Fifteen three-pointers and a career-high 22 points for Elijah Bryant weren’t enough against the Turkish squad. Wilbekin added 15 points, Dorsey contributed 14
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv dropped a thriller in Istanbul 89:91 to Anadolu Efes as part of the 7th EuroLeague gameday. With the loss, the Yellow & Blue’s record falls to 2:5, as they’ll look to recover next week at home against Zalgiris Kaunas. The game produced numerous lead changes as Maccabi knocked down 15 triples, but a bucket by Beaubois and a crucial turnover secured a home win.
Scottie Wilbekin, Elijah Bryant, Angelo Caloiaro, Dragan Bender, and Ante Zizic opened in Maccabi’s starting five. On the other end, Vasilije Micic, Erten Gazi, Krunoslav Simon, Adrien Moerman, and Tibor Pleiss began for the hosts.
Efes started strong out of the gate, drilling three consecutive triples and stopping the Yellow & Blue scoreless in the first two and a half minutes of the game. The Turkish team established a double-digit edge, which led to a Giannis Sfairopoulos timeout, 0:11. Bryant shifted the momentum to the Yellow & Blue side, carrying the team on his back with a 12:4 run. The guard scored 8 points and dished an assist to Caloiaro, who knocked in a shot from deep as he was fouled after a beautiful offensive possession, converting a 4 point play, 12:16.
Pleiss added his 7th point from mid-range, but that didn’t stop Maccabi’s momentum from completing the incredible comeback in two minutes, scoring ten unanswered points, 22:18. Beaubois tied the game at 22, but Chris Jones drove to the basket and delivered the quarter’s final points, 24:22.
Pleiss scored three consecutive buckets for the hosts to open the second quarter, and Chris Singleton tallied his first points of the night, 28:33. Beaubois added five points, opening a 9 point edge, but Wilbekin knocked in back to back threes cutting the lead down to 3, 38:41.
Caloiaro distributed back to back assists while Dorsey and Wilbekin rallied the visitors back to a one-point advantage, 47:46. Beaubois converted a three-point play, but Maccabi’s top scorer, Bryant, scored on the buzzer giving the Yellow & Blue a 50:49 advantage at halftime.
Maccabi came well out of the break, stopping the Turkish squad scoreless in the first couple of minutes. Bryant took advantage to increase the lead adding four more points as Zizic scored two from the charity strike for a quick 6:0 run, 56:49. Simon and Micic reduced the margin down to 2, but the Croatian big man worked inside and recorded four consecutive points, 60:54.
Both sides swapped buckets, as Moerman led the hosts while Dorsey scored on the other end, 68:64. Bryant extended the lead up to 8 with two straight scores, but Beaubois and Micic lessened the Yellow & Blue advantage down to 5, closing out the third quarter, 72:67.
Starting off the final quarter, James Anderson scored his first points of the night, reducing the visitors advantage to 2, 73:71. Jones responded with a triple, but the Turkish side generated a 7:0 stretch that provided them their first lead of the second half, 78:80. Wilbekin drilled his 4th and 5th shots from deep, restoring a 4 point margin, 84:80.
Simon capped five unanswered points with a three-point play retaking the lead, but Oz Blayzer knocked in a clutch triple for his first points, 87:85 Maccabi. Pleiss totaled his 20th point giving a 2 point edge, Zizic answered on the other end, tying the game at 89 with 39 seconds left on the game clock.
Beaubois recaptured the advantage after laying it in over Blayzer, which gave the Yellow & Blue the last ball. A miscommunication between Bryant and Dorsey led to a turnover. Still, after a Zizic block on the defensive end, Maccabi had 6 seconds left to get off a shot, but the Frenchman stopped Wilbekin giving Anadolu Efes a 91:89 win over Maccabi.
