Pre-game breakdown
The team got a day off on Monday, though actually all players came to the gym to practice individually.
Will Clyburn and Mikhail Kulagin stay out with injuries. Darrun Hilliard is questionable.
Zvezda returned to EuroLeague after 1-year absence by winning another Adriatic League title.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
Crvena Zvezda plays tough in every game. They showed how dangerous they are in recent game at Milan. The way they built a team during the offseason says a lot about their ambitions. They have a new head coach with big experience, new philosophy. We have to take this game very serious, we expect another difficult battle.
Kosta Koufos, CSKA center:
They are a very good team. We have to play CSKA basketball, we got a lot of good guards and bigs. We have to take it play by play.
“Relativity” connections
Zvezda forward James Gist and Mike James were teammates at Panathinaikos Athens for parts of two seasons, from 2016 to 2018.
Nikita Kurbanov and Derrick Brown were teammates at Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2014-15.
Stratos Perperoglou and Kyle Hines were teammates in Olympiacos when the Reds won the 2012 EuroLeague title in an unforgettable final against CSKA.
Greek forward played 5 seasons for PAO before, when Dimitris Itoudis and Andreas Pistiolis worked on the coaching staff.
Perperoglu played for Panionios in 2006-07 season when Kostas Chatsichristos was an athletic trainer there.
Nikola Jovanovic played in G-League with two CSKA players. He played with Darrun Hilliard for Grand Rapids Drive and with Ron Baker for Westchester Knicks.
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 13 of his last 14 games. James ranks fourth this season with 2.5 three-point shots made per game, and Darrun Hilliard is tied for sixth with 2.4 per contest.
James has scored in double figures in each of his last 11 games. James ranks fifth this season with 18.9 points per game.
James had recorded a performance index rating in double figures in 11 straight games. Mike James ranks seventh this season in average PIR with 19.3 per game.
Janis Strelnieks has made 17 consecutive free throws. Janis Strelnieks ranks sixth all-time in free-throw accuracy at 91.3%.
Strelnieks has scored in double figures in each of his last seven games.
Strelnieks has made a three-pointer in each of his last six games.
Nikita Kurbanov ranks second this season in three-point accuracy at 57.7%.
Kyle Hines ranks third all-time with 219 blocked shots.
Hines ranks second all-time with 534 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 695.
Hines ranks seventh all-time with 1,201 rebounds. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos is sixth with 1,262 and counting.
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 12-1
1969-70 – European Champions Cup. Group stage. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 82-85 (+3)
1969-70 – European Champions Cup. Group stage. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 105-92 (+7)
1972-73 – European Champions Cup. Semifinals. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 90-98 (+8)
1972-73 – European Champions Cup. Semifinals. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 100-83 (+17)
1999-00 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 86-62 (+24)
1999-00 – Euroleague. Preliminary Round. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 65-80 (+15)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 84-74 (+10)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 77-76 (+1)
2015-16 – Euroleague. Quarterfinals. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 71-78 (+7)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 78-67 (-11)
2016-17 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 102-80 (+22)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season. Crvena Zvezda – CSKA: 59-85 (+26)
2017-18 – Euroleague. Regular Season. CSKA – Crvena Zvezda: 92-81 (+11)
Short dossier
Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, Serbia
Founded: 1945
Colors: white, red
Homecourt: Stark Arena (25.000), Aleksandar Nikolić Hall (8.000)
President: Nebojsa Covic
Head coach: Dragan Sakota
Website: www.kkcrvenazvezda.rs
Trophy case:
- Cup Winners Cup (1974);
- ABA Champion (2015, 16, 17, 19);
- Yugoslavian champion (1946, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 69, 72, 93, 94, 98);
- Yugoslavian Cup winner (1971, 73, 75);
- Serbian champion (2015, 17, 18, 19);
- Serbian Cup winner (2004, 06, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
