"We didn't deserve to win"

Based on the first quarter alone, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv was on its way to send the 3000 Yellow & Blue fans home happy. However, basketball is played for 40 minutes, and the French side was in control for most of the minutes, securing a 74:67 win over Giannis Sfairopoulos's squad. 

Without Othello Hunter, Yovel Zoosman, and Omri Casspi, who joined the injured list, Dragan Bender played a season-high 35 minutes leading all Maccabi scorers with 15 points and 8 rebounds, Tyler Dorsey and Scottie Wilbekin each contributed 14, and Ante Zizic concluded the night with 12 points and 8 boards.

"As the game progressed, it was obvious that the opponent would get the win because most parts of the second period and third period, they controlled the game", Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos at the postgame press conference. "We started really well, played good defense with the two big guys who were protecting the rim. When Zizic made the second foul, I had to protect him from making the third, so we played a lot with only one big guy". 

"I think that was a problem because we didn't play the same style as we did in the first period, and in the second quarter, we should have played and executed better offensively after scoring only 12 points which gave them the lead. In the last 7-8 minutes, we attempted to come back and win the game, giving maximum effort and fighting spirit, reducing their advantage to 4 points. Today we didn't have the energy that we needed to play consistently for 40 minutes, and for that, we didn't deserve to win".



Chris Jones, who finished the night with 6 points, analyzed what went sideways tonight: "We started with a lot of energy with our defense leading to easy points on the other end. With the lack of energy, we lost that rhythm. It's always tough to lose in front of the home fans".

"It's been a tough season. In life, not every day will be perfect, and the same could be said about every game and each season", Pointed out Elijah Bryant. "We have only tomorrow to look forward to. You have to come in the right mindset, so yes, this season has been disappointing not making the playoffs, but we are professionals, and we need to learn from it".

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