Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is just one game away from the returning to the EuroLeague final four after a decade. With a couragious and dramatic performance, the Israeli champions edged Panathinaikos 85-83 in Belgrade on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead into Thursday’s game 4.
After a season in which the yellows played almost entirely without their fans, a crowd of around one thousand loud Maccabists gathered in Aleksandar Nikoli? Hall, and it propelled Maccabi to a dominant showing. Even without injured Wade Baldwin IV, the team did not trail all game long and led by as many as 18 points.
The physical toll came with a price, as Pao was able to close the gap in the final quarter behind Kendrick Nunn and Mathias Lessort. The latter tied the game up at 83 points apiece in the final minute, but Lorenzo Brown (18 points and 8 assists) drew a foul and calmly converted both of his free throws to give Maccabi the much desired win.
Besides Brown, Josh Nebo was excellent with career high 22 points to go along with 9 rebounds, while Bonzie Colson chipped in with 13 points. Oded Kattash will hope to have Baldwin back by Thursday in order to repeat the feat and clinch a spot in Berlin.
