Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 
Barcelona Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv
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Barcelona
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Tuesday at 21:00: Maccabi hosts Barcelona
After a perfect first round at Menorah Mivtachim Arena (8:0), the Yellow & Blue head back home after almost a month away to face Barcelona. Sfairopoulos: "It's good to be back home in front of our fans"
Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv will host FC Barcelona on Tuesday evening as part of the 19th EuroLeague fixture (21:00, live on Sport5 – channel 55), the first of two home games this week. The Yellow & Blue came back to Israel on Friday following the win in Berlin, and on Saturday, stayed unbeaten in the domestic league (14:0) after beating Hapoel Holon on the road.
On the other hand, Barcelona comes into Tel Aviv after investing the most amount of money this summer on signings. The Catalan club brought it Malcolm Delaney, Cory Higgins, Alex Abrines, Brandon Davies, and Nikola Mirotic, who shined in the past meeting between the clubs scoring 25 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to an impressive 96:73 victory over Maccabi.
“Barcelona is a very good team, with a lot of talented players they lost the past two games, so they will be extra motivated to win”, Said head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos in his opening statement. “We need to stick to our plan, play good defense, read the way they play, and offensively play our smart style of basketball. After three straight away games, it’s good to be back home in front of our fans, and with their significant support, we will fight hard for a positive result”.
“I had to get ready to jump in the fire with this team, I didn’t have a lot of time to waste, so I had to be ready for my name to be called”, Told Jalen Reynolds, to reporters before the final practice. “Tomorrow is going to be a battle, they have good players, but we do too, and we work hard every day. It’s going to be a physical game, so we need to be locked in, I’m ready for the challenge”.
“I agree he is the best coach, I love playing for him”, Said Scottie Wilbekin about the EuroLeague GM survey who chose Giannis Sfairopoulos as the best coach so far this season. “I think what made them say we are one of the toughest teams to play against is because of how tough we play, we always play hard even if we were down a few games we fought back and came back to win. Our team is always fighting, we don’t give up, and it is definitely hard to play here having the best home-court advantage in the EuroLeague”.
“Barcelona is one game ahead of us in the standings, so it would be huge for us to get this win”, Added the guard. “Right now, It’s really close at the top, so every game is important and especially against a team like Barca, which is one of the best teams in the league, we want to do our best to win. We will have to be aggressive, try to keep them out of being in their comfort zone, and not let them run their sets, make them work for it”.
Maccabi roars past Barcelona 92:85
The Yellow & Blue stay undefeated at home (9:0) with the win over the Catalonian squad. Dorsey (19) and Wilbekin (18) were on fire dialing it up from deep
Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv continues to create numerous memorable nights in Menorah Mivtachim, as they beat FC Barcelona 92:85, staying undefeated at home in the EuroLeague, winning their 9th straight home contest. Dorsey was excellent finishing the game with 19 points, Scottie Wilbekin added 18 and Angelo Caloiaro was all over the court contributing on both ends. On Thursday: Ettore Messina’s Armani Milan comes in town.
Scottie Wilbekin, Yovel Zoosman, Elijah Bryant, Quincy Acy, and Othello Hunter began the game in Giannis Sfairopoulos’s starting five. The visitors took a 4:0 lead, however, Zoosman ignited a 9:2 run that gave the Yellow & Blue the lead. A Wilbekin three-pointer put the hosts in front, 13:12, but Nicola Mirotic and Brandon Davies turned the advantage around, 20:27 after 10 minutes.
At the start of the second quarter, Maccabi completed a 15:5 run with Tyler Dorsey and Jake Cohen exchanging buckets for the Yellow & Blue, which put them on top, 33:32. Mirotic hit a three to put Barca back ahead yet, Maccabi responded with a 12:2 sequence with Wilbekin scoring 7 straight points that gave the hosts a 48:41 margin at the half.
After the halftime break, Barcelona cut down the lead, as two points from inside the paint by Ante Tomic brought the Catalonian squad within 2, 50:48. On the other end, Zoosman and Jalen Reynolds answered with two-point buckets to secure Maccabi’s lead midway through the third quarter. Nate Wolters, Angelo Caloiaro, and Tyler Dorsey capped a 9:1 run with three straight three-pointers at the end of the period, which gave the Yellow & Blue an 8 point advantage 65:57, going into the final quarter.
Dorsey stayed hot, hitting back to back shots from deep that raised the lead to 12, but Kyle Kuric, Mirotic, and Pierre Oriola answered from downtown to bring Barcelona within 3, 71:68. Maccabi responded with a 9:2 run after Caloiaro added a corner three-pointer that set the hosts with a commanding lead heading into the final minutes. A Wilbekin three and a Hunter dunk sealed the deal, 92:85 over Barcelona.
