Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv tipped off the new EuroLeague season on the wrong foot, dropping an 78-85 decision to Anadolu Efes in Montenegro. The Israelis looked sharp for long stretches but couldn’t close out the game, undone by a barrage of threes from former Maccabi guard Jordan Loyd.
Oded Kattash’s squad won’t have much time to regroup — on Friday they’ll be back on the EuroLeague stage, hosting Paris in Belgrade.
On a night that saw several yellow-and-blue newcomers make their EuroLeague debut, it was the holdovers who led the way. Roman Sorkin and Jaylen Hoard paced Maccabi with 15 points apiece, while Tamir Blatt dished out 9 assists. No other player managed to reach double figures, though, and the night ended on a worrying note as Lonnie Walker IV went down with a leg injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.
