Zenit vs UNICS. Game 4 preview
Opponent
The opening knockdown that Zenit delivered at the start of the third semifinal match immediately knocked the Kazan team out of the game, and they were never able to recover. The score gap persisted throughout the entire match, and by the final buzzer, it had become outright indecent — 103:74. The key factor in the victory was the Blue-White-Sky Blues' shooting from beyond the arc — 18 of 32 three-pointers found their target (56.3%). In comparison, their opponent made only 7 of 24 (29.2%).
However, despite the convincing victory, it's worth paying attention to the problems that have been plaguing the St. Petersburg team throughout this series. For example, turnovers. Yesterday there were 18; in Kazan — 19 in the game they won and 14 in the one they lost.
Speaking of the opponent, UNICS's offensive potential has certainly decreased due to Jalen Reynolds, who was injured in the second match. Despite the fact that the center avoided a serious injury, his ailing knee prevented him from showing his maximum the day before — 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block shot in just over 15 minutes on the court. At the same time, the visitors' leader was Marcus Bingham, who this time made nearly all his shots from the field (10/13), though that still didn't help his team compete for the win.
Head-to-head
We are facing the 53rd game within the VTB United League. Task №1 for tomorrow is to reduce UNICS's advantage in this rivalry to a minimum: so far, it's 27 wins for Kazan versus 25 for St. Petersburg. And, of course, we all expect that by the next game in Kazan, the team will be approaching it as a decisive one with a "+2" lead in the series.
Direct speech
Zenit head coach Dejan Radonjić — ahead of Game 4:
We need to be ready to play good enough defensively one more time and to improve our box out segment. So, offensively to control the rhythm, to play with less turnovers. Of course, tomorrow we need the support from our fans, like they did the first home semifinal game. It will be very important for us.
Who. Where. When.
Opponent: UNICS
Location: CSC Arena, St. Petersburg
Date: May 19, 19:30 (local time)
Broadcast: Okko Sport, Match! Strana, VTB United League website, VK Video, Start
Tickets available on the club’s website
