A magnificent performance by Tamir Blatt propelled Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to a win in its EuroLeague season debut, despite trailing for most of the evening. The Israeli floor general notched career-highs of 21 points, 12 assists and 36 PIR, and the yellows beat ASVEL Villeurbanne 89-82 on Thursday in a “home” game in Belgrade.
Maccabi’s renewed squad, missing newcomer Wenyen Gabriel, suffered from defensive issues for large parts of the game, giving up 52 points before the break. But Oded Kattash’s men pushed through in the second half and held the French rivals to only 11 points in the final quarter.
A 12-0 run to cap the game off was the difference maker, driven by Blatt’s shooting and court vision. A pair of alley-oop passes by the point guard to Jaylen Hoard in the space of 39 seconds sealed the deal for Maccabi, who triumphed in the season-opener for a fifth consecutive season.
Hoard scored 15 points in his EuroLeague debut, same as Jordan Loyd. Jasiel Rivero also proved pivotal in the win by filling the stat sheet with 11 points, 9 rebounds (career record), 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 29 minutes.
Maccabi will now have a few days without a game, until they will face another French team on Wednesday – a visit to Monaco awaits.
