Pre-game breakdown
The Army Men continue to work with no days-off. The team had two practices on Megasport floor.
Will Clyburn (knee) and Alexander Khomenko (works with CSKA-2) are not practicing.
The key number for CSKA this season is 80. CSKA is 6-1 when it has scored at least 80 points. It is 6-1 when its opponents have been held below 80 points.
Zalgiris has struggled on offense this season and ranks near the bottom in scoring (16th, 73.6 ppg.) and assists (16th 14.6 apg.) and is last in both three-pointers made (75) and three-point accuracy (31.4%). Marius Grigonis injury adds headaches to coach Sarunas Jasikevicius.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
We play the team that always fights and plays up to the level of the foul, that plays with big enthusiasm. So far Zalgiris has proved that they can play on a good level although the result is not proving that yet. They’ve beat Real and Fener still they lost to the teams that are struggling recently. They have a new addition, Rivers, experienced scorer. That says about the ambitions, that they want to be better. We have to be cautious. We are coming off a good EuroLeague game against Barcelona. Though we don’t live with illusions, it was not a real difference between the teams. But we were in good rhythm and executed our plays and our defense well. Also we had lapses in a game against UNICS, so we are kind of trying to find ourselves. We know it is going to be a tough game, we hope to have fans on our side and we will give our best to win it.
Kyle Hines, CSKA center:
It is a big game for us. Every time we play Zalgiris, I think because of the history between both teams, because of the rivalry, it is a heated battle, physical game. We know that they will come in and play hard, especially coming off the loss last week versus Berlin. We have to defend our homecourt, we haven’t play here in a while so it is a big opportunity for us to continue our journey through the entire season. We know it is not going to be an easy game at this part of the season, but if we play well together we have big opportunity to succeed.
“Relativity” connections
Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius played 4 seasons for Panathinaikos (2007-10, 11-12) when Dimitris Itoudis and Andreas Pistiolis were on the coaching staff.
Mike James was a teammate of Zalgiris’s K.C. River and Lukas Lekavicius at Panathinaikos Athens. James and Rivers played together for the most of two seasons, from 2016 to 2018 and Lekavicius joined them in the 2017-18 season.
Janis Strelnieks and Zach LeDay of Zalgiris were teammates at Olympiacos Piraeus last season.
Important numbers
Coach Itoudis has used 10 different players in the starting lineup this season. Only Nikita Kurbanov has started every game.
Mike James has made at least 1 three-point shot in 11 of his last 12 games.
James has scored in double figures in each of his last nine games. He ranks fifth this season with 18.6 points per game and tied for sixth in average PIR with 19.6 per game.
James and Darrun Hilliard are tied for fourth this season with 2.6 three-point shots made per game.
Darrun Hilliard has made at least 1 three-point shot in 10 of 11 games this season.
Janis Strelnieks has made 14 consecutive free throws. He ranks sixth all-time in free-throw accuracy at 91.2%.
Strelnieks has scored in double figures in each of his last five games.
Strelnieks has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last four games.
Nikita Kurbanov ranks second this season in three-point accuracy at 59.1%.
Kyle Hines ranks third all-time with 216 block shots.
Hines ranks second all-time with 529 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 695.
Hines ranks seventh all-time with 1,192 rebounds. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos is sixth with 1,256 and counting.
Past matchups
Wins/losses (since 1999): 24-7
1999-00 – Euroleague. Qualifying Round. Zalgiris – CSKA: 84-76 (-8)
1999-00 – Euroleague. Qualifying Round. CSKA – Zalgiris: 76-64 (+12)
1999-00 – NEBL. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 57-60 (+3)
2000-01 – NEBL. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 84-71 (+13)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 90-81 (+9)
2003-04 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 75-78 (+3)
2006-07 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 59-78 (+19)
2006-07 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 88-72 (+16)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 78-70 (+8)
2007-08 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 60-88 (+28)
2009-10 – VTB United League. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 90-74 (+16)
2009-10 – VTB United League. Regular Season Zalgiris – CSKA: 67-63 (-4)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Top 16. Zalgiris – CSKA: 68-83 (+15)
2009-10 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Zalgiris: 84-71 (+13)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 74-87 (+13)
2011-12 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 95-82 (+13)
2012-13 – VTB United League. Regular Season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 76-66 (-10)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16. Zalgiris – CSKA: 73-87 (+13)
2012-13 – VTB United League. Regular Season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 68-74 (-6)
2012-13 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Zalgiris: 70-61 (+9)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Zalgiris: 77-62 (+15)
2013-14 – Euroleague. Top 16. Zalgiris – CSKA: 86-88 (+2)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16. Zalgiris – CSKA: 59-94 (+35)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Top 16. CSKA – Zalgiris: 100-86 (+14)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 95-86 (+9)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 79-74 (-5)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 94-91 (+3)
2017-18 – EuroLeague. Regular season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 85-73 (-12)
2017-18 – EuroLeague. 3rd place game. CSKA – Zalgiris: 77-79 (-2)
2018-19 – EuroLeague. Regular season. CSKA – Zalgiris: 99-97 OT (+2)
2018-19 – EuroLeague. Regular season. Zalgiris – CSKA: 79-84 (+5)
Short dossier
Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania
Founded: 1944
Colors: green, white
Home court: Zalgirio Arena (15.000 çðèòåëåé)
President: Paulius Motejunas
Head coach: Sarunas Jasikevicius
Website: www.zalgiris.lt
Trophy case: Euroleague champion (1999), 32-time Lithuanian champion (1946, 1950, 1952-55, 1958, 1991-99, 2001, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2011-19), 4-time Baltic League champion (2005, 2008, 2011, 2012), NEBL champion (1999), 7-time Lithuanian Federation Cup winner (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018), Intercontinental Cup winner (1986), 4-time USSR champion (1951, 1985, 1986, 1987), USSR Cup winner
