By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Just 48 hours after losing by 21 points to Barcelona, Maccabi almost prevailed in the same court over Olympiacos.
However, the Greeks got the 95-94 win to get a 3-2 record, while Maccabi dropped to 1-4.
Olympiacos is still missing Evan Fournier, Thomas Walkup, Keenan Evans, and Shaq McKissic, but Nikola Milutinov and Sasa Vezenkov scored 23 points each, while Tyler Dorsey added 18.
Jeffrey Dowtin Jr. was the star of Maccabi with a career game of 24 points on 8/9 FG, including six made threes.
Lonny Walker added 15 points but missed the chance to be the hero of the night, and Jalen Hoard had a double-double (12 p. 10 r.).
A rollercoaster ride
Maccabi opened the game leading 24-22 after the first period and built a 48-40 halftime advantage.
Olympiacos reacted, and near the end of the third period, the score was tied at 65, but Maccabi scored five straight points to enter the last quarter up by five (70-65).
Dowtin added three more threes to open the fourth period (81-69) for Maccabi’s biggest lead yet of the game.
John Dibartolomeo also made his first shot of the game, a three to push the lead to 13 (84-71), and that was it. Olympiacos was stunned, and the game seemed over.
Still, the Reds managed to score nine straight points to cut the lead to three (93-90) entering the last minute. Walker answered with a made free throw (94-93), Vezenkov replied with three made from the charity line (94-93), and with 42 seconds left, Maccabi got the ball.
O’Shae Brisser missed, Vezenkov gave the lead to Olympiacos (95-94), completing a 14-1 run with 17 seconds on the clock, and Maccabi had one last chance. Walker took a contested shot and missed it.