The Yellow & Blue stay undefeated at home after a heroic win over the European champions. Wilbekin and Hunter led Maccabi with 22 and 20 points respectively
Empire: Without Casspi, Black, Wolters, and DiBartolomeo, Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv overcame the injuries to beat the European champions, CSKA Moscow 90:80. With the win, the Yellow & Blue stated that at home there is no messing around. Scottie Wilbekin continued his incredible form with 22 points and a career-high 9 assists, alongside ex CSKA, Othello Hunter who ended his night with a career-best 20 points, and 7 rebounds.
Maccabi opened with Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Angelo Caloiaro, Quincy Acy, and Othello Hunter in the starting five. The Yellow & Blue began the game in a high tempo with Quincy Acy being the leading executer, especially on the offensive end with two three’s and 8 points. In the final minutes of the first, Mike James got into his usual groove with Joel Bolomboy, who led the reds on a 7:0 run to give the European champions a 29:20 advantage after the first ten minutes.
The run extended into the second quarter up to 13:3 that gave them a double-digit lead. On the other end, Maccabi stayed in it with Bryant hitting his second three-pointer, and Wilbekin providing another offensive showing reaching double digits in points alongside six assists. Tyler Dorsey beat the halftime buzzer from deep for a 45:52 deficit at the half.
With the start of the second half, the reds increased their advantage up to 11, but from that moment, Maccabi elevated their game. Hunter scored three baskets, Bryant produced efficient minutes off the bench, and Zoosman finished a transition layup to complete a 13:0 run. That gave Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad their first advantage of the night on their way to a fabulous 66:64 lead going into the deciding period.
The hosts showed that run wasn’t a fluke, Wilbekin fed his friends with assists on his way to a EuroLeague career-high 9 assists. However, James answered on the other end to pull his team back in it. Hunter, with a couple of clutch baskets and Zoosman’s free throws, gave the Yellow & Blue a 90:80 win over the Russians squad, their first home win in a decade.
