Pre-game breakdown
Our team hosted individual practice on Tuesday and team practice on Wednesday. Fortunately, Semen Antonov and Joel Bolomboy recovered after illnesses, Darrun Hilliard and Howard Sant-Roos were able to work out with their teammates. They remain a game-time decision.
Will Clyburn (ACL), Janis Strelnieks (hamstring) and Andrey Vorontsevich (ankle) are out.
Pre-game quotes
Dimitris Itoudis, CSKA head coach:
It is a derby of Moscow. Lets not forget they were dominant the last time we played there [in VTB League game], they played better and grabbed well-deserved win. They have a very good team and we are ready to fight.
Daniel Hackett, CSKA guard:
It is very important game for our club, for our fans. We know this. As players we have to go there, play hard, compete and do our best to win the game.
Close relations
Khimki players Alexey Shved, Sergey Monia and Egor Vialtsev all played for CSKA. Shved played parts of seven seasons for CSKA between 2005 and 2012 and won the 2008 EuroLeague with the club. Monia spent three seasons with CSKA and Vialtsev two. Rimas Kurtinaitis played for CSKA in the 1981-82 season.
Dimitris Itoudis coached Khimki guard Stefan Markovic two seasons ago in Turkey at Banvit Bandirma.
Important numbers
Coach Itoudis has used 10 different players in his starting lineups this season. Only Nikita Kurbanov has started every game.
Mike James has made at least 1 three-point shot in 14 straight games. He ranks fifth this season with 2.9 three-point shots made per game.
James has scored in double figures in each of his last 19 games. James ranks third in scoring this season with 21.1 points per game.
James has recorded a performance index rating in double figures in 18 of his last 19 games. Mike James is tied for second this season in average PIR with 21.8 per game.
Johannes Voigtmann has made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last seven games; he is shooting 16 for 28 (57.1%) from downtown over that stretch.
Nikita Kurbanov has made 10 consecutive free throws.
Darrun Hilliard has made 10 consecutive free throws.
Kyle Hines has blocked at least 1 shot in seven straight games.
Kyle Hines ranks third all-time with 228 blocked shots. Injured Anadolu Efes center Bryant Dunston is second with 242 career rejections.
Hines ranks second all-time with 558 offensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is the all-time leader with 696.
Hines ranks sixth all-time with 938 two-pointers made. Mike Batiste is fifth with 949.
Hines ranks seventh all-time with 1,243 rebounds. Mirsad Turkcan is sixth with 1,287.
Kyle Hines needs 6 more steals to reach 200 for his career.
Janis Strelnieks ranks fifth all-time in free-throw accuracy at 91.2%.
Daniel Hackett needs 9 rebounds to reach 500 for his career.
Past matchups
Wins-losses: 93-20.
CSKA biggest win: 104-64 (+40) (2002-03 Superleague Regular Season)
CSKA biggest loss: 85-67 (-18) (2007-08 Russian Cup Final)
Games of 2019-20 season:
17-Oct-2019. EuroLeague. Regular Season. CSKA – Khimki: 99-86 (+13)
06-Jan-2020. VTB League. Regular Season. Khimki – CSKA: 96-80 (-16)
Short dossier
Khimki Moscow Region
Founded: 1997
Colors: blue, yellow
Home court: Moscow Region Basketball Center (3,500), Arena Mytishchi (7,000)
President: Dmitry Golubkov
CEO: Pavel Astakhov
Head coach: Rimas Kurtinaitis
Website: www.bckhimki.ru
Trophy Case: 2-time Eurocup winners (2012, 15), Russian Cup winner (2008), VTB United League champion (2011), 9-time Russian League runner-up (2006, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18), Russian League bronze winner (2007), Russian Cup finalist (2006), FIBA-Europe Cup finalist (2006), Eurocup finalist (2009)
