By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After a four-game winning streak, Panathinaikos visited Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade but wasn’t able to bring back a win to OAKA, being trapped by the Israeli side’s effort to stay ahead in the game through difficulties, coming out victorious at 90-75. Maccabi, instead, ended its two-game losing streak.
Wade Baldwin IV led Oded Kattash’s team scoring-wise with 22 points and 8 assists, while also drawing 7 fouls from the Greek powerhouse’s players. “It was a good game to get back on track. We found a weak link in their defense, we attacked it. It was a must-win for us”, he commented after the game. “I’m really happy about the way we responded, we came out with the right energy”, Oded Kattash said.
His backcourt partner Lorenzo Brown added 14 points and 7 assists. Being close to a double-double already in the first half, Josh Nebo completed it at 14 points and 12 rebounds. Bonzie Colson also helped by adding 14 points in decisive minutes. “It was a battle tonight. We have to enjoy this win and take each game at a time”, the American center commented.
Jerian Grant was once again everywhere on the court, ending with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Coming off the bench for a career-high 17 points, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis showed his stunning shooting skills in the second half. Dinos Mitoglou added 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Ioannis Papapetrou played his first EuroLeague minutes after a three-month injury break.
“Maccabi deserved the victory, we tried to come back with switching defense but we weren’t successful. Without point guards, we can’t play basketball”, Ergin Ataman said referring to the absences of both Kostas Sloukas and Luca Vildoza.
Maccabi Tel Aviv survived the comeback attempt by Pana
After a pretty balanced first quarter, Kendrick Nunn opened the second from beyond the arc, putting Ergin Ataman’s team ahead 24-18 following a 9-0 run early in the game. Maccabi Tel Aviv, however, didn’t surrender, as demonstrated by Josh Nebo’s heavy block on Mathias Lessort at 5:49 on the clock. He then took flight with 1:05 minutes before halftime, continuing to dominate.
Lorenzo Brown put his team ahead by seven points with a 14-1 run to conclude the second half up 43-36. In the third, Panathinaikos showed some character sigh a 10-0 run to get from down 13 points (55-42) to down only by one single possession at 55-52. Bonzie Colson and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis ended the third quarter with back-to-back clutch three-pointers, keeping balance heading into the last ten minutes.
Kostas Antetokounmpo shattered Lorenzo Brown’s attempts twice, keeping on being effective for Ergin Ataman’s team. Completing a 2+1 play, Wade Baldwin IV re-put Maccabi ahead by seven points at 4:55 minutes before the final buzzer. Bonzie Colson closed things up in the final minute of action with a deep three-pointer, signing the season sweep by the Israeli side over Panathinaikos.
In next week’s double-game action, Maccabi Tel Aviv will visit Real Madrid and Baskonia on the road, while Panathinaikos will first host Milan and then travel to Kaunas to face Zalgiris. Before the game, both teams honored their former assistant coach Lior Lubin, who recently passed away at 46 years of age.
Maccabi and @paobcgr players during a moment of silence in memory of Lior Lubin 🙏 pic.twitter.com/w52Z40pumz
— Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 (@MaccabiTLVBC) January 25, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague