The Yellow & Blue fourth-quarter comeback falls short after erasing a third-quarter 22 point deficit but couldn’t complete it in the closing minutes. Dorsey scored 22 points, and Hunter provided 14 points and 10 rebounds
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv playoff hopes took a hit on Tuesday with the 80:84 defeat to CSKA Moscow, which dropped their EuroLeague season record to 10:15. The game wasn’t far from ending in a magical comeback after the Yellow & Blue deleted a 22 point Russian lead in front of 300 fans who got to watch their first EuroLeague contest in over a year.
The Israeli champions had difficulty dealing with the Reds athleticism and capabilities, but Maccabi never gave up and showed their fighting mentality in the final quarter. Tyler Dorsey led the scorers with 20 points, and Othello Hunter performed a double-double scoring 14 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Game Recap:
Maccabi opened the contest with Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Angelo Caloiaro, Dragan Bender, and Ante Zizic, while CSKA started with Mike James, Darrun Hilliard, Nikita Kurbanov, Tornike Shengelia, and Joel Bolomboy.
Bender knocked down a three-pointer for the first points of the game, and Omri Casspi floated in two after coming off the bench, but Hilliard responded on the other end with three shots from behind the arc, 10:12. Casspi’s high energy generated six first-quarter points as Oz Blayzer dished an assist to Tyler Dorsey, who drilled a corner triple while Will Clyburn and Michael Eric tied the contest at 23 after 10 minutes.
A Blayzer steal led to a Chris Jones layup, and the American guard located Dorsey, who shot in a triple, but James and Eric Reid scored inside, giving CSKA a one-point edge. The Yellow & Blue turned the ball over, and the Russians took advantage as Clyburn scored eight consecutive points in a 16:0 stretch, 28:45.
After five scoreless minutes, Wilbekin hit a three-pointer, and Othello Hunter converted two from the free-throw line, but James knocked down six straight points to close out the first half, 33:51.
Dorsey converted a three-point possession and added a shot from behind the arc to open up the second half, but the visitors took advantage of four quick fouls scoring from the free-throw line, 45:61.
The Russians held a night-high 22 point advantage, but the hosts started their comeback attempt as Bryant drilled a triple, and Sandy Cohen passed an alley-oop pass to Hunter, who slammed it down, giving the Yellow & Blue hope heading into the final ten minutes, 52:68.
The fourth quarter started well for Maccabi as Hunter scored four consecutive points, and Jones dished back-to-back assists to Bryant and Caloiaro for a 9:3 run which led to a Dimitris Itoudis timeout 61:71. Sandy cohen drilled a three-pointer diminishing the Reds margin down to 6, but Clyburn, with two straight post moves, retrieved the edge up to 10.
Hunter converted his 8th straight free throw, Dorsey knocked down a shot from deep, and Sandy Cohen completed a 7:0 run cutting CSKA’s edge down to 3, 75:78. Hilliard hit a crucial three, but Dorsey responded from deep, reducing the margin down to 2 with 13 seconds left, 80:82.
The Yellow & Blue fouled Shengelia hoping that the big man will miss at least one of the free throws, but the Georgian converted both shots and the time ran out for the hosts. CSKA beats Maccabi 84:80.
