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Nizhny in the race for Top 4, Riga for playoffs

The Russians are the favorite but Riga's performances over the last few weeks deserve respect and they will be looking for their chances today

Last week's slip against Samara was a huge step in the wrong direction for Nizhny in their bid to qualify for the Top 4. They are still in the race with the same number of defeats as Lokomotiv and Zenit but no longer have the lead in the table. 

When it comes to Euroleague, they already lost realistic chance of making it into quarterfinals, but playing CSKA home is enough motivation as it is. It seemed like Bagatskis' team was close to bringing another great team down as they scored 55 points against CSKA in 20 minutes. They had a 15-point lead at one point but CSKA went full throttle in the second half to display their power. They won by only 4 points in the end, even though it could have been more.

- We were calm and playing a clever game in the first half but we made some mistakes in the third quarter, allowing them to take advantage of them. Details decided the game. Good thing is, we were complete again after a long time - Bagatskis said.

Nizhny left a great impression in their debut Euroleague season and can now focus on chasing a spot in it next season as well. Getting through to VTB final again in this competition won't be easy but playing home in quarterfinals would be very important. The defeat to Samara was a great lesson and Bagatskis will certainly not allow his players to underestimate Riga today.

- Riga have changed compared to the first game. They are in great form and we need to pay special attention today. They are very dangerous, especially their back court. We are fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs, which is why we need to win - Bagatskis said.

Riga recorded a very bad defeat in the first head-to-head with Nizhny, being up to 30 points down home. But they have improved form a lot since. They won 5 out of the last 9 games, losing to only top teams, with their win in Krasnodar proving they can be a threat even for those teams. The put up a good fight against Khimki last round to win the rebound battle (41-32, 16 offensive rebounds) but in the end couldn't overcome the opponents. 

Regardless of that defeat, Riga are still doing very good in the playoff race. They are 10-13 at the moment, Astana are 10-16 and Kalev 11-14. One of those three teams will be the last one to make it into playoffs given the current situation, which means that head-to-head matches will be very important. Riga are set to meet Kalev next round and meet Astana in Kazakhstan at the very end of regular season.

Coach Mazurs said, following the Khimki defeat, that playing one game per week, which is the schedule they are on at the moment, is optimal. The team had enough time to prepare for this match to try and put up as good a fight as possible against Nizhny. The home team have a few players that are very difficult to stop when on a roll. Also, Mekel and Rohestie's cooperation is increasingly better. Kinsey and Thompkins are back after recovering from injuries. Two of them and Parahouski will try and be dominate in the key. Nizhny are the favorites but Riga's performances over the past few weeks deserve respect and they will be looking for their chances today. 

Nizhny went well over this margin home with Europe's top defenses (Oly, CSKA, Efes). They managed to score 55 against CSKA by halftime, but CSKA kicked it up a notch in the second half. Riga will, however, be a whole different story. Nizhny are finally complete, Riga could be as well as Robinson is set to make a comeback after a long time. That is only an extra reason for this bet, but I'm at this moment not counting Robinson in. Riga prefer fast-paced, offense-oriented basketball too, with a lot of three-point shots and I think this game is more likely to end at 170-180 than under 160 points.