Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 
Crvena Zvezda Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Crvena Zvezda
Made/Att
Made/Att
Made/Att
DEF OFF TOT
CM RV
FV AG
Maccabi "hosts" Crvena Zvezda and former coach Sfairopoulos
After beating Baskonia, the yellows stay in Belgrade on Thursday to meet the local team (9:05 PM Israel time, 2:05 PM ET)
Here’s something nobody envisioned: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will meet Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on Thursday as the hosts. The EuroLeague round 16 matchup (9:05 PM Israel time, 2:05 PM ET), a derby of sorts, will also mark the first time the yellows play against former head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos since his departure nearly two years ago.
“To host Giannis and Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade is something we never thought would happen, but everything became crazy since October 7th”, pointed out head coach Oded Kattash. “Nothing surprises us anymore. It’s a nice anecdote, but we have a challenging basketball game on our hands”.
The Israeli champs (9-6) are coming off of an impressive 89:81 victory over Baskonia on Tuesday, and are looking to keep their hot form. Guard John DiBartolomeo (groin) is stil doubtful, but Kattash has a full roster besides him.
The locals who play as guests are having a disappointing season, holding a 5-10 record and losing all of their road games thus fat. Sfairopoulos was appointed as head coach mid-season, replacing Dusko Ivanovic – who since rejoined Baskonia and faced Maccabi earlier in the week.
Despite their record, Crvena Zvezda are a dangerous team with many tools in Sfairopoulos’ disposal. Nemanja Nedovic is one fo the streakiest scorers in Europe and leads the team with 13.2 points per game. Veteran PG Milos Teodosic dishes over 5 assists per game to go along with nearly 11 points. And the red-and-white team can also count on the abilities of Rokas Giedraitis, Luka Mitrovic and Adam Hanga, among others.
Teodosic, Crvena Zvezda stop Maccabi in Belgrade
Sometimes, you have to appreciate greatness. That was the case on Thursday, when an instrumental performance by Milos Teodosic led Crvena Zvezda to a 98:92 victory over Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in what was a home game in Belgrade.
The yellows, who came in after two succesive wins, dropped to a 9-7 record with one game remaining in the EuroLeague’s first round of games. It happened despite 22 points by Wade Baldwin, 20 by Lorenzo Brown and 18 by Josh Nebo, who improved his personal best for the second game in a row.
Maccabi trailed for most of the contest, with Teodosic (27 points and 14 assists) leading the locals to a 17-point lead after the break. The Israeli champs never gave up and fought their way back to a six-point deficit in the final minute, but could not complete a comeback.
The team will now head back to Israel for a pair of league bouts, at home against Hapoel Haifa on Saturday and in Beer Sheva on Monday, before heading out to Kaunas to face Zalgiris on Thursday.
