By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The crowd in “Menora Mivtachim” arena began singing in its loudest volume tonight when Pierre Jackson nailed a 3-pointer to put Maccabi up 86 – 78 with 2 minutes to play.
They knew that even though their team hadn’t managed to secure one of the numerous leads it had taken until then, it was impossible to give up this one.
Their instinct was correct. Following a turnover by Barcelona, Jackson hit a pair of free throws and proceeded to safely lead Maccabi towards a 94 – 82 victory.
Barcelona didn’t go down without a fight, despite what the final margin might imply. After returning from double-digit deficits twice in the match they went ahead 70 – 71 early in the fourth period after a downtown bucket by captain Juan Carlos Navarro.
But Maccabi proved to be too strong and way more potent on offense. When Adam Hanga tried to spark another comeback for the Blaugrana with a basket for the 83 – 78 with 2:30 remaining, his team had a slump in the next two possessions while their opponents increased their advantage.
It was a grim result for Barcelona since they are now 7 – 15 with eight games remaining for the completion of the EuroLeague regular season. Even if they win each and every one of them, there’s no guarantee that it will be enough for a playoff ticket.
Meanwhile, paced by the duo of Jackson (18 points) and Norris Cole (14 points, 6 assists) Maccabi got a key victory that improved their record to 12-10. The Israelis also got good news from Athens, since Baskonia‘s loss to Panathinaikos got them two wins behind them, at 10 – 12.
Thomas Heurtel was the top performer for Barcelona with a team-high 23 PIR after 18 points plus 10 assists. Yet he struggled defensively by Maccabi’s backcourt. Hanga contributed 17 points plus 5 rebounds.