Parnu at Keravnos Strovolou
STROVOLOS, Cyprus (Interstat) — Parnu will visit Keravnos Strovolou on Wednesday at Keravnos Stadium in Strovolos, Cyprus, in a matchup between a team with four games behind it and a home side opening its season.
Parnu enters with a 2-2 record. The Estonian club split its first four contests, winning two straight before falling in its most recent game. Parnu dropped a 79-78 decision at Kalev-Cramo despite a balanced scoring effort. Illya Sidorov finished with 15 points, two rebounds and six assists. Klavs Dubults added 15 points, six rebounds and one block, while Mihkel Kirves contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Earlier in the season, Parnu defeated Neftchi IK 73-61 at home, topped Liepāja Triobet 76-73 and opened with a 80-67 road loss at Neftchi IK. The team has shown the ability to score in bursts, though it has yet to string together consecutive wins. Parnu has scored at least 73 points in three of its four games this season.
Keravnos Strovolou enters at 0-0 and will be playing its first game of the season. The Cypriot club’s most recent result was a 76-75 road loss at AEK Larnaca. Keravnos has not played since that one-point defeat. It will host Parnu at Keravnos Stadium. Parnu will be on the road again after playing two home games among its first four.
Klavs Dubults is the player to watch for Parnu. The forward has scored in double figures in each of his last four games. He had 21 points and four rebounds at Neftchi IK, 11 points, four rebounds and one assist against BK Liepaja, 13 points and nine rebounds against Neftchi IK, and 15 points with six rebounds and a block in the most recent loss at Kalev-Cramo. Dubults has also blocked a shot in each of the past two games and recorded one assist in two of those contests. He logged 25 minutes in the latest game and 26 minutes in each of the previous three.
Parnu’s schedule continues with home games against Keila, Nancy, Vienna, Latvijas Univ, Valmiera, Szczecin, Ventspils and BC Tartu, plus road matchups at VEF Riga and Nitra Blue Wings. Keravnos is set to visit Frederick Achilleas, Nitra Blue Wings, Apollon BC, Vienna, Nancy and AEL, and will host Morphou, Szczecin, Anorthosis and Sigal Prishtina. Both teams have busy stretches ahead, but Wednesday’s meeting offers Parnu a chance to move above .500 and Keravnos a chance to start its season on a positive note.
Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Parnu 96, Keravnos Strovolou 89.