Facing adversity, the yellows stepped up en route to a 86:81 triumph on the road. Colson led scorers with 21 points, Brown set a new club EuroLeague record with 12 assists
In the midst of a raging war back home, at the home of one of Europe’s most star-studded teams and still without injured Wade Baldwin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv delivered an unforgettable victory on Friday. The Israeli champs edged Panathinaikos out in overtime, 86-81, and moved to a 2-1 record for the season.
The yellows showed excellent defense in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, led by Bonzie Colson. But the Greeks came roaring back after the break and had a 2-point lead with seconds left in regulation. That’s when Josh Nebo turned two missed free throws by Roman Sorkin into a overtime forcing putback.
In the extra frame, Oded Kattash’s men took the lead from start to finish, but needed another heroic play to seal the deal. Up 3 with 5 seconds to go, Pao could have had a chance to tie the game. But Antonius Cleveland intercepted a pass in the back court and iced the game with a layup as time expired.
Colson was once again Maccabi’s leading scorer with 21 points, accompanied by John DiBartolomeo in a stellar performance: 15 points and a personal record 9 rebounds. Lorenzo Brown finished the game with a 12-point, 12-assist double-double, setting a club record for dimes in a single EuroLeague contest. Nebo and Tamir Blatt each had 12 points, too.
