Dnepr player Maksim Zakurdaev He shared his expectations from the Kiev tour, where his team will play Kiev-Basket (January 17) and Rivne (January 18).

– Maxim, Dnepr played two matches last week against Hoverla and Stary Lutsk and won both. How difficult were these matches for you after the break in the championship?

– We always maintain our physical shape, we worked hard for this during the holidays and the short break of the championship. Probably the fact that we were going to Zaporozhye by bus left its mark on our game. For this reason, the first quarters were not very successful for us. Then we increased the tempo and gained an advantage. All in all, these two wins were quite convincing for us.

– In what mode did you practice this week, considering that the next match will be played against Kiev-Basket?

– In addition to the general training regime, we train directly according to our plan, which explains how to prepare for the game. We rested after the matches in Zaporozhye and stayed in shape for two days by playing some combinations that Kiev-Basket usually uses. After Kyiv-Basket, we will prepare for the Rivne match.

– The only team that defeated you in local tournaments last season was “Kyiv-Basket”. Now this is your main rival?

– Probably not, not essential. We won a lot against them. They are also among the leaders in the rankings, so this is a very important match for us. We want to defeat those close to us.

– On November 1, you defeated Kyiv-Basket with a score of 70:69. Do you think it will be such a close match this time too?

– It’s hard to say, but I think our advantage will be 10+.

– Egor Sushkin showed himself last season in “Kiev-Basket”, and this season Artem Romanitsa showed himself no less well. How do you plan to control this active youth?

“We can contain them.” You just shouldn’t let these guys get away with it. Of course they are ambitious and they really want to win. But we are trying to play smart, so stopping the youth is not a difficult task for us. It’s nice to play against such promising players. Moreover, Sushkin gained more experience in the national team, where he performed very well. Playing against such young and ambitious players and trying to control them is actually an interesting challenge.

– When you look at the average level of the teams, is the current championship stronger than the previous one?

– I thought I was getting stronger at the beginning of the championship, but now I don’t know… “Cherkassy Mavpy” experienced a big decline with the departure of Agafonov. Some other teams have slowed down a bit compared to the start of the championship. On the other hand, there are teams such as “Old Lutsk”, which, on the contrary, have begun to add. In general, I think the level remains the same as last season.

– You averaged 9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13 games this season. How satisfied are you with your personal statistics?

– I’m not very happy. These are role-playing statistics… But if we win, these indicators are sufficient for the success of the team. I’m trying to play better and help more.

– “Kyiv-Basket” match will be played in the capital’s Veneto Sports Palace. This means there will be a lot of opposition fans. Does this create extra pressure for you, or on the contrary, is it nice to have the hall filled with spectators?

– Yes, the atmosphere is very nice. He plays with emotions well, especially when the hall is full of spectators. Even if the hall is physically cold, you feel some kind of warmth inside. For example, in Zaporozhye, fans are not allowed to come to the match and the game may appear gray somewhere. The picture is somehow missing. In this sense, it is quite difficult there; You can lose your concentration, you can get confused… But it’s nice if there are fans, even if they are rivals. We are already experienced players, we do not care who the fans support on the field. In the current realities, we are happy that spectators come to watch basketball.

– Besides Kiev-Basket, you will also play against Rivne, the only team to defeat Dnepr this season. Do you promise to take your revenge powerfully?

– Of course we want to win and prove that the defeat was a mistake. Somewhere we did not adapt well to this game, we relaxed… We need to give a worthy answer and prove that “Rovno” won because we played poorly.

4 matches will be played in the regular season of the Basketball Super League on Saturday, January 17.

10 teams will compete in the Super League in the 2025/26 season.

All the important moments of the matches are available in LIVE mode Telegram Sport.ua

Basketball. Ukrainian Super League

January 17

Lutsk. Youth and Youth Sports School

• 13:00. Prykarpattya-Hoverla – Niko-Basket (YouTube FBU)
• 16:00. Old Lutsk – Krivbass (Kyivstar TV)

Kyiv. PS Veneto

• 14:00. Rivne – Zaporozhye (Kyivstar TV)
• 17:00. Kyiv-Basket – Dnepr (Suspilne Sport, YouTube FBU)

tournament table

13:00. Prykarpattya-Hoverla – Niko-Sepet

14:00. Rivne – Zaporozhye

16:00. Old Lutsk – Krivbass

17:00. Kyiv-Basket – Dnepr

Six games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of January 16-17.

Clippers beat Toronto away.

The Raptors took the lead from the beginning and controlled the match. Coming from Los Angeles for the first time in the match, the guest team managed to take the lead with 64:63 in the third quarter alone. However, Toronto quickly regained the advantage and controlled the game with a score of +11 with 89:78 left in the fourth quarter. The Clippers started with an 11-0 run and the game was tied at 89-89. After that, the home team once again allowed the home team to escape, but they did not miss a single shot in the last three and a half minutes of the quarter, making a move at 8:0 and equalizing the score: 109:109.

All the points in this period of the match were scored by Harden, who added four more points in overtime, creating an advantage of 113:109 for his team and 121:117 for the Clippers.

Harden had a double-double in this game with 31 points and 10 rebounds. Zubac also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Philadelphia lost at home to Cleveland and fell out of the playoff zone.

The match was even and tense: the teams took the lead 11 times and the score was tied 12 more times. Lastly, Maxi equalized by converting a two-pointer 9 seconds before the siren. However, the match did not go to overtime because Mobley scored the two-point victory with 5 seconds left in the game. The result is 117:115 in favor of Cleveland.

The most productive player of this match was Tyson, who scored 39 points for the Cavaliers, while Mitchell had a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists; Just one rebound away from a triple-double.

Houston defeated Minnesota at home in a match played by the top 5 teams in the West.

The Timberwolves took the lead early in the game and controlled the game throughout the first half, while the home team could never take the lead. As a result, the score was 55:53 in favor of Minnesota, while its maximum advantage reached 12 points (27:15). At the beginning of the third quarter, Houston managed to take the lead 59:57 but could not seize the initiative. There was an even contest up the field, and the decisive factor of the match was the Rockets’ 7:0 attack in the first minutes of the fourth quarter. After that, the home team controlled the course of the match and won the match 110:105.

For the Rockets, Durant scored 39 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds.

NBA. Regular season, January 17

Indiana-New Orleans-127:119 (31:33, 42:33, 29:27, 25:26)

indiana: Huff (29 + 9 rebounds), Siakam (27), Nembhard (19 + 10 assists), Nesmith (12), Furphy (7) – start; Jackson (12), McConnell (8 + 9 assists), Walker (6), Sheppard (4), Bradley (3 + 9 rebounds).

new orleans: Williamson (27 + 7 assists), Murphy (22), Bay (20), Fiers (16), Quinn (14 + 12 rebounds) – start; Poole (11), McGowens (4), Matkovic (3), Missey (2), Hawkins (0).

Philadelphia – Cleveland – 115:117 (31:31, 31:24, 29:29, 24:33)

Philadelphia: Embiid (33), Maxey (22 + 9 assists + 5 steals), George (14), Edgecombe (10), Barlow (2) – starts; Grimes (14 + 7 rebounds), Oubre (12), Bona (4), Watford (4), Walker (0).

cleveland: Tyson (39), E. Mobley (15 + 4 blocks), Mitchell (13 + 9 rebounds + 12 assists + 6 turnovers), Allen (10 + 7 rebounds), Porter (2 + 11 assists) – start; Hunter (16), Proctor (13), Tomlin (9), Ball (0).

Brooklyn – Chicago – 112:109 (27:23, 30:17, 32:32, 23:37)

Brooklyn: Porter (26 + 7 rebounds), Clowney (23 + 11 rebounds), Claxton (7 + 14 rebounds), Diomin (5), Powell (3) – start; Sharp (14), Wolf (13), Thomas (8), Traore (8+7 ​​assists), Mann (5).

Chicago: Vucevic (19), White (17), Buzelis (15 + 4 blocked shots), Jones (11), Okoro (6) – starts; Dosunmu (18), Smith (14 + 13 rebounds + 4 blocks), Williams (7), Herter (2), Terry (0).

Toronto – Clippers – 117:121 Overtime (32:24, 29:28, 28:26, 20:31, 8:12)

toronto: Barnes (24 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Ingram (19 + 5 turnovers), Shedd (15 + 13 assists), Agbaji (15), Murray-Boyles (11) – start; Dick (15 + 7 rebounds), Mamukelashvili (13), Martin (5), Lawson (0).

cutting machines: Harden (31 + 10 assists), Zubac (16 + 14 rebounds), Dunn (15 + 5 losses), Sanders (13), Batum (0) – start; Miller (19 + 6 assists), Christie (16), Niederhauser (5), B. Lopez (3), Washington (3), Brown (0).

Houston-Minnesota-110:105 (29:34, 24:21, 28:27, 29:23)

Houston: Durant (39 + 7 assists + 5 losses), Shengyun (25 + 14 rebounds), Thompson (14 + 7 rebounds), Smith (9), Okogie (1) – start; Sheppard (14), Tate (4), Capela (4), Davison (0), Finney-Smith (0).

Minnesota: Randle (39 + 5 turnovers), McDaniels (15 + 7 rebounds), Gobert (10 + 13 rebounds), DiVincenzo (8 + 8 rebounds), Conley (6) – start; Reed (25 + 9 rebounds), Hyland (2), Clark (0), Beranger (0).

Sacramento – Washington – 128:115 (41:22, 26:39, 34:23, 27:31)

sacramento: Westbrook (26 + 6 assists), DeRozan (17), LaVine (16), Achiuwa (16), Reynaud (4 + 8 rebounds) – start; Schroeder (15), Sabonis (13), Clifford (9+7 rebounds), Cardwell (8+8 rebounds), Monk (4).

washington: Sarr (19), Johnson (18), Shempeni (15 + 7 rebounds), George (15 + 8 rebounds), Carrington (11 + 9 assists) – start; Brenham (13), Bagley (8), Watkins (6), Riley (6), Johnson (4), Hill (0).

tournament tables

Western Conference

Eastern Conference