A last second miss by Brown denied a lucrative victory, as the yellows fell 90:92 in Belgrade. Baldwin scored 19 points but did not finish the game
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv went toe-to-toe with second-placed Barcelona on Thursday, but failed to earn a lucrative victory. A Lorenzo Brown attempt from long range missed, and the yellows lost 90-92 in Belgrade, falling to a 5-4 EuroLeague record.
The Israeli champs jumped to an early lead with great offensive execution, playing through center Josh Nebo (13 points). But Maccabi could not seperate themselves from Willy Hernangomez, Nicolas Laprovitola and the rest of the Blaugarana.
A 10-0 run by Barca to start the second half did not deter the Maccabees, who came back to force a back-and-forth final frame. Then, a second technical foul by Wade Baldwin – Maccabi’s leading scorer with 19 points – dealt him an early exit. It was a big blow considering the absence of injured guards Tamir Blatt and John DiBartolomeo.
Yet Maccabi could still grab a victory, with a Jasiel Rivero free throw giving the yellows a lead with under 90 seconds to go. Laprovitola (22 points) moved the needle back to Barcelona’s way, but Brown (12 points) had a chance to win the game for Maccabi – his deep shot from the left wing wedging between the rim and the board at the buzzer.
“It was a tough loss, it’s never nice to lose a close game”, said head coach Oded Kattash. “In games like these, you to be perfect in both sides of the court. We will watch film and try to get better”, chimed in Bonzie Colson, who added 11 points.
Maccabi will now prepare for a double week, with Real Madrid and Alba Berlin up next in visiting the yellow squad in Belgrade.
