Pre-game breakdown
Statistically Baskonia is the best possible opponent for CSKA. The Army Men got beaten just twice in Moscow, with one of the losses coming on the floot of Olimpiysky Sports Palace during the 2005 Final Four. The Red-Blues also won three playoff series: 3-1 in 2010, 3-1 in 2013 and 3-0 in 2017.
Mikhail Kulagin remains out for the Army Men with foot injury.
Baskonia returned Matt Janning to the roster after the guard missed 5 EuroLeague games due to injury.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
We start our playoff series, and it is going to be tough on this stage of the season. We will approach it game by game, so our focus is on the first one. We recently played against Baskonia and we know how strong they are. We expect a tough game, so I hope our fans also realize it and they will fill the stands to help us.
c.
Referees
Luigi Lamonica (Italy, crew chief), Olegs Latyshevs (Latvia), Anne Panther (Germany).
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 eight of his last nine games.
Will Clyburn is fifth in the EuroLeague in average performance index rating with 18.0 per game this season. He is fourth in rebounding with 7.1 per game.
The next time he enters the game, Will Clyburn will make his 100th appearance in the EuroLeague.
Cory Higgins has made 31 consecutive free throws in EuroLeague action, Andrey Vorontsevich has made 13.
Higgins has made at least 1 three-pointer in eight straight EuroLeague games. He is second in the league in three-point accuracy this season at 53.16%.
Cory Higgins ranks second in the league in scoring this season with 14.9 points per game. Nando De Colo is sixth with 13.96.
Cory Higgins needs 29 more points to reach 1,500 for his EuroLeague career.
Nando De Colo ranks sixth in free-throw accuracy this season with 93.94%. He is the EuroLeague’s career leader in free-throw accuracy at 93.7%.
De Colo needs 1 more two-point shot to make 600 for his career. He ranks 20th all-time.
Kyle Hines ranks fourth all-time with 206 blocked shots. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv big man Alex Tyus is third with 209.
Hines is third in EuroLeague history with 497 offensive rebounds. Paulius Jankunas of Zalgiris is second with 499. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 695.
Hines is ranked 10th in competition history with 1,122 rebounds. Antonis Fotsis is ninth with 1,124.
Kyle Hines needs 3 more appearances to reach 250 games played.
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 362 three-point shots made; Retired Panathinaikos star Dimitris Diamantidis is ninth with 372.
Rodriguez needs 7 steals to reach 200 for his EuroLeague career.
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 27-8
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)
2018-19 – Euroleague. Regular Season: CSKA – Baskonia: 82-78 (+4)
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);
