KYIV (Interstat) — Kyiv will host Volyn Lutsk on Thursday at Kiev Sports Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, with the home side holding a 6-3 record and the visitors sitting at 3-6. Kyiv has won six of its first nine games and will try to defend its home court against a Volyn Lutsk team looking for a road result. The teams have already met once this season, with Kyiv earning an 89-82 win at Volyn Lutsk. The rematch will be the second meeting between the clubs this season, and Kyiv will try to repeat that result.

Volyn Lutsk will lean on Svyatoslav Tovkach, who has been among its most productive players. In the team’s most recent game, a 66-64 loss to Goverla, Tovkach played 29 minutes and finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and one block. He had 12 rebounds and three points in a 73-72 win against Khmelnitsky and added 14 points and eight rebounds in a 75-66 victory at Cherkaski Mavpy. Tovkach also had seven points and 12 rebounds against BK Zaporozhye and six points, six rebounds and two assists against BC Dnipro. Nazar Korol added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block in the Goverla loss, while Lee Lovings Braxton scored 13 points.

Kyiv will counter with Javion May, who has shouldered a heavy workload. In Kyiv’s most recent game, an 80-69 loss to Kharkivski Sokoly, May played 32 minutes and had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He posted 16 points and nine rebounds at Goverla, 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists against Niko-Basket Mykolaiv, and had seven points, eight rebounds and four assists at Khmelnitsky. May also finished with eight points, two rebounds and four assists against Cherkaski Mavpy. Andrii Butko scored 12 points and Dmytro Likhoy added 10 in the recent loss.

Volyn Lutsk dropped its most recent game to Goverla 66-64. Kyiv fell to Kharkivski Sokoly 80-69. Volyn Lutsk has recent wins over Khmelnitsky and Cherkaski Mavpy, along with losses to Goverla, Mykolaiv, BK Zaporozhye, BC Dnipro, Rivne-Oshvsm and Kyiv. Kyiv has recent wins over Khmelnitsky, Mykolaiv, Cherkaski Mavpy, BC Dnipro and Rivne-Oshvsm, plus losses to Kharkivski Sokoly, Goverla and BK Zaporozhye. Volyn Lutsk is set to visit Kharkivski Sokoly next, while Kyiv is scheduled to host Rivne-Oshvsm.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Kyiv 83, Volyn Lutsk 78. Interstat’s ELO system gives Kyiv an 82.5 percent probability to win. Kyiv is installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -7.5, and the over/under for the game is 152.5.