There’s a big challenge ahead for Olimpia against Khimki, in Moscow: if Milan is 6-1, Khimki has a 5-2 record and is looking scary good. At home, Khimki is 3-0, the two losses came against Russian powerhouse CSKA and in Belgrade against the Red Star. Khimki has recovered – while still waiting for Timofey Mozgov – Stefan Jovic who had missed five games in a row following his debut against Maccabi. For Olimpia it is a historically significant game: it is the number 250 game played in the EuroLeague for the club, right while Milan is riding a a 6-game winning streak, the longest since the 2013/14 playoff season.
OLIMPIA – After a brief period with no injuries, Olimpia has to play without Arturas Gudaitis and Amedeo Della Valle. The latter set twice his EuroLeague career-best with 15 points and was instrumental in the wins over Fenerbahce and Baskonia. For the Olimpia guards a very tough tour de force begins, first facing Alexey Shved, then Scottie Wilbekin of Maccabi and finally the Micic-Larkin pair of Efes. All these four players are among the top 10 EuroLeague scorers.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “Khimki is a team with great offensive potential, built around an extraordinarily talented player like Alexey Shved. It’s going to be a tough, difficult game against a team well organized offensively by Coach Kurtinaitis. We have to find a new balance because of our injuries and, as always, defense, rebounds and patience at the offensive end of the floor will be absolutely necessary to try to win a very complicated road game.”
THE OPPONENT – Khimki with 87.0 points per game is the EuroLeague highest-scoring team, is very deep, likes to play a high-pace game and is taking 28 threes per game, six more than Olimpia takes, while leading the league. Alexey Shved is obviously the star of the team, the EuroLeague leading scorer (20.9), but also first for shots taken from the field, from three, for free throws made and attempted (47/50). Shved is also third in the assist category (5.9), second for fouls taken and first in the turnovers department (3.7), a signal of how many possessions he uses to handle. The other player who has always started is Devin Booker, a center coming from Bayern Munich, who’s averaging 13.6 points per game. Next to Shved, Stefan Jovic or Chris Kramer can handle the point-guard duties. Sergei Karassev, Vyatcheslav Zaitsev and the two Latvians, Dairis Bertans and Janis Timma are perimeter threats. Timma is scoring 12.7 points per game while converting 39.6% of his threes. Among the big men, Sweden’s Jonas Jerebko (43.8% from three), arrived in Russia after nine years spent in the NBA, Anthony Gill (9.6 points, 61.5% from three) is in his second season at Khimki, Jeremy Evans is a great leaper and terrific offensive rebounder who last year was playing at Darussafaka, and finally there’s Devin Booker, while the team is still waiting for Timofey Mozgov to return.
MISCELLANEA – Rodriguez has made at least one three-point shot in 13 of his last 14 games; he has made 10 consecutive free throws and has collected at least 1 steal in eight straight games. Sergio meanwhile has moved into fourth place all-time with 1,128 assists; Barcelona’s Thomas Heurtel is third with 1,173. He ranks seventh all-time with 394 three-pointers made. His former teammate, Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid, is sixth with 411 and counting. Rodriguez has moved into 11th place all-time with 2,536 career points. Ante Tomic of FC Barcelona is in 10th place with 2,661 and counting… Vlado Micov has made 19 consecutive free throws. He also has made at least 1 three-pointer in nine straight games and has scored in double figures in eight of his last nine. Micov is also 25 points away from reaching 2,000 for his EuroLeague career… Luis Scola ranks eighth all-time with 838 two-pointers made. Former Maccabi Nikola Vujcic is seventh with 850.
