Perasovic smiles again as UNICS will sign a new player / News - Basketnews.com

Velimir Perasovic smiles again. Not only he met his son Ivan in Lithuania, but also UNICS Kazan snapped a three-game losing streak.

Player of the Game EFF 23 John Brown Points 15 Accuracy 7-14 Rebounds 11 Assists 0

UNICS overcame Zalgiris 76-67 to stay in the playoff pool with 13 wins and ten losses.

"It was a very tough one for us, but we found a way to win," UNICS head coach Perasovic told in the post-game press conference. "I respect Zalgiris a lot because they play really good defense. They're an extremely disciplined team, so you need to be very serious all game to win. I'm happy because we're still in the playoffs race."

Although, the fight for the playoff spot remains very tight.

Three 8-10th seeded teams, Anadolu Efes, AS Monaco, and FC Bayern Munich, are behind UNICS with 12 wins, breathing down their necks in the EuroLeague standings.

On January 20, UNICS beat Barcelona on their post-COVID return but then fell into a three-game losing hole, dropping games against Real Madrid (68-85), CSKA Moscow (75-86), and ALBA Berlin (53-81).

"We had problems with Covid," Perasovic explained to BasketNews. "A lot of players were out for 14 days. We couldn't practice. After Covid, we played well in some games, but this is not real. Physically we're not in shape like before."

Perasovic also mentioned that with so many games on the schedule and all these long trips, they need some fresh legs to keep the level of unmatched UNICS energy.

"We try to have a deeper roster, so we'll try to sign some players to help us," Perasovic confirmed to BasketNews. "We need to have a little more options."

A 56-year-old head coach didn't specify the position he wanted to strengthen the most. But per BasketNews sources, UNICS are targeting swingman.

After the game, Perasovic celebrated with his 19-year-old son Ivan Perasovic, who's playing in Lithuania, Labas GAS Prienai.

2,01 m forward averages 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).

In January, Perasovic had some solid games against two of the three best LKL teams, Lietkabelis Panevezys (9 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST) and Rytas Vilnius (11 PTS, 6 REB).

Ivan was watching his father coaching UNICS on-site in the Zalgirio arena.

"He's very happy in Lithuania. It's not easy for a 19-year-old to play abroad for the first time in his life. But he loves basketball. He has a good coach, good teammates, and he improved. But it's very tough for him. Especially for his mother," Perasovic smiled. "Thanks for asking."

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