: CSKA – Baskonia: 84-82 (+2)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals: Baskonia – CSKA: 88-90 (+2)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Baskonia – CSKA: 81-90 (+9)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Baskonia: 93-86 (+7)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season: Baskonia – CSKA: 76-73 (-3)
Short dossier
Baskonia Vitoria, Spain
Founded: 1959
Colors: red, dark blue, white
Home arena: Fernando Buesa Arena (15,504)
President: Jose Antonio Querejeta
Head coach: Velimir Perasovic
Website: www.baskonia.com
Trophy case: 2-time Spanish champion (2002, 08); 5-time Copa del Rey winner (1995, 99, 2002, 04, 06); 4-time Spanish SuperCup winner (2005, 06, 07, 08); Saporta Cup winner (1996)
