Basketball Club Astana will play a home series against Tobol of Kostanay as part of the Kazakhstan National League. The games will take place on 15 and 16 December on Astana’s home court.
This will be another set of league games for both teams. Astana continues to build momentum as the season progresses and goes into the series looking to strengthen its position in the standings. Tobol, meanwhile, will be aiming to challenge the hosts on the road and show competitive basketball against one of the league’s leading teams.
Tobol has faced some roster issues at the start of the season. Due to injury, Shaim Kuanov is unavailable, which has affected the team’s rotation. As a result, the Kostanay side has been giving more minutes to young players, who are gaining valuable experience at National League level. One of Tobol’s key players so far has been Adilbek Bitenov, who is averaging 22 points, 2.5 assists, and 2 steals per game.
For Astana, E.J. Day has firmly taken on the role of team leader, combining scoring with playmaking. He is averaging 22.5 points, 8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Alexander Zhigulin leads the capital side in rebounds with 6.5 per game, while Ramil Urazbayev tops that category for Tobol with 4 rebounds on average.
Astana and Tobol share a long history of meetings. The teams have faced each other 54 times, with Astana winning 47 of those matchups. Their most recent encounter came earlier this season in the National League, where Astana claimed two away wins — 88:56 and 103:54.
The home games on 15 and 16 December will be an important part of Astana’s schedule and give fans another chance to support the team in a key National League matchup.
