The yellows came up clutch in France, using 21 points, 8 assists and a deciding block by Baldwin to improve to a 7-5 record. On Friday: Maccabi visits Bologna
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv survived a tightly contested battle in France to improve to a 7-5 record, beating ASVEL Villeurbanne 94-91 on Wednesday. The Israeli champs used a 21-points, 8-assists performance by Wade Baldwin IV, who also made the game clinching block on Nando De Colo as time expired.
What was the Maccabees’ first game in front of fans in over a month, ended up as a game of runs. Maccabi jumped to a 33-23 lead in the second frame using a 15-3 run. The locals responded with a 15-0 spell of their own. From this point on, no team could create separation, but the yellows delivered in the clutch.
Apart from Baldwin, Lorenzo Brown (16 points) and Bonzie Colson (15) were also pivotal in the deciding minutes. Roman Sorkin added 15 points and 8 boards. Joffrey Lauvergne led ASVEL with 23 points and 9 rebounds.
“It was a hell of a game”, declared Baldwin, who tabbed De Cola as the “best European guard ever”. He added: “I’m happy for this team, we’re fighting through all the battles we have to go through as a club. We continue to show grit and fight and continue to string wins”.
