By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rebuilding a double-digit advantage with a solid performance in the fourth quarter, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv got the job done against Baskonia.
The Israel champions secured the win, 89-81, in Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Tuesday.
Josh Nebo and James Webb III shared a team-high 17 points in Round 15 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Webb, 30, tallied five points in the last ten minutes as the lead reached the ten-point mark. “We turned up our defense, our intensity. They still hit a couple of shots, but we rebounded the ball well,” he described the improved performance after the break, “At the end, we just got stops. That was the major key.”
“I felt like the game plan was OK. We just needed to relax a little bit and believe in ourselves. And that is what we did,” added head coach Oded Kattash. His side jumped to 9-6 with a second win in a row.
“In the second half, we did a better job defensively. Just paying attention to the gameplan and the scouting report,” reacted Nebo after combining 11 rebounds with his team-high scoring effort.
Roman Sorkin chipped in 14 points behind 5/7 field goals to go with seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Bonzie Colson had 12 points behind closed doors in the capital of Serbia. Former Baskonia star, Wade Baldwin IV ended up with ten points. Captain John DiBartolomeo (groin) stayed on the injury list.
Baskonia falls to 8-7
After erasing an 11-point deficit, the visitors struggled to make buckets down the stretch and fell once more into a double-digit hole.
Markus Howard registered a game-high 19 points in the losing effort. Vanja Marinkovic followed with 16 points. EuroLeague’s rebounding leader Tadas Sedekerskis posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Matt Costello (right ankle sprain) was sidelined.
“I think that in the last three minutes, we did not play with patience in the offense,” losing head coach Dusko Ivanovic displayed the reason behind dropping to 8-7 with a second straight loss, after prevailing in the previous three road challenges of Europe’s premier club continental competition.
With ten points, eight assists, three rebounds, and one steal, Codi Miller-McIntyre extended his streak of performance index ratings over 15 to six games.
Up next
Completing the double-game week, the Yellows stay in Belgrade to face Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet on Thursday and Baskonia travels to Istanbul to take on Anadolu Efes on Friday.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net