Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 
Panathinaikos Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Panathinaikos
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Tied 1-1, Maccabi's series with Panathinaikos moves to Belgrade
With the EuroLeague Playoffs series all tied up at 1 win apiece, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will now play the host. The yellows will welcome Panathinaikos for game 3 at the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade on Tuesday (8 PM Israel Time, 1 PM ET), looking to regain their advantage. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday.
Oded Kattash’s squad defeated the Greeks 91-87 in game 1 in Athens to steal home court advantage, but suffered a 79-95 loss in game 2 without Wade Baldwin IV. Maccabi’s star guard did not return with the team to Israel, instead traveling to Croatia to receive extra treatments on his injured hamsting. His status for game 3 is uncertain.
“We got to focus on our principles on both sides of the floor, be better defensively and execute better offensively as well and we will do that”, proclaimed Bonzie Colson before the team took off to Belgrade, “We have some days to rest and prepare for our game on Tuesday. It’s gonna be an exciting atmosphere. Obviously we have some of our fans so we’re looking forward to that. We’re gonna do whatever we can to win”.
Pao has injury news of their own, as center Juancho Hernangomez missed game 2 and reportedly flew to Spain for examinations. Both teams did not play in the local leagues over the weekend in anticipation for game 3.
Thursday’s loss in game 2 was Maccabi’s second in 27 games, going back to early February. It was also their first defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos this season in the teams’ fourth encounter. The Israeli champs will look to improve on those records, and to do so will need to keep Kostas Sloukas at bay after his record breaking start to the series.
Brave performance gives Maccabi 2-1 Playoffs lead over Panathinaikos
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is just one game away from the returning to the EuroLeague final four after a decade. With a couragious and dramatic performance, the Israeli champions edged Panathinaikos 85-83 in Belgrade on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead into Thursday’s game 4.
After a season in which the yellows played almost entirely without their fans, a crowd of around one thousand loud Maccabists gathered in Aleksandar Nikoli? Hall, and it propelled Maccabi to a dominant showing. Even without injured Wade Baldwin IV, the team did not trail all game long and led by as many as 18 points.
The physical toll came with a price, as Pao was able to close the gap in the final quarter behind Kendrick Nunn and Mathias Lessort. The latter tied the game up at 83 points apiece in the final minute, but Lorenzo Brown (18 points and 8 assists) drew a foul and calmly converted both of his free throws to give Maccabi the much desired win.
Besides Brown, Josh Nebo was excellent with career high 22 points to go along with 9 rebounds, while Bonzie Colson chipped in with 13 points. Oded Kattash will hope to have Baldwin back by Thursday in order to repeat the feat and clinch a spot in Berlin.
