"We received a total team performance by all of the players"

Before starting a six-game EuroLeague stretch, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's last Israeli Winner League game until mid-April concluded with a commanding 104:67 road victory over Hapoel Haifa. Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad exploded in the second half, scoring 54 points while allowing only 25, which led to the overall impressive team performance. 



For the second straight game, Ante Zizic finished as the MVP of the night, scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing 4 assists, and blocking 3 shots. T.J. Cline had his best performance so far, completing a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Oz Blayzer and Sandy Cohen contributed 12 points apiece, Elijah Bryant added 11 points, as John DiBartolomeo and Scottie Wilbekin each scored 10 points.

"It's a good team win, we played well on both ends of the court, receiving a complete performance by all of the players", Complimented Maccabi's head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos after the excellent team display. "They reduced the advantage down to 8 after we gained a double-digit advantage twice in the second quarter, but our defense in the second half (25 total points) was vital for the win. Adding to that, we had a great offensive game with 7 scorers finishing with double-digit points".



"We ramped up the intensity on defense, pressured the ball more, and got more active steals that led to fastbreak offense which broke the game open", Explained T.J. Cline, Maccabi's second-half burst. "We have a good Israeli core that knows their roles and comes in to do anything they can to help the club. That's how the whole team is like, and I think we are starting to click". 

About the European stretch coming up: "We are Maccabi Tel Aviv, one of the best clubs in Europe with a storied history. We have six games left, we will keep fighting until the end and do everything we can to win all of them".

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