Maccabi beat Pilsen in a close and exciting game 73-67. Batista helped Kattash forget about Vujcic’s absence by playing a great game.
Maccabi beat Efes Pilsen and their Israeli coach David Blatt at home at the close of a troubled week in a close and exciting game. Maccabi were apprehensive due to Vijcic’s absence, but found a fitting replacement, the Uruguayan Esteban Batista who played exceptionally well scoring 14 points.
Both teams started with untidy messy play. Marcus Fizer scored 4 consecutive points in a good start, but his teammates started clocking up turnovers. Maccabi was lucky that Pilsen also took to the court somewhat apprehensively and clocked a few turnovers by not being able to keep possession of the ball. Drew Nicholas put the Turks into a 7-4 lead with a basket and foul, 3.5 minutes into the game. Four consecutive points by Lior Eliyahu including a massive dunk from a pass by Bynum, kept Maccabi hot on the trail.
Bynum put Maccabi into the lead with a three, 11-9 halfway into the first quarter. Drew Nicholas tried to keep Pilsen in the game but a three from Cummings followed by a steal that ended in a basket by Eliyahu put Maccabi in the lead at 16-13, 3 minutes to the 10 minute mark. Arslan and Hutson for the Turks and Sharp for Maccabi leveled the first quarter score at 18-18.
When the game resumed, Blumenthal and Morris led Maccabi to a 4 point lead within a minute, but Fizer, frustrated from having received a previous foul, fouled again and a technical was awarded to the Turks who leveled the score at 22-
Derek Sharp got the Nokia crowd onto their feet with a tremendous three. Lior Eliyahu continued his excellent play putting Maccabi in the lead at 29-22 making David Blatt bolt to request a timeout, 6 minutes to the buzzer. Pilsen resumed a little more focused, and Maccabi looked stuck once again, allowing Gregory and Hutson to level at 29-29, 4 minutes to half time. The score stayed level until the buzzer sounded after Bynum’s free throws. 36-35 to Maccabi.
Bynum led Maccabi to a 40-35 lead after scoring points and feeding Batista with an excellent pass one minute into the second half. Nicholas got back into form by scoring his first two points after a few long minutes. Wood added one point from the free throw line putting Pilsen into the lead for the first time since the start of the game, 44-43 to Pilsen, half way into the quarter. Nicholas continued in excellent form by adding 4 more points on the scoreboard. On the other side, Fizer was again in trouble and the lead diminished to 50-46, two and a half minutes to the buzzer.
Woods added 2 and Kattash took a break to stop the landslide. Pilsen, not affected at all by the timeout continued to hit Maccabi hard. A three by Sconnie Penn and Pilsen were in a record lead of nine points, 55-46. Yotam Halperin cleverly penetrated the Turkish defense to finalize the quarter’s score at 55-50, one quarter to go.
The terrible attacking play by both teams throughout the first three quarters did not suddenly disappear in the last quarter. Batista broke the ice, capitalizing on a great pass by Halperin, 55-
Both teams started a shooting battle from the free-throw line with Sharp and Eliyahu shooting accurately and Bynum then adding 2 points from half the distance, 68-64, 3 minutes left.
Sharp missed a difficult three but Morris came to the rescue with a powerful block on Penn, leaving the lead at 4 points to Maccabi. Will Bynum missed a difficult shot at a crucial moment but Morris scored a three thrown whilst under time pressure making it 71-65 to Maccabi with a minute to go. Two successful free throws and a convincing rebound from Bynum finalized the score at 73-67.
Maccabi: Batista 14, Eliyahu 13, Morris 11, Bynum 10, Sharp 8, Fizer 7, Cummings 4, Halperin 2.
Pilsen: Hutson 21, Nicholas 14, Gregory 12, Woods 9, Gonlum 4, Kurtoglu 3, Penn 3, Arslan 1.
