Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will host Zenit St Petersburg in Menora Mivtachim Arena as part of Round 17 of the 2020/21 EuroLeague season (Tuesday, 21:00, Live on Sport5 - Channel 55). The Israeli champions (7:9), who won four of their last five European contests, look to continue their recent success with a victory over Zenit, who'll play their first-ever game in Tel Aviv.

In its second season in the competition, the Russian squad enters the game in sixth place, holding a 9:5 record. After two unsuccessful seasons in Barcelona, Kevin Pangos is striving as Xabi Pascual's floor general averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 assists per game. Zenit roster displays excellent shooters, especially from three: Will Thomas (43.3%), Billy Baron (42.1%), and KC Rivers (41.4%).

"So far this season, Zenit is one of the best teams in the league, holding a great record", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos before the matchup. "Although they've had corona issues at the start of the season, they are still playing really good basketball, winning 6 of 8 road games that shows their quality. They are very good on both ends of the court, especially on defense". 



"We need to play smart on offense and not get trapped in their gameplan. This game is a big challenge for us, which will give us extra motivation to be more focused and ready to play a tough game".

"We are riding good momentum towards this game, which is key for us as we want to build on what we've been doing thus far", Added the Yellow & Blue captain John DiBartolomeo. "Zenit is a very good team, they've started very well, so we know it will be a challenge tomorrow. It's going to start with defense, they're a very talented team on both ends of the floor as we'll do our best to counter and put our stamp on the game with our style". 



"We can get better and be one of the top teams in the EuroLeague once we get close to our potential because you can always get better as a team", Stated Scottie Wilbekin about the team's potential. "We still have ways to go, but we're trying to get a little bit better in each practice, each game, and I think it's showing good signs for us". 

"This team is no stranger to having people out, we've been doing it for a year and a half, so we just got to keep doing it. We just have to keep playing our game, find people when they're in a position to score, and try to get the most out of each player".

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv completed half of its regular-season games in the EuroLeague with a home loss to Zenit St. Petersburg, 72:78. With the defeat, the Yellow & Blue positive momentum took a hit on Tuesday, closing the first round with a 7:10 record. The Russian squad continues their surprising season, gaining their 7th road win of the season, improving their record to 10:5.

Maccabi opened the game well and held the lead after the first quarter. But the momentum shifted in the second quarter, after Othello Hunter, who was questionable coming into the contest because of back spasms, got hurt in the eye and was ruled out for the rest of the game. From that point on, the Russians took control, especially in the paint, and the hosts couldn't find answers.



Scottie Wilbekin led the Yellow & Blue scorers with 18 points, Tyler Dorsey contributed 13 points, as Ante Zizic and Elijah Bryant each added 10 points. Maccabi continues from here as they'll host Hapoel Jerusalem on Thursday evening for the final game of 2020.

"Our energy was not enough, especially at the start of the second half even though we talked in halftime about the need to raise our intensity to be faster in every reaction", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos after the loss. "Zenit started the second half really well and kept us low on the defensive end. In the final quarter, we came back, the players gave their maximum, and they gave their heart, but it was too difficult to return although we had a couple of chances to tie the game". 

Tyler Dorsey explained what was missing tonight: "We just couldn't figure it out tonight, and they were getting too many points in the paint. Some nights are like that. We got many games coming up, especially on this stretch, we got to forget it, continue and get back to what we were doing in the last three games. Our energy was kind of low, we have to have a quick mindset of forgetting and continuing from here".



"Basketball is a game of runs, you try to limit the bad ones and capitalize on the good runs", Added the Yellow & Blue captain John DiBartolomeo. "We hit a bad spot in the second and at the start of the third quarter, and these are the times you really miss your home fans to help dig you out of those holes. But it's something everyone is dealing with, and we need to respond better".

The identity of our team is focusing on defense, any good team has to play well defensively because you're going to miss shots", Told Elijah Bryant about the keys going forward. "When we have those nights, we can focus on defense, which will allow us to get where we need to be at the end of the season".

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