The Yellow & Blue summarized the last win of 2020. Sfairopoulos, who was impressed by his player’s performance, said: We controlled the game from the beginning until the end, we played great defensively with high energy”
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv returned to the Israeli Winner League with a dominant performance beating Hapoel Jerusalem 101:80 in Menora Mivtachim Arena, lifting their record to 6:1. Scottie Wilbekin erupted for 29 points, hitting eight three-pointers – tying a club record for most triples in a regular-season league game. Ante Zizic was a commanding force in the paint, finishing the contest with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Giannis Sfairopoulos’s squad looked great from the tip-off till the final whistle, forgetting Tuesday’s loss to Zenit. Zizic led the Yellow & Blue in the first couple of minutes, controlling under the rims. Elijah Bryant, who contributed 17 points, had a crucial contribution in the win. Omri Casspi marked a milestone on Thursday, recording his 1000th point in the Israeli league. Maccabi’s next opponent is Hapoel Tel Aviv in the State Cup Quarterfinals.
“First of all, I’d like to wish the best for Tamir Blatt (injured in the 4th quarter), and hopefully, his injury isn’t serious”, Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos in his opening statement. “We controlled the game from the beginning until the end, we played great defensively with high energy. As the game continued, we increased our intensity level and didn’t allow Jerusalem to play their style of play”.
“This is not a statement, just one good game of ours. The season is long, and teams will have their ups and downs”. Added Sfairopoulos about the win. “I’ll note that we played a EuroLeague contest two days ago, and we only left Menora at 2:30 am. I want to congratulate the players, it’s not easy what they’ve done. As I’ve said before, Scottie is our leader”.
“Felt the same way as always, I just tried to do my best, take good shots and do what the team needs me to do”, Explained the game’s MVP Scottie Wilbekin. “We played well on both ends of the court, a good overall 40 minute game of basketball”.
Oz Blayzer, who contributed 4 points and 6 rebounds, stated after the win: “No matter who we play, We have to come with high concentration and aggression as I appeared to play out today. We will work on it, and we emphasize it, especially the level of energy”.
