By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Olimpia Milano 75 – 58 in Round 22 of the EuroLeague regular season and made another step towards securing a spot in the playoffs. The Israeli powerhouse was particularly effective in the second half, where it held its opponents at just 22 points and an overall season-low-tying scoring performance.
While Maccabi improved to 12 – 11 and is now seventh in the standings, Milano dropped to 16 – 8 and the fourth spot.
Jalen Reynolds posted 14 points and threw down one of the most impressive dunks of the season while James Nunnally had 14 points as well to pace Maccabi. Ante Zizic scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had two blocks for a team-high 20 PIR for the Yellows that led for the whole game after trailing 8 – 9 in the first period.
“I think it starts in practice,” Reynolds said on Maccabi’s improvement in recent games. “Obviously, Avi [Even] is such a good coach and put us in the position to do these things. I think tonight we played more together and I think that is the heartbeat of this team. When we play together, the sky’s the limit.”
Only Devon Hall (11 points) and Nicolo Melli (10 points, 12 rebounds) scored in double figures for a Milano team that lost its connection to the basket in the second half and finished with 19 turnovers.
With the score 42 – 41 three minutes into the third period, Maccabi made a 10 – 0 run and closed the quarter up 56 – 46. The hosts retained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the match and extended their lead close to 20 points down the stretch while Milano continued struggling on the offensive end.
“They played better and deserved to win,” Milano coach Ettore Messina said. “They did what they have been doing recently vey well: attack one-on-one, create a lot of situations with their athleticism. They were driving into the paint and they used very well both Zizic and Reynolds. Of course, they fully deserved the game. ”
The Menora Mivtachim factor
Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Avi Even commended his players for their effort and praised the fans for being “crazy” loud to push their team in their own way.
“First of all, this win came from a lot of energy from all the players that stepped on the floor, and every player that was on the bench,” Even said. “That’s the first thing. Second thing, the atmosphere and the energy that the crowd brought today was crazy. I think we played good basketball for most of the minutes. We pushed the ball inside to the right players.
“I am happy we managed to hold Milan to 58 points,” Even added. “It was a huge team effort in all defensive aspects. It was a tough game against a very good team, very well-coached. That’s it – going forward.”